I want to begin by acknowledging that times are financially difficult for governments across the UK as a direct result of global pressures such as the terrible war in Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic.

Having said that the dire situation in Wales is a direct result of the decisions that have been made by the Welsh Government over the past 25 years.

Not a week goes by without me receiving letters from anxious constituents about the state of our NHS.

I have no criticism of our NHS staff, they are brilliant, but there is something fundamentally wrong with the system as it is.

With every health board in Wales under some form of financial special measures and one in four people in Wales on an NHS waiting list, we must see NHS funding protected and shielded from any potential cuts.

The Welsh Government receives 20 per cent more to spend per person on health in Wales than spending per person on health in England, as Wales receives £1.20 per person for every £1 spent on health in England. Unfortunately, not all of this funding has been used for our Welsh NHS.

We know if the Welsh Government had allocated all of the funding it receives toward our health service, the NHS would be better off by £1.3 billion every year rather than face a deficit of £800 million.

Indeed, if the Welsh Government had chosen to spend at least some of the extra on our health service, our NHS would be in a more sustainable and resilient position.

With the extremely challenging situation faced by the health service here the Welsh Government must prioritise spending on it.

We can’t undo what is done, but we must learn from the Welsh Government’s past mistakes.

At a time where we need to see more investment in our NHS and social care, the Welsh Government must reconsider embarking on its pet projects. Wales cannot afford policies such as the 20-mph default speed limit that will cost £32.5 million, the Universal Income Pilot which is costing £20million, or the proposed 36 more Senedd members at £120 million.

Ill thought-out projects like these and others divert crucial funding away from important services.

I sincerely hope that Welsh Labour listens to concerns from across Wales and protects our NHS from cuts.