Getty ImagesWelsh Secretary Jo Stevens has been accused of showing “an incredible lack of respect and a dinosaur-like attitude” to the Welsh language by a Plaid Cymru politician.
Cefin Cambell made the comments in relation to Stevens’ earlier response to a constituent, in which she explained she only used English on leaflets and social media in her role as a Labour MP because it was “spoken by almost every single constituent”.
Campbell, a Plaid MS in the Welsh Parliament, told the Senedd on Tuesday that Stevens’ reply showed a “negative attitude towards the Welsh language”.
The Labour Party and the UK government’s Wales Office have been asked to respond.
Stevens represents Wales in Sir Keir Starmer’s UK government, in addition to her role in Westminster as MP for Cardiff East.
Earlier this month, she told a constituent who had asked why she only communicated in English that “almost every elector speaks English”.
“There is no statutory requirement for Members of Parliament to provide bilingual communications [in English and Welsh],” she said in an email later shared on a Welsh language Facebook page, adding that she recognised the importance of the Welsh language.
The Welsh Labour government has a policy of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050, and a spokesperson for its Welsh Language Commissioner told the that MPs in Wales were encouraged to use both of the country’s official languages.
At the Senedd session, Campbell raised the issue with First Minister Eluned Morgan and described Stevens’ response as “an incredible lack of respect and a dinosaur-like attitude towards the Welsh language”.
Morgan said she was “eager” to see the language promoted, including by elected members.
PA MediaIndependent member Rhys ab Owen urged Morgan to ask Stevens to use both languages.
“Welsh in Cardiff is more than just one of many languages, and saying that almost everyone speaks English is an old argument that belongs to the past,” he said.
Morgan replied that there was a “responsibility” on leaders to reach Welsh speakers.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority told the funding was “available to MPs who wish to translate materials between Welsh and English”.
“There is no limit to the amount of funding available; it is classified as a contingency payment and is separate from MPs’ office costs and staffing budgets,” it said.
A UK Parliament spokesperson said Welsh can be used in all committees and that it aimed to ensure Welsh speakers were not treated less favourably than English speakers when using its services.
“For example, Welsh speakers can send inquiries to the House of Commons in Welsh and receive responses in Welsh,” they said.
Additional reporting by Adam Hale
