Trawling through his emails, Mr S was struck by one that leapt out by dint of its sheer audacity. Extinction Rebellion, those great unwashed types, are now openly bragging about their access to Labour government ministers in Wales. In one such recent update from their political engagement team, they wrote to supporters to crow that they are now seeing ‘the Climate Change Minister on a quarterly basis. At our last meeting she told us that a national Citizens Assembly was out of the question for financial reasons.’ Financial reasons? Not, er, democratic ones? Steerpike has asked around and it transpires that the Welsh government is currently investigating whether there is finance to support such assemblies – just when Sir Keir Starmer is doing his damnedest to downplay his links to the eco-brigade. Is that national party policy?
David TC Davies MP, the Secretary of State for Wales, told Mr S that voters would be ‘appalled’ about the regular meetings: ‘This group has caused untold disruption and suffering by grinding roads to a halt – stopping kids going to school, ambulances getting to patients and everyone in-between. The minister should be calling on them to end these despicable tactics, not hosting them for negotiations.’ And Rachel Evans of Countryside Alliance Wales added: ‘I think the vast bulk of Wales will be unimpressed knowing our government is rubbing shoulders with Extinction Rebellion. If they are going to allow them unprecedented access, it should be the same for organisations across Wales.’ But a spokesman for the Welsh Government insisted that: ‘We will continue to engage with the full spectrum of Welsh opinion on climate change, which includes Extinction Rebellion.’
One for Sir Keir the next time he does a broadcast round: is Labour in Wales still the ‘blueprint’ for how he’d run Britain? Or is that another past pledge he’s prepared to ditch?
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