Plaid Cymru slams Labour for blocking Crown Estate devolution to Wales
‘Labour say one thing in Wales and do another in Westminster’
Plaid Cymru Energy spokesperson, Llinos Medi MP, has criticised the Labour UK Government for voting down her amendment to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales during the Committee Stage of the Crown Estate Bill.
Despite widespread public and political support for devolution in Wales, Labour MPs blocked the transfer of powers – directly contradicting the stance of the Labour Welsh Government.
The Crown Estate, which owns the UK seabed out to 12 nautical miles, is a £16 billion portfolio belonging to the reigning monarch. Revenue from its holdings currently goes to the UK Treasury. In 2016, Scotland secured devolution of its Crown Estate, allowing its revenues to be reinvested directly in Scottish communities.
During the debate, Treasury Minister James Murray argued that keeping the Crown Estate under Westminster control brought “greater benefit for the people of Wales and the wider United Kingdom.” However, this stance contradicts recent comments from Welsh Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan, who described the current arrangement as “unfair” and said she was “fighting very hard” for more control.
Medi also criticised the Welsh Labour Government for failing to submit written evidence to the Committee in support of devolution – despite publicly claiming to back it.
The Liberal Democrat MP Pippa Haylings voted in favour of Plaid Cymru's amendment. All nine Labour Members of the Committee voted down the amendment. The Conservatives abstained.
Llinos Medi MP continued:
“Yesterday's vote was an opportunity for the Labour UK Government to show it was listening to the concerns of people in Wales about underinvestment and a lack of control of our resources. Instead, they chose to keep control of the Crown Estate in Westminster, depriving our communities of economic opportunities. Scotland has the powers - why not Wales?
"Once again, we see Labour saying one thing in Wales and doing another in Westminster. Just recently, the First Minister said she was ‘fighting very hard’ for the devolution of the Crown Estate. Yet, when given the opportunity to submit evidence to the Committee to support their position, the Labour Welsh Government failed to do so.
"This is not the end of the road. When the Bill returns to the House of Commons for its next stage, we hope to give all MPs the opportunity to vote on Plaid Cymru's proposal to put control of the Crown Estate in the hands of the people of Wales. I will be urging Labour MPs from Wales to consider the needs of their communities, not their party."
Plaid Cymru slams Labour for blocking Crown Estate devolution to Wales
‘Labour say one thing in Wales and do another in Westminster’
Plaid Cymru Energy spokesperson, Llinos Medi MP, has criticised the Labour UK Government for voting down her amendment to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales during the Committee Stage of the Crown Estate Bill.
Despite widespread public and political support for devolution in Wales, Labour MPs blocked the transfer of powers – directly contradicting the stance of the Labour Welsh Government.
The Crown Estate, which owns the UK seabed out to 12 nautical miles, is a £16 billion portfolio belonging to the reigning monarch. Revenue from its holdings currently goes to the UK Treasury. In 2016, Scotland secured devolution of its Crown Estate, allowing its revenues to be reinvested directly in Scottish communities.
During the debate, Treasury Minister James Murray argued that keeping the Crown Estate under Westminster control brought “greater benefit for the people of Wales and the wider United Kingdom.” However, this stance contradicts recent comments from Welsh Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan, who described the current arrangement as “unfair” and said she was “fighting very hard” for more control.
Medi also criticised the Welsh Labour Government for failing to submit written evidence to the Committee in support of devolution – despite publicly claiming to back it.
The Liberal Democrat MP Pippa Haylings voted in favour of Plaid Cymru's amendment. All nine Labour Members of the Committee voted down the amendment. The Conservatives abstained.
Llinos Medi MP continued:
“Yesterday's vote was an opportunity for the Labour UK Government to show it was listening to the concerns of people in Wales about underinvestment and a lack of control of our resources. Instead, they chose to keep control of the Crown Estate in Westminster, depriving our communities of economic opportunities. Scotland has the powers - why not Wales?
"Once again, we see Labour saying one thing in Wales and doing another in Westminster. Just recently, the First Minister said she was ‘fighting very hard’ for the devolution of the Crown Estate. Yet, when given the opportunity to submit evidence to the Committee to support their position, the Labour Welsh Government failed to do so.
"This is not the end of the road. When the Bill returns to the House of Commons for its next stage, we hope to give all MPs the opportunity to vote on Plaid Cymru's proposal to put control of the Crown Estate in the hands of the people of Wales. I will be urging Labour MPs from Wales to consider the needs of their communities, not their party."