Skip to main content
Morning Star Conference
Wales needs ‘reversal of austerity,’ Plaid says ahead of Budget
New Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake poses for photos on College Green opposite the Palace of Westminster, London, July 8, 2024

WALES need a reversal of austerity and its small businesses must be protected from expected hikes to employer National Insurance contributions, Plaid Cymru said today ahead of the Budget.

The party’s Treasury spokesman Ben Lake MP said that following Labour’s election promise of change, anything short of substantial reforms will be a failure to meet the needs of Wales.

“Welsh public services are face serious budget shortfalls that urgently need to be addressed,” he said. “Furthermore, the ongoing HS2 saga is depriving Wales of up £4 billion in rail funding: money that could transform our public transport infrastructure.

“The Labour Party’s election campaign centred on a promise of change, and so now in government they must deliver it.”

He said Britain’s enormous wealth gap means it is crucial that Wednesday’s Budget creates opportunities for all and that expected tax increases would disproportionately affect rural areas.

He called on Labour to grant Wales greater control over its own resources to empower local communities.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
School children in a classroom
Education / 7 June 2025
7 June 2025
Similar stories
 NOT ENOUGH: Rachel Reeves leaves 11 Downing Street, with he
Features / 2 November 2024
2 November 2024
The first Budget of the Labour government falls far short of addressing Wales’s needs, maintaining austerity-era policies while providing inadequate funding for critical services and infrastructure, writes LUKE FLETCHER MS
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves holds up her minis
Britain / 30 October 2024
30 October 2024