Welsh Conservative’s 20mph, police and £1bn rail cash pledges

Plans to reverse Wales’ controversial 20mph speed limit policy are at the heart of the Welsh Conservative election manifesto, to be published on Friday, in the form of giving people a legal right to challenge existing zones.

Additional neighbourhood police officers and £1bn plans to electrify the north Wales main rail line will also feature in the document.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Welsh secretary David TC Davies and Tory Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies will host the launch event in Kinmel Bay, Conwy.

Mr Sunak will describe Wales as a “great country, but a country let down by Labour” – the party which has led the Welsh government since devolution 25 years ago.

Wales has had a 20mph speed limit in largely built-up areas since September last year.

Introduced by the former first minister Mark Drakeford’s government, the limit prompted the largest petition the Senedd has received.

Changes have been promised by Vaughan Gething’s government, but recent figures showed the number of people injured on 20 and 30mph roads fell by almost a third in the final quarter of 2023.

The Conservatives are promising a law in Westminster to require “local consent” for 20mph zones and to give local communities a legal right to challenge existing zones.

At Friday’s Welsh manifesto launch, the prime minister will say the 20mph limit “is hurting you, hurting small business, hurting the economy”.

The party will pledge to invest £1bn in the electrification of the north Wales main rail line, originally announced by Mr Sunak in October 2023 after the scrapping of the second leg of the HS2 high speed rail line between Birmingham and Manchester.

A transport expert put the cost of the north Wales scheme at £1.5bn or more.

The Conservatives will also promise to give every community across Wales an additional neighbourhood police officer.

On Friday, Mr Sunak’s second visit of the campaign to Wales, the prime minister will accuse Welsh Labour of being solely focused on “making sure that it stays in power”.

“Whether that is by introducing votes at 16”, in Senedd and local council elections, “adding more members to the Senedd”, which is expanding from 60 to 96 members in 2026, or “ignoring votes of no confidence in its first minister”, he will say.

Since surprising much of the political world, including many of his own party activists, by calling the election last month Mr Sunak has failed to achieve a narrowing in Labour’s opinion poll lead.

His Welsh secretary, David TC Davies, who will be alongside him on Friday, has said the polls are “clearly pointing at a large Labour majority” but he doubts “whether it’s going to be with any great levels of enthusiasm” from voters.

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