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A Welsh news outlet has criticized an article submitted by Labour MP Andy Burnham for publication, describing it as riddled with errors. According to WalesOnline, the piece provided by Burnham’s team appeared to be a version of essays previously written for London and Scotland, with only place names altered to fit a Welsh context.
The article outlined Burnham’s intentions to address issues such as housing, business rates, and education in Wales – areas which fall under the jurisdiction of the Plaid Cymru-led Welsh government. This prompted Carrie Harper, a Plaid MS, to label the article a “copy and paste opinion piece.” Despite Burnham’s pledge to maintain a “collaborative” relationship with the Welsh government, WalesOnline initially declined to publish the piece without a disclaimer highlighting its inaccuracies. Eventually, the article was published alongside a column that critiqued the content for confusion over where political authority actually lies in Wales.
Various versions of Burnham’s article share significant parts, even down to identical sentences with place names swapped depending on the region referenced. All three versions proclaim: “Growth cannot be ordered from the top down. It can only be nurtured from the bottom up.” The Scottish edition emphasizes energy, shipbuilding, manufacturing, and public services, while the Welsh version highlights steel, ports, energy, and manufacturing, and the London article focuses on housing, transport, skills, and public services. The Welsh article attempts to express the economic frustrations felt in specific communities such as Merthyr, Rhyl, Port Talbot, the Valleys, and Wrexham, paralleling a similar approach taken in the London version.
Burnham had promised to introduce a 10-year plan aimed at reducing the cost of essentials like housing, energy, and transport. However, WalesOnline pointed out that housing and transport policies are devolved matters managed by the Welsh government. Similarly, business rates are controlled by Wales and Scotland’s devolved administrations, despite Burnham’s promise to reform them in those countries.
In a Reddit Ask Me Anything session last week, Burnham emphasized his intention to work “as collaborative and pragmatic as possible” with the devolved governments across the UK. He also stated plans to engage with the first ministers of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland soon to establish a constructive working relationship. Speaking at an event in Manchester, Burnham mentioned plans to devolve powers “deeper down” within Wales, with suggestions that this might involve councils. This drew caution from Plaid Cymru’s First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, who expressed concern that Burnham might seek to bypass national governments in Wales and Scotland.
Interim Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates dismissed the possibility of circumventing Welsh ministers to directly devolve powers to councils as “nonexistent,” urging the Welsh government to continue delivering services confidently. Meanwhile, Plaid’s Dafydd Trystan Davies called for Burnham to listen to voices within Wales and Scotland advocating for devolution through existing national institutions. He warned that attempts by Westminster to bypass the Senedd and Scottish Parliament would demonstrate a “sign of no respect whatsoever.”
In response to the article controversy, Plaid’s Carrie Harper criticized Burnham’s approach as superficial, saying: “Andy Burnham talks a good talk when it comes to devolution, but his lazy, copy and paste opinion piece proves his understanding of the matter stops at Offa’s Dyke. He has already backtracked on his commitment to fair funding for Wales, and now he threatens to undermine our democracy.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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