We should give "constipated Westminster) the Enema of Independence."

Either England's (In this case ) Boris Johnson either does not realise that it is not in his  government remit build a "proper M4 bypass" on the M4 around Newpot or he intends to take the powers away from theWelsh Seneddd

The M4 around Newport is often clogged at rush hour but Wales' first minister scrapped a relief road plan last year after declaring a climate emergency.

Mr Johnson said he would "do the things the Welsh Government has failed to do".

But the Welsh Government said the PM has "no say in the M4 relief road".

"It's an entirely devolved matter and the first minister has made his decision," a Welsh Government spokesperson said.

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Mr Johnson spoke about the M4 in the House of Commons after a UK minister claimed a new Ineos vehicle plant in Bridgend was put on hold because the relief road was axed.

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said Welsh ministers' "inability" to upgrade the road "influenced the Ineos decision".

The claim from the Conservative MP was dismissed as "nonsense" by the Labour-run Welsh Government, with Economy Secretary Ken Skates saying the suggestion was "nothing more than nonsense on stilts".

But Boris Johnson said he would revive the M4 relief road proposal - and "provide the Vicks Inhaler to the nostrils of the Welsh dragon".

Which led me to tweet  that

"Westminster is the constipated arsehole of Welsh Democracy and we should give it the Enema of Independence."

"During Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, he repeated his previous suggestion that the UK government would "unblock the Brynglas tunnels" - often blamed for motorway congestion around Newport - with a "proper M4 bypass".

But with road building in Wales the responsibility of the Welsh Government in Cardiff, a spokesperson said Mr Johnson could not have a say on it.

Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts said "the prime minister showed his complete ignorance of how devolution works and for the environment too for that matter".

When asked about the M4 relief road comments, Mr Hart acknowledged "it is a devolved matter, it is a matter for Welsh Government to do that".

"UK government has said it would provide the borrowing facilities, the ability to do that. But consistently Welsh Government have declined that offer and so we are at that rather stalemate period."

So why did the English (in this case) Prime Minister make his claim and considering (unless his knowledge of Welsh geography is more extensive than I thought) he was briefed about this by the Welsh Office in advance did he make such a nonsensical allusion.

"The Welsh Government announced it would not be building the new motorway in June 2019, three months before Ineos revealed its Bridgend production plans.

Mr Hart said in the Commons that this "of course is a Welsh Government deal" and that an "unwillingness" and "inability" to make improvements to the M4 relief road had "influenced the Ineos decision".

Responding later, in the Senedd, Mr Skates said: "The fact of the matters is that the M4 decision was made in the summer of 2019 and the Ineos deal was secured in the autumn of 2019.

"In four years of negotiations with the company, not on one occasion was the M4 raised."

During questions on Ineos in the Welsh Parliament, former first minister and Bridgend Senedd member Carwyn Jones said the firm had "made a case for Brexit" and therefore had "an extra responsibility to invest in the UK and not invest in the [European] single market purely because it may be more convenient".

 

So Simon Hart is twisting the truth in blaming failing to build the M4 bypass which faced considerable opposition Wales  for the Ineos decision and  it is ironic as Former First Minister Carwyn Jones pointed out that Ineos  has decided to divert to Europe when it has seemingly supported Brexit.

Indeed one wonders if Ineos ever really had any intention on building the plant and was not undergoing some kind of publicity campaign..

Instead of making unfound accusation Simon Hart should be asking whether Ineos was ever an viable project and how much has been wasted in trying to bring the firm to Bridgend and whether this can be recovered.

The Welsh Labour Government has a lot of questions to answer, but it is not helped  by the Westminster  Tory government  making misleading statements.