Labour’s Programme for Government offers “diagnosis, but no cure”

Conservative AMs will tomorrow lead a debate on the Welsh Labour Government’s ‘Programme for Government’, and will call on the First Minister to offer more detail on how he plans to improve the life chances of people in communities across Wales.

Andrew RT Davies has accused Welsh Labour of offering “diagnosis, but little by way of cure” and he will redouble his efforts to extract more detail from Labour over the proposals in their “lightweight” document.

Welsh Conservatives last week criticised First Minister Carwyn Jones’ delusional claim that Wales is “punching above its weight” under a Labour Government, and Wednesday’s debate will expand upon that critique.

The motion for the debate on Wednesday proposes that the National Assembly for Wales:

• Believes that the First Minister’s Programme for Government does not provide the confidence or detail required to improve the life chances of people in communities across Wales;
• Calls on the Welsh Government to outline how it intends to deliver its Programme for Government, within its budget.

During the debate Welsh Conservatives will highlight the document’s lack of detail, and call on the First Minister to identify clear commitments on the issues that affect most of our lives.

Speaking ahead of the debate, Mr Davies said:

“Whilst it’s difficult to disagree with many of the commitments outlined in the Programme for Government, it does highlight the many areas in which the Labour Party has let down Wales since the dawn of devolution in 1999.

“Seventeen years of Labour rule has left Wales poorer and less equal, and it is delusional for the First Minister to claim that Wales has ‘punched above its weight’ over that period.

“Welsh Conservatives have higher ambitions for this country, and we don’t believe that an education system which ranks behind Vietnam is good enough for Welsh families. Nor do we believe it acceptable for large swathes of Wales to be poorer than parts of Bulgaria, Romania and Poland.

“This is a Programme for Government that offers plenty of diagnosis, but little by way of cure, and there are very few benchmarks against which to judge it’s delivery.

“Furthermore, the fact that Labour’s Programme for Government runs to just 15 pages – including the covers – shows how bereft of ideas they are, with nothing at all to say on many of the key issues facing Wales.

“There is nothing on Brexit, and no reference to Labour’s commitments to secure the best deal for Wales. Nothing to say, either, to offer confidence to the Welsh steel industry. And once again Welsh Labour show that they have no coherent plan to support Welsh farming by tackling Bovine TB once and for all.”