The Labour Party leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has been hit with criticism after his team submitted an article on devolution that WalesOnline described as 'error-filled'. The piece, intended to outline Mr Burnham's vision for devolution, bears striking similarities to essays provided to Scottish and London publications – a fact that has raised questions about the accuracy of the information presented.
The news site initially declined to publish the article without a disclaimer due to its misleading content regarding the distribution of power and responsibility in Wales. According to Ruth Mosalski, the political editor at WalesOnline, the article made pledges concerning housing, education, and transport – all policy areas that are devolved to the Welsh Government, currently led by Plaid Cymru.
The controversy has highlighted a potential contradiction between Mr Burnham's words and actions. In his recent major speech, he promised to shift power away from Westminster towards the nations and regions of the UK, stressing a 'collaborative' relationship with devolved administrations. However, the perceived inaccuracies in the submitted article have prompted strong reactions.
Plaid Cymru MS Carrie Harper characterised the piece as a 'copy and paste opinion piece', pointing out that while some sections of the articles differed, many paragraphs and sentences were identical, with only geographical references changed. For example, all three versions spoke of a 10-year plan to reduce the cost of essentials, including housing, energy, and transport – yet these are policy areas already devolved to Wales.
Furthermore, Mr Burnham's promise to reform business rates, also mentioned in the articles, is a power already devolved to both the Scottish and Welsh Governments. As he seeks to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and potentially become Prime Minister from 20 July, these perceived inaccuracies have raised questions about his commitment to genuine devolution.