In the latest instalment of Labour’s on-going expectation’s management effort to level with the public about what it can and can’t achieve in such a difficult financial environment, Carwyn Jones who, as first minister of Wales remains the leader of the only Labour government in the country, has warned of further cuts to come to unprotected budgets.
Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones has told AMs that Wales is making progress in “the most difficult economic circumstances” and that the Welsh government is “standing up” to UK government austerity and welfare policies.
So often in the House of Commons and elsewhere Conservative ministers have been quick to attack the Welsh government for cutting spending on the NHS and presiding over what they argue has been a deteriorating health service.
The first minister of Wales has issued a stark warning of painful financial decisions to come ahead of George Osborne’s spending review at the end of next month.
People in Wales suffering accidents through sporting activity could be subject to an ‘activity tax’ under new Tory proposals. Conservative AM Darren Millar said on a radio phone-in show that individuals putting themselves at high risk through their own choice could be charged by the NHS.
The prospect of the Welsh government and assembly gaining significant new powers over taxation has taken a step forward following a declaration by one UK minister.
Just over a week since George Osborne declared as “unbelievable” the Welsh government’s opposition to many of his welfare reforms, the BBC has today unearthed evidence demonstrating the extent of the impact of the bedroom tax.
In 2008, the Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Jenkns declared that plans for a portrait of Margaret Thatcher to hang in the Welsh Assembly was an “insult to the people of Wales”. At the same time, the then Conservative AM and now MP for the Vale of Galmorgan Alun Cairns praised the ex PM for having “transformed the Welsh economy.”
In a sign of how out of touch he has become, George Osborne yesterday said the Welsh government’s opposition to the coalition’s welfare reforms was “unbelievable”.
The Welsh government has taken the unprecedented step of buying Cardiff Airport amidst on-going concerns about its performance and ability to compete with nearby Bristol.
