WELSH Conservatives attempted to ignite a culture war in Wales at the weekend by claiming the end of a basic income trial for young care leavers showcased a failed “socialist experiment.”

Welsh Conservatives’ Joel James said: “I’m not surprised that this scheme has come to an end.

“It was nothing more than a socialist experiment by Labour.”

The Tories in Wales had previously spread inaccurate rumours that the trial scheme was providing money for asylum-seekers.

The criticism followed Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt’s Senedd announcement that the two-year trial scheme would end in July 2024.

The pilot scheme offered young people who left care and turned 18 between July 1 2022 and June 30 2023 a monthly basic income of £1,600 for a period of two years.

During the 12-month enrolment period, 635 young people joined the pilot scheme and started receiving payments. 

Ms Hutt said: “The first cohort will see their payments ending from July 2024.”

The minister told the Senedd that the young people would also be supported as the trial ends and work was ongoing to support them through the transition.

“The basic income pilot for care leavers in Wales is an ambitious and groundbreaking policy, and it is essential that the evaluation matches this ambition by providing a rigorous and wide-ranging assessment of its impact,” Ms Hutt said.

“We’ve commissioned an expert team led by the children’s social care research and development centre at Cardiff University to lead the evaluation.”