Opposition press Morgan on cross-border NHS plan

Details on how the NHS in England can help reduce Welsh waiting times will be revealed “in weeks to come”, First Minister Eluned Morgan has said.

A cross-border health plan, announced at Labour’s conference, will be dismissed as a “PR gimmick” unless the government can explain how it works, opponents said.

Conservatives also asked why the Welsh government dismissed an offer of help with waiting times from the previous UK government.

The first minister said the proposal from the Tories last year “wasn’t a serious offer”.

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At First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew Davies asked how many patients will benefit, at what cost and what conditions will be treated.

Davies said the policy was “sensible… but I would like to see the substance of it, otherwise people will just look at it as a PR gimmick that was launched at the Labour Party conference and this time in six months we’ll still have those chronic waiting times here in Wales”.

The first minister said: “We have started the conversation.

“We will come up with the details in weeks to come.”

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting was “very keen” to visit Wales and Labour was “very serious already” about co-operating, she said.

She added: “The fact is we are co-operating and looking at more we can do, particularly in the north Wales area.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth also said there was “no detail” on how the plan will work.

He said the first minister “washed her hands of her responsibility to stand up for Wales in the most extraordinary way” by downplaying her influence over Sir Keir Starmer, including over tackling child poverty.

Morgan said: “I thought I gave you a lesson on how devolution works last week. Have I got to do this every week?

“I think it’s important for us to recognise that there are areas that I’m responsible for.”

In an interview last week, the first minister and Welsh Labour leader likened her influence on Starmer to her influence on Donald Trump.