General election: Most sickness claimaints can work, says minister

There are longstanding calls from across the political spectrum, including the Welsh Labour government, for Wales to receive extra funding as a result of spending on the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project.

Plaid Cymru, in its manifesto, specifically called for £4bn in funding – an estimate based on other estimates of the cost of building the project.

Jo Stevens, Labour’s Shadow Welsh Secretary, said there are “lots of figures being bandied around” and said the actual amount was “£350m”.

Referring to the scaling back of HS2 by the prime minister, she added: “It’s not the billions of pounds that you mentioned earlier, but whatever figure it is, the fact is that Rishi Sunak has bust that project.

“Any party in this election, like [Plaid Cymru] who are basing their manifesto and spending commitments on money that isn’t there is not going to be able to deliver any promises.”

Pushed by Liz Saville Roberts on “why can’t you stick with Welsh Labour Senedd members who are also calling for HS2 to be funded to Wales properly”, Ms Stevens added: “I just answered your question – the money isn’t there.”