Wood: 'No common ground' between Plaid and SNP on funding

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Leanne Wood says addressing Wales' funding "disadvantage" is a Plaid priority

Plaid Cymru's leader has said her party and the SNP do not share common ground on Welsh funding from Westminster.

Leanne Wood said securing an extra 拢1.2bn a year from Westminster, on top of the Welsh government's 拢15bn annual budget, was a priority for Plaid.

Plaid's spring conference was told the party had reached an "understanding" with the SNP over giving Wales the same budget deal as Scotland.

But the SNP said "we wish Plaid well with their campaigning for Wales".

Ms Wood told the 大象传媒's Sunday Politics Wales: "We share an awful lot of common ground with the SNP.

"But there are some areas that we don't share common ground, and this is one because their financial situation is already settled.

'Job creation'

"But for Plaid Cymru an additional 拢1.2bn into the Welsh government coffers could enable us to stop future cuts and also it could enable us to invest in our economy, in job creation, and then of course what's important is to have partial tax-raising powers so we are able to realise the benefit of that expenditure on jobs."

Plaid and the SNP say they will work with the Greens in an "anti-austerity alliance" if there is a minority Labour government after the general election.

In a hung parliament, Plaid would call for Wales to get the same level of funding as Scotland.

The size of the annual budgets of both countries' devolved governments is calculated using the Barnett formula.

The UK government and Labour vowed to maintain the formula during the Scottish independence referendum.

'Understanding'

Ms Wood said that vow benefited Scotland, but "locked in the disadvantage for Wales".

On Saturday, Plaid general election campaign co-ordinator Lord Wigley told the party's conference in Caernarfon: "I'm pleased to tell the conference that we have an understanding from our friends in the SNP that they too will support giving Wales the same budget settlement as Scotland."

But an SNP spokesman said: "We believe Scotland should get the powers we were promised in the referendum campaign and control of our own resources, and we wish Plaid well with their campaigning for Wales."