Welsh Labour MSs accuse Sir Keir Starmer of rolling back devolution

Eleven Welsh Labour politicians have accused the Labour UK government of rolling back devolution by bypassing ministers in Cardiff Bay to make decisions in Wales.

A letter signed by most of the party’s backbench in the Senedd accused Sir Keir Starmer’s government of a “constitutional outrage” by announcing a scheme which will give cash to councils for town centre improvements.

The funding will cover fixing bus shelters and providing bins, but bypasses the Welsh government which normally governs and funds local government in Wales.

The UK government was asked for comment.

A Welsh government spokesperson said First Minister Eluned Morgan had raised concerns about powers the UK government was using with Starmer last Friday.

Signed by senior Labour MSs and former government ministers – but not any sitting ministers – the letter said there is “increasing concern” that the UK government is failing to deliver further devolution – the system which allows Cardiff politicians to make decisions for Wales.

The letter said the UK government’s Pride of Place town centre improvement programme had caused “considerable unhappiness” amongst Welsh Labour Members of the Senedd (MSs).

It said it was a “UK government programme operating in a wholly devolved area that is being designed and delivered from Whitehall”.

The letter criticised the use of the Boris Johnson-era UK Internal Market Act to “impose” the new programme.

The law was controversial in part because of the powers it gave the UK government to spend money in areas that are otherwise controlled by the Welsh government.

Ministers in the Welsh government attempted to have the law overturned in the courts, the letter said, because “the Internal Market Act represented an unwarranted attack on devolution”.

“For our own government to then come in and use the very same powers to act in devolved areas is at best deeply insensitive, at worst a constitutional outrage,” it said.

“If this was being done by a Tory government we would be calling for a judicial review. This must never happen again”.

“Wales needs and deserves to be treated as an equal part of the UK and the UK government has a responsibility to act to deliver this equality.”

The letter said that while in opposition Labour had “raised expectations” of reform to the way Wales is funded, as well as the devolution of policing, rail infrastructure, policing and the Crown Estate.

It accused the UK government of “not only not progressing these but… rolling back the existing devolution settlement.”

A Welsh government spokesperson did not push back on the content of the letter when approached by BBC Wales.

She said: “As a government we’ve been clear about our position on the use of these powers.

“The first minister raised this directly with the prime minister on Friday.”

Labour devolved powers to Wales for the first time in 1999, when the then-National Assembly opened following a referendum.

A Welsh Labour MS told the BBC: “We are the party that created devolution, we took the last government to court to defend it.

“We can’t say nothing as our own government walks all over it.”

The MS said there was considerable feeling among the party’s Senedd group and ministers that they should push back.

That was disputed by another Labour MS, who said the letter was not “fair at all” on Welsh first minister Morgan, accusing those who signed the letter of “just stirring and posturing for self gain”.

“If I were her I’d be furious. It increasingly feels like some in the Labour group want the party to lose next year,” they said.

A Labour MP said they were “raging” after the letter.

They said: “It is very disappointing to see Labour Members of the Senedd – most of whom are running away in May – opposing vital investment into Welsh communities.

“Their obsession with constitutional theory is hugely out of step with the priorities of our constituents, which may go some way to explaining their poor polling 6 months out from an election.”

Among those who have signed the letter are former ministers Mick Antoniw, Julie Morgan, Hannah Blythyn, Alun Davies, John Griffiths, Lesley Griffiths and Lee Waters.

Jenny Rathbone, Rhianon Passmore, Carolyn Thomas and Mike Hedges also backed the letter.

In response, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: “The signatories of this letter are correct – you cannot claim to respect Wales while designing Welsh programmes from Whitehall. It shows a deep lack of understanding and a worrying disregard for the Senedd.”

Plaid Cymru’s Mabon ap Gwynfor said Labour in Wales were “falling apart just months before a crucial election”.

“It tells you everything you need to know about a party in complete disarray, with no influence whatsoever over their London colleagues.”

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson said: “Wales was told that Labour governments at each end of the M4 would deliver for our communities, but all we’ve seen since the last election is infighting.”

Tory Shadow Secretary of State Mims Davies said: “With rows and bitter divisions clearly engulfing the Labour Party, the two fabled Labour governments, on either end of the M4, shows what a disaster they truly are.

“They have run out of ideas for the people of Wales.

One of the letter’s signatories, former counsel general Mick Antoniw, has also criticised plans to scrap jury trials for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years.

Antoniw was minister for the constitution to the former first minister Mark Drakeford, and counsel general to Drakeford and his successor Vaughan Gething before he resigned in March 2024.

On Facebook, Labour Pontypridd MS Antoniw said: “Abolishing jury trials for most offences is a step too far and an attack on our fundamental rights,” adding it could “become an unmitigated political disaster for the UK government.

By Gareth Lewis, BBC Wales political editor

After a difficult year, Labour insiders have been insisting for months that the party will pull together ahead of next year’s Senedd election.

So does such public criticism of the prime minister from so many Labour backbench Senedd members suggest disunity to voters, and represent something that might put them off the party?

There is a sense among the letter’s signatories that there is a bigger point of principle at stake: Westminster simply should not be doing this.

In taking a stand against their own Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, they argue they are putting country before party.

But their political opponents are already seizing on the letter as evidence that Labour is more interested in fighting itself than fighting for Wales.