Further devolution within Wales is a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd.
The first ministers of Scotland and Wales, John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth, have told UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham that decisions on local devolution rest solely with their parliaments, not Westminster. This statement comes in response to Burnham's push to extend English-style regional powers across the UK.
According to the BBC, the defence secretary, Wes Streeting, criticised Swinney's government before the summit for hoarding powers it acquired from Westminster rather than devolving them further, causing some friction. Streeting told BBC Scotland that one of the critiques of the Scottish government is that devolution is often about transferring power, responsibility, and resources from Westminster to Holyrood, rather than devolving more power to local government across Scotland.
The prime minister said he hoped to have all four UK nations moving at the same pace on devolution, particularly on efforts outlined in Wednesday's budget to give mayors in England more powers over tax revenues. Ap Iorwerth said he had pushed Burnham on his wish to have more powers for his government, and reiterated that further devolution within Wales is a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd.
Swinney's post-talks comments took a similar line, saying he would work constructively and collaboratively in devolving more powers to his government, while adding that Burnham had assured him that he will not bypass the Scottish parliament in this endeavour. Despite the emollient tone, tensions remain, with Plaid Cymru having already formally asked Burnham to give Wales the same devolved powers as Scotland.
Lee Waters, a former minister in the Labour-led Welsh government, told the Guardian that Burnham should not try to impose an English-style mayoral model on Wales, as the political geography of the two countries is different. Waters said that transposing an English mayoral worldview on to a very different political geography just doesn't work, and that the role the new prime minister champions for metro mayors is, in many respects, already performed by the Welsh government.
