The three nationalist parties now leading Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have said they will co-operate on practical issues, including obtaining more money from London.
Wales needs a “fair” financial settlement, according to Plaid Cymru. Scotland is being subjected to “Westminster austerity”, according to the SNP. Sinn Féin’s position is the most interesting: it has spent the past month complaining that Northern Ireland is significantly underfunded compared to Scotland and Wales. The party claims Stormont would have £1 billion (€1.15 billion) more per year if London treated it the same way as Wales and £3 billion more – a 16 per cent budget increase – if it was treated the same way as Scotland.
Sinn Féin’s case is highly debatable and will doubtless provoke amusement at the UK treasury but there is just enough in it to keep the pot boiling.
Wales moved to a new “needs-based” funding formula in 2018, designed to ensure its block grant is always enough to deliver devolved public services to the same standard as in England.
The formula was developed by an expert commission appointed by the Welsh government a decade earlier. It decided need could be calculated using six socioeconomic and demographic factors, producing a figure of 115 per cent of equivalent spending per head in England. Yet for various reasons, including starting from a higher position, Wales is still receiving about 123 per cent.
