Ella Groves – ICNN Senedd Reporter
A Reform MS has clashed with Wales’ finance minister, suggesting she should “hand over the reins to someone more competent”.
Cai Parry-Jones, Reform’s shadow finance minister, blamed Elin Jones for the first-ever Welsh Government budget defeat – and highlighted her voting against her own government twice by mistake.
He said when the government needed to negotiate with Reform for the next supplementary budget, it sent the minister for government effectiveness instead of Ms Jones.
Mr Parry-Jones also claimed he has a source saying the “exact same thing” happened with the Labour negotiations.
He added: “The First Minister said he had learnt lessons over the summer. The lesson, it appears, is to sideline you.
“So, Minister, who is actually running the Welsh Government’s finances? And given it clearly isn’t you, is it not time to officially hand over the reins to someone more competent?”
Accusing Mr Parry-Jones of trivialising the questions from the opposition spokespeople, Ms Jones said: “When you’ve been here 27 years and you’ve only managed to vote wrong twice, then maybe I can come back to you and see what your record will be like in 27 years.”
She continued: “There are really important questions that could be asked at this point, and you’ve asked whether it’s Dafydd Trystan [Davies] or myself that turned up to a meeting with you.
“I am the minister for finance. There are others in this government who will also be negotiating with people across this Senedd, both on funding and on legislation. We do not work as a silo in this government; we work as a team.”
Menai Bridge Crossing
Ms Jones also clashed with the shadow finance minister over the proposed third Menai crossing.
He questioned the funding available for the crossing, telling members the current estimate for the project is £670 million but “only £20 million to £25 million has been budgeted over the next five years for it, and that’s just been for planning”.
Mr Parry-Jones added: “We can see where this is going, Minister: you’ll kick the big spending can down the road while you’re in the job, a future finance minister will announce we don’t have enough money and then quietly shelve it.”
Ms Jones denied Mr Parry-Jones’ accusations and said: “In government, in this Senedd, when you have been here a longer time you will know that large infrastructure projects take a long time to deliver.”
She continued: “If you don’t start today and start the planning and fund the planning, as this government is doing for the Menai bridge, then you will not get to that day when there is a third Menai bridge.”
Ms Jones stressed the government is committed to both improving the resilience of the two existing bridges and tackle the need for the third crossing.
She concluded: “We’re committed to doing that work, to funding that work in its development phases, and, hopefully, both you and I will be here long enough to see that third Menai bridge built.”
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