A face-to-face meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, promised for June, has not taken place — prompting a rebuke from the Welsh government and fresh questions about the prime minister's commitment to devolved relations.
Downing Street had said shortly after the Senedd election that the prime minister would meet the devolved leaders this month. But on Wednesday, a spokesman for First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth confirmed the meeting was no longer going ahead, blaming “instability in Westminster” for the collapse.
“Welsh government disappointed after promised June meeting between Starmer and devolved leaders fails to materialise”
“It is disappointing that the meeting initially proposed for June is now no longer taking place,” the spokesman said. “We are still determined to establish a constructive relationship with the UK government and to press the case for fair funding, alongside the devolution of policing, justice, welfare, the Crown Estate and rail powers. The current instability in Westminster must not be allowed to hamper our ability to pursue the issues which matter to the people of Wales.”
A Plaid source said the Welsh administration had tried to make the meeting happen but no date was agreed. The summit had been planned after ap Iorwerth’s phone call with Starmer in May, which followed a historic Senedd election that unseated Labour after two decades and made Plaid Cymru the largest party in Cardiff Bay.
The two sides gave different accounts of that call. The Welsh government said Starmer had been “open to a conversation” about giving the Senedd more powers, while Downing Street stated they “discussed working together constructively in the national interest, including on easing the cost of living and our domestic response to the Middle East crisis”. The prime minister invited the first minister to meet in June alongside the first minister of Scotland and the first minister and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. No date was ever publicly announced. It later emerged that ap Iorwerth had raised independence during the call.
Downing Street insisted the prime minister remained committed. “The prime minister remains committed to meeting with the first ministers as soon as possible,” a UK government spokesperson said. “Our teams are continuing to work with theirs to agree a suitable time in everyone’s diaries. In the meantime, there is regular and constructive engagement at all levels with devolved administrations — as the government gets on with delivering for people right across the UK.”
In a separate development, Glasgow is set to host a new food-themed festival in July. The “Place at the Table” festival will bring together a host of celebrated and famous chefs, offering a culinary exploration of Scotland’s relationship with Commonwealth nations.