1. How is the Welsh Government supporting low-income households across Newport East? OQ61350

Thank you for the question. 

Since 2022-23, we have provided support worth approximately £5 billion through programmes providing targeted assistance to alleviate the financial pressure, to maximise incomes and to leave money in the pockets of families. Our child poverty strategy outlines the Welsh Government's long-term plans to tackle child poverty, including, of course, for families in Newport East.

The Labour movement and Labour Party exist to further policies of social justice, equality of opportunity and greater equality of outcome, and, after 14 years of UK Tory Government austerity and stagnating living standards, an incoming UK Labour Government is going to have an awful lot of work to do. But I do believe that, with a Labour Government in Wales and Westminster working together in close partnership, we will have the opportunity to make real progress for our families and communities. We know, of course, that the major levers of taxation and the benefits system remain at Westminster, but I do believe we can make a real difference here in Wales if the administration of benefits is devolved to the Senedd and the Welsh Government, because this would help that partnership and ensure that our values of social justice, dignity and compassion shape the delivery of that system, and we would have close working with devolved public services. So, First Minister, could you provide an update today on progress with the devolution of the administration of UK welfare benefits to Wales?

Thank you. It's a conversation I look forward to taking forward if we have a change in Government across the UK, if we have a UK Labour Government. There's a clear manifesto pledge to devolve employment support funding to Wales, and I think we'd be able to make great use of that. The partnership that we seek is one where we do not have the legitimacy of this place questioned or undermined, but we have a partnership that recognises that the path of devolution is something where we have more ability, particularly with an expanded Senedd coming into being, and I do believe we can make progress further on the track of the devolution of benefits. I do think, though, when you think about employment support funding, that that will make a big difference to what we're able to do to support people into work, with the skills they need, and how we can organise that system and what we can do in the remainder of this Senedd term. And all parties would then be interested in what they could offer the people of Wales come a future Senedd election. 

This, of course, is part of what we already do. The approximately £5 billion that I mentioned goes across a range of targeted programmes. We're coming up to the summer, so the school holiday enrichment programme will be carrying on as well, and the regular discretionary assistance fund that we run. All of these things we do in the teeth of 14 years of Conservative austerity, when our budget in the last three years has been reduced by over £700 million in real terms. Think of what we have done, think of what more we could do with a different Government across the UK that shares our values. 

John Griffiths poses a really interesting question here, but the truth of the matter is not a lot has actually been achieved by this current Government, and it's been left deadlocked by the First Minister's never-ending scandals. Supporting low-income households across Wales, I'm sure, is one of the many areas this Labour Government would like to do more on, but, sadly, all of the attention has been diverted to firefighting the controversies engulfing the First Minister. We've had a dodgy donation from a convicted polluter, the apparent deletion of COVID messages, the sacking of a Minister as well over an alleged leaking, and, just this weekend, the First Minister's credibility was dealt another blow, with a Channel 4 documentary revealing that the company that donated £200,000 to the First Minister's leadership campaign is under suspicion of tax evasion. Let's not forget that the First Minister lost a vote of no confidence. This really is incredible for the first 100 days of office. So, First Minister, do you agree with me that these scandals are clearly distracting the Welsh Government from tackling the real issues that matter, such as supporting low-income households across Wales, and when are you going to do the decent thing and just resign?

So, if you look at what's actually happened with low-income families here in Wales, as I said, approximately £5 billion of support in the last two years. That makes a real difference in how we can support people to claim what's theirs and it's also important about putting money into people's pockets—all of this done in the teeth of a Conservative Government that has cut our budget successively over the last 14 years. But, more than that, over 900,000 children are estimated to have been put into poverty because of what's happened to people's wages. Ten years of inflation has taken place within the last three years, at normal levels. That's what low-income families are dealing with the reality of. It's the Conservative cost-of-living crisis that is the No. 1 issue on the doorstep.

And if you really want to talk about scandals, then today is a day to do that, is it not, Natasha Asghar? Look at former Conservative Senedd staffer Craig Williams, now finally junked as a Conservative candidate—[Interruption.] And let's be clear, if a professional footballer had placed a bet in the way that Craig Williams did, he'd be banned from the game. That's what would happen. If you then look also at another scandal of giant incompetence—[Interruption.]

I need to hear the First Minister in his response, please. If I can have some silence. First Minister.

If you want to look at giant incompetence, take a look at the £1.4 billion of unused PPE procured across the border in England—unused, wasted. That could have paid for 37,000 nurses. If you're looking for scandal, there's plenty on the Conservative record. That's why I believe you'll be run out of office at a UK level on 4 July. I look forward to a new partnership where low-income families really will be supported by this Government, working in a new partnership with two Labour Governments delivering for Wales.