Serious questions have been raised about fair funding for Wales after the Party of Wales leader Leanne Wood uncovered deep divides in the Labour party on the issue.
The party leader challenged the First Minister on comments made by the Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament who said that “the Barnett formula works for the whole of the United Kingdom and is a mechanism that has served us well so far”.
The Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood highlighted public commitments made by the First Minister to include the reform of Barnett in the 2015 Labour manifesto, and challenged him on whether his party leader in London would listen to him or his Scottish counterpart.
The Party of Wales leader Leanne Wood said:
“The Labour party is in disarray. This is just another example of the party saying one thing in one place and doing another thing somewhere else. The self-branded One Nation Labour party is speaking with two very different voices.
“Because of the present unfair funding settlement, Wales could be missing out on between £300-£400 million per year. Addressing this imbalance should be a priority for the party of government, but Labour is caught in in-fighting and is unable to come to a coherent conclusion. The First Minister tells us one thing but his party leader in London says another.
“I’ve made it clear to the First Minister that getting a fair funding settlement for Wales is a priority issue for Plaid Cymru, and as a result we will put it in our manifesto. Plaid Cymru is united and is committed to building a better Wales, and we are focused on making that happen.”
