First Minister Seeks 'New Deal' to Transfer Policing, Rail and Crown Estate Powers to Wales

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the First Minister of Wales and leader of Plaid Cymru, has written to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham requesting "a new deal for Wales" that would transfer additional powers to Cardiff Bay. The letter, sent on Thursday and seen by BBC Wales, asks for devolved responsibility for policing and justice, control of rail infrastructure, and governance of the Crown Estate, together with fair, needs-based funding and greater fiscal flexibility.

Ap Iorwerth is due to deliver his first party conference address since taking office at a Plaid Cymru gathering in Llandudno on Friday, five months after the party's breakthrough at the May Senedd election. That result brought Plaid into government for the first time and ended Labour's 27-year run in power since devolution began in 1999.

Governing as a minority administration without an outright majority in the Senedd, ap Iorwerth must work with opposition Members to secure legislation and budgets. His administration lost a key vote on its spending plans in July, highlighting the limits of a minority government.

The leaders of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein met in Cardiff last month [Getty Images]

In his conference remarks ap Iorwerth will say the election "delivered a clear mandate from the people of Wales for positive change that makes a tangible difference to their lives." He argues the Senedd and Welsh Government need "the necessary tools — powers, funding and financial flexibilities — to drive the maximum improvement in outcomes for the people of Wales by integrating and improving public services and growing the economy." He adds that Wales should be able to access "the same constitutional and fiscal tools already available in Scotland."

"Wales' constitutional settlement should continue to evolve to improve democratic accountability, boost growth, strengthen public services and deliver better outcomes for our communities," ap Iorwerth writes in the letter.

The First Minister's intervention follows a high-profile meeting in Cardiff last month with Scotland's and Northern Ireland's nationalist leaders, where they jointly declared that "Westminster's time is coming to an end." Ap Iorwerth is expected to raise his proposals with Prime Minister Burnham at a meeting at the end of the month that will also include the first ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Andy Burnham has said he is "open" to giving the Welsh Government control over policing and will "give a fair hearing to anything that is put to me." At the same time, the UK Prime Minister has publicly ruled out granting Wales the power to hold an independence referendum.

Key proposals in ap Iorwerth's letter: devolved policing and justice; Welsh control of rail infrastructure; transfer of Crown Estate powers; fair, needs-based funding; and stronger fiscal tools similar to those available to Scotland.