Question

Asked by Mims Davies to Wales on 04 November 2026 — tabled under the Andy Burnham government

It was a damp squib Budget that largely forgot Wales. It had nothing on upgrading the A55 or the M4 bypass. The previous Welsh Government were offered the finance by the previous Conservative Government to unclog the Brynglas tunnels, but the Minister’s Labour Senedd colleagues—as we have heard—had the hide last month to call for an M4 relief road, despite being in power for 27 years. Can the Secretary of State explain why Labour is now making calls on projects it could and should have delivered when in power, or do they prefer to be the ones shouting from the hard shoulder?

100% point-scoring

Answer

Answered by Stephen Kinnock (Labour)

I am taken aback by the brass neck of the Conservatives, after 14 years of neglect and incompetence, the failure to fund rail, and the failure to fix so many of the problems that they caused. I am very pleased that the Welsh Labour motion in the Senedd was approved, and we call on the Plaid Cymru Welsh Government to change tack, reconsider and do the right thing for the people of Wales.

62% point-scoring 15% vibes

Verdict: RED (10/100)

The question asked why the Welsh Labour Government is now calling for projects such as the M4 relief road that it could have delivered while in power. The reply did not address this. It criticised the Conservatives' record and urged the current government to reconsider, but it gave no explanation of the Welsh Government's current position or its earlier decisions, so the question remains unanswered.

Verdict: RED (8/100)

The question asked why Labour is now calling for Welsh projects such as the M4 relief road, which it could have delivered while in government. The reply does not mention the M4 relief road or explain Labour's position, and instead turns to the Conservatives' record in Wales. The central point of the question therefore went unanswered, and a reader would not learn how the raised inconsistency is addressed.

How we got there

Question item	Coverage	Specificity	Rationale
Why the Welsh Labour Government is now calling for projects, such as an M4 relief road, that it could and should have delivered while in power.	Not Addressed	Generic	The question asks why the Welsh Labour Government is now calling for projects like the M4 relief road that it could have delivered in power. The reply only attacks the Conservatives' record and urges the Plaid Cymru Government to reconsider, without giving any reason for the Welsh Government's current position or its past inaction.
Why is Labour now calling for projects, such as an M4 relief road, that it could and should have delivered when it was in power in Wales?	Not Addressed	Generic MISREADS QUESTION	The question asks why Labour is now calling for Welsh projects such as the M4 relief road that it could have delivered in power, but the reply never mentions the M4 relief road or explains Labour's position. It instead redirects to the Conservatives' 14-year record of neglect, rail funding and unfixed problems, which is a different target from the Labour-in-Wales inconsistency the item raises.