Freeport may happen in Wales without Drakeford's support, says Hart

The UK government wants to open a freeport in Wales

The Welsh secretary has said UK ministers "can and if necessary will" deliver a freeport in Wales even if they cannot get Welsh government support.

Simon Hart says the Welsh government is currently the "only obstacle" to the project aimed at boosting trade.

But that claim was strongly rejected by the Welsh government.

Welsh ministers said they have raised concerns and sought an agreement on the plans.

A spokesman for the Welsh government said it wrote to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak in February saying it remained open to assisting the UK government but has not had a response.

The Conservative UK government is planning eight freeports in England and ministers have said they would like to open one in Wales.

The scheme would allow for goods to arrive in ports and be free of tax, unless they are moved elsewhere in the UK.

It means they can arrive and be sent abroad without charges being paid.

The UK had seven freeports between 1984 and 2012, including one in Cardiff.

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has expressed concerns that freeports in England could displace economic activity from Wales.

• What are freeports and where will they be?

• Freeports could move trade away, ministers claim

• 'Free ports' urged to boost business

In the Commons on Wednesday two Welsh Conservative MPs called for a freeport to be established in or near their constituencies.

Bridgend MP Jamie Wallis told Mr Hart at Welsh questions that the "Port Talbot and Bridgend area could lend itself fantastically towards the establishment of the UK Government's first freeport in Wales".

Mr Hart said it was a "source of some frustration that we have yet to get it over the line".

"Now very clearly we would like to do that in collaboration with the Welsh government which is where the blockage currently resides but we can - and if necessary we will - proceed to deliver on our manifesto commitment come what may."

Later, he told the Commons: "It's a manifesto commitment, the only obstacle standing between us and delivering it is currently Welsh government."

Virginia Crosbie said a freeport on Anglesey would create "much needed skilled jobs and investment"

Ynys Mon Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie made the case for a freeport on Anglesey shortly after, at Prime Minister's Questions.

She said it would create "much needed skilled jobs and investment" and "protect our precious Welsh language and culture".

In reply, Boris Johnson said he would not express a preference for a location of a freeport.

However, he thanked Ms Crosbie for her suggestion, saying: "Together with our Welsh Conservative colleagues she's helping apply the Vicks inhaler to the bunged up nostrils of the Welsh dragon."

A number of areas in Wales have expressed interest in gaining freeport status, such as Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire and Holyhead, Anglesey.

Simon Hart said the lack of agreement with the Welsh government was the "source of some frustration"

What has the Welsh government said?

A Welsh government spokesman said: "It is disingenuous for the secretary of state for Wales to suggest the Welsh government is an obstacle in relation to the development of a Freeport in Wales.

"We wrote to the chief secretary to the Treasury and the secretary of state for Wales in February saying we remain open to assisting the UK government in delivering its Freeports policy in Wales and we have offered to meet the chancellor. But we are awaiting a response more than three months later.

"We have repeatedly made our reservations about the risks of the UK government's approach to the Freeports policy clear and the need for a consistent approach to funding in Freeports across the UK.

"The ball is firmly in the UK government's court."

The Welsh government said if the UK government implemented the policy without support "it could only be achieved without the devolved levers, which would be an immediately less attractive and competitive offer compared with those in England".

"It would be incredibly disappointing if Wales were to receive a worse offer purely because the UK government were unwilling to work constructively with us."

Last March Mark Drakeford told MPs that his concerns on freeports were "resolvable" but that the ball was in UK ministers' court.

Some of the tax exemptions freeports use - including stamp duty, or its Welsh equivalent land transaction tax - are controlled by ministers in Cardiff.

The first minister said at the time: "We would look for joint decision-making given that devolved and non-devolved responsibilities are at stake in freeports, and again the UK government has agreed joint decision making with the Scottish government.

"Then we'd look for the same level of funding for a freeport in Wales as is being made available to all freeports in England.

"That's £25m available to a freeport in England, we'd expect to see the same level of funding for a freeport in Wales.

"If there is progress on those three things that conversation can certainly continue."