Kate Forbes joins Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts in call for ‘more flexibility and funding’ from UK Government

Finance secretary Kate Forbes will today call for “more flexibility and funding” from the UK Government in a joint call for action along with her counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland.

For the first time, the finance ministers of all three nations will make linked statements to their respective legislatures detailing concerns about funding for dealing with coronavirus and the lack of clarity on future spending.

This follows the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announcing last month that there would be no UK budget this autumn.

Forbes said: “We are taking this joint step to convey the depth of our concern about the cancellation of the UK Government’s autumn budget.

“The devolved administrations have done much to support businesses, communities and individuals through the pandemic, but the UK Government decides on the size of our budgets and holds most of the financial levers, so it is essential that they take further action.

“We urgently need more flexibility and funding to meet the immediate needs and clarity in order to plan for the coming year.

“Today we will use our collective voice to lay out these requirements.”