Reform MS urges finance minister to hand over reins

Reform Party shadow finance minister Cai Parry‑Jones has publicly demanded that Finance Minister Elin Jones relinquish control of Welsh Government finances, accusing her of incompetence after the first‑ever budget defeat.

Parry‑Jones, who leads Reform’s finance portfolio, blamed Jones for the historic loss, saying she “voted against her own government twice by mistake” and that the defeat exposed a “lack of competence”.

He added that when the government entered negotiations for the next supplementary budget, it sent the minister for government effectiveness instead of Jones, a move he described as “sideling” the finance minister.

“The First Minister said he had learnt lessons over the summer.” The lesson, it appears, is to sideline you,” Parry‑Jones quoted the First Minister as saying before demanding, “So, Minister, who is actually running the Welsh Government’s finances?

And given it clearly isn’t you, is it not time to officially hand over the reins to someone more competent?”

Jones retorted that her long service should count for something, replying, “When you’ve been here 27 years and you’ve only managed to vote wrong twice, then maybe I can come back to you and see what your record will be like in 27 years.”

She insisted that the finance portfolio is a collective responsibility, stating, “There are really important questions that could be asked at this point, and you’ve asked whether it’s Dafydd Trystan [Davies] or myself that turned up to a meeting with you.” I am the minister for finance.

There are others in this government who will also be negotiating with people across this Senedd, both on funding and on legislation. We do not work as a silo in this government; we work as a team.”

The dispute spilled into the debate over the proposed third Menai crossing, where Parry‑Jones questioned the funding arrangements, noting the project’s £670 million estimate but “only £20 million to £25 million has been budgeted over the next five years for it, and that’s just been for planning”.

He warned, “We can see where this is going, Minister: you’ll kick the big spending can down the road while you’re in the job, a future finance minister will announce we don’t have enough money and then quietly shelve it.”

Jones countered that large infrastructure schemes require long lead times, observing, “In government, in this Senedd, when you have been here a longer time you will know that large infrastructure projects take a long time to deliver.”

She added, “If you don’t start today and start the planning and fund the planning, as this government is doing for the Menai bridge, then you will not get to that day when there is a third Menai bridge.”

Jones reaffirmed the administration’s commitment, saying, “We’re committed to doing that work, to funding that work in its development phases, and, hopefully, both you and I will be here long enough to see that third Menai bridge built.”

The clash highlights growing tensions between Reform and the ruling Labour‑Co‑operatives coalition, with the opposition seeking to capitalise on the budget defeat to press for a reshuffle.

Labour’s First Minister, meanwhile, has not publicly responded to Parry‑Jones’s call for Jones to step aside, maintaining that the finance team remains “focused on delivering for Wales”.

Analysts note that the budget defeat, a rarity in Welsh politics, could prompt scrutiny of the finance minister’s handling of public spending, especially on high‑profile projects such as the Menai crossing.

Elin Jones has previously defended the government’s fiscal strategy, citing a balanced approach to investment and debt management, but the Reform challenge may force a more detailed accounting of the supplementary budget process.

As the Senedd prepares for further debate on the supplementary budget and the Menai bridge funding, the dispute underscores the political stakes surrounding Wales’s financial stewardship.