YesCymru responds to Keir Starmer’s leaked memo on bypassing the Senedd

A Whitehall memo has emerged, as Whitehall memos do from time to time. But this one, which Keir Starmer wrote to his ministers, has provoked a furious response from Welsh independence organisation YesCymru. Plaid Cymru obtained the memo and discussed it in the Welsh Senedd on 10 March.

In the memo, Starmer appears to suggest that UK ministers shouldn’t feel “deferential” in their dealings with the Senedd. In fact, they should feel able to impose their plans directly on the people of Wales, even if there’s local opposition.

YesCymru chair Phyl Griffiths said:

This leaked memo from Keir Starmer to Cabinet ministers is deeply worrying for democracy in Wales.

The people of Wales voted for devolution in a democratic referendum. The Senedd represents the democratic will of the Welsh people and enshrines Wales’ right to make decisions in areas entrusted to its own national institutions.

The Senedd was not given to Wales as a gift from Westminster, and any attempt to erode or sideline the Senedd or the Welsh Government would be an abuse of power.

But that is exactly what this memo appears to suggest Keir Starmer is doing.

It says ministers should not ‘cede our responsibilities, or channel our relationships solely through the devolved governments’. It also says they should act directly in Wales, ‘including through direct spending, even when devolved governments may oppose this’.

Those are extraordinary words. They suggest that Westminster is prepared to bypass Wales’s elected institutions and impose its own priorities, even in areas where the people of Wales voted to have decisions made here in Wales.

The timing makes this even more concerning. The memo says that ‘The importance of… elections in Scotland and Wales cannot be underestimated’ while calling for greater UK Government activity and visibility in the devolved nations.

People in Wales are entitled to ask why Westminster is discussing how to expand its role here ahead of a Welsh election, while also making clear that it is prepared to act directly when the Welsh Government disagrees.

This gets to the heart of the problem with devolution. It leaves Wales vulnerable to interference from Westminster whenever it suits the government of the day. Powers that are supposed to belong to the people of Wales can still be ignored or worked around from London.

Wales should not have to rely on the goodwill of Westminster governments in order to exercise control over matters that affect our communities, our economy, and our future. Wales and the Senedd should not be vulnerable to the changing political priorities of another parliament.

That is not real self-government.

This is why the case for independence is so powerful, obvious and undeniable. The only way to guarantee that decisions about Wales are made in Wales, by the Welsh people, is for Wales to have the powers of an independent nation.

Featured image via the Canary