For decades North Wales has been left to languish in the shadows by multiple Labour-run Welsh Governments. From the crumbling North Wales Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to the disastrous effects a ‘tourism’ tax would wreak, Labour simply doesn’t give two hoots about this proud region.
But at long last that historic wrong was firmly corrected by the UK Conservative Government this month. I was absolutely delighted to hear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announce at Conservative Party Conference his ambitious plan to plough £1 billion into electrifying the North Wales Mainline, from Holyhead to Crewe, which has been spoken of by various governments for over four decades.
The decision was made possible thanks to the Prime Minister, who decided to use the billions of pounds from HS2 costs into transport infrastructure that benefits more people in more places. This once-in-a-generation decision will certainly unlock North Wales’ unique potential by transforming its economy and infrastructure.
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After all, delivering quicker and more reliable journeys will provide both short and long-term boosts, especially by enabling an easier flow of tourists, as well as bringing the region within just an hour of Manchester and other key destinations. And our plans for North Wales do not stop there.
Recently the greenlight was given for the Anglesey Freeport which will create thousands of local jobs for local people and help attract investment in the green energy and hydrogen industries. The 2021 Spending Review set the largest annual block grant (£18 billion) of any spending review settlement since the start of devolution – and the Labour-run Welsh Government must use it to make North Wales an even better place than it is already.
We are also investing over £790 million across four City and Growth Deals, including £120 million in North Wales alone. Whilst the UK Conservative Government is making the long-term decisions needed for a brighter future, Labour continues to waste time on pursuing its vanity projects, including imposing a 20mph blanket policy that will hit the Welsh economy by £4.5 billion, spending £120 million on creating more politicians and introducing a disastrous tourism tax which’ll hit hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Whilst Labour is determined to slow down North Wales, the Conservatives are ensuring the region is racing ahead.
David TC Davies is the UK Government's Secretary of State for Wales.
