The first minister of Wales has revealed she is expecting more money from the prime minister for rail infrastructure in the country.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Eluned Morgan hailed HS2 as “unfair” and said she is “expecting to see some uplift in terms of rail infrastructure and financing”.
A UK government source said the government would “signal a direction of travel” on transport in Wales in the coming days, and the issue will be a “priority” in the spending review in the spring.
The source said the government is making efforts to “fix” the “historic underinvestment in rail in Wales, exacerbated by HS2”.
The first minister said she hopes to see additional funding before the Senedd elections next May, but it is unclear how much cash Sir Keir Starmer is willing to give his colleagues in Wales.
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Keir Starmer and First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan during a visit to Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm in Pencader last August. Pic: PA
Despite no plans for HS2 infrastructure to run through Wales, the project was categorised as an England and Wales project by the previous Conservative government.
That meant no funding was given to Wales even though regional governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland received additional money because they were not part of the project.
All parties within the Senedd have called for Wales to receive the extra funding for HS2.
In her first interview with Sky News since taking office, Ms Morgan labelled the current situation as “absolutely wrong, unfair, unjustified”.
She said: “We need our share of that money. We haven’t been given our share of that money.”
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Eluned Morgan is Wales’ first female first minister
Previous analysis suggested Wales was owed £4bn in equivalent funding, but more recent Welsh government estimates suggest the figure could be closer to £350m.
The UK Labour Party has been criticised by Plaid Cymru for ‘flip-flopping’ over HS2 funding.
In 2022, the then shadow Wales secretary Jo Stevens attacked the Conservative government for not compensating Wales – saying “it is utterly illogical to designate it an England and Wales project”.
However, during the election campaign, Ms Stevens said the “money isn’t there” for HS2 funding.
The first minister suggested she has been pushing the prime minister behind the scenes.
She said: “Every time I see poor Keir Starmer, I ask him for our share of that money. So I will stand up for Wales on every single opportunity.
“But I will also take advantage of the fact that we have a government in Westminster now of the same colour who started to turn the taps on for public services.”
