20mph law saves lives, minister tells Senedd as Tories vow to reverse it
Wales’s 20mph default speed limit became the flashpoint of one of the Senedd’s final plenary sessions on Tuesday, as Counsel General Julie James told Conservative MS Tom Giffard that his party should be “thoroughly ashamed” of its plan to reverse the policy.
The clash came during a Welsh Government statement on the current administration’s delivery record, with the Senedd set to dissolve ahead of the May 7 election. Mr Giffard used his contribution to launch a broad attack on Labour’s record across health, education and the economy, singling out the 20mph limit as evidence of misplaced priorities.
Mr Giffard (Conservative) told the Senedd the Government had claimed credit for “better transport” while having “prioritised 20 mph speed limits, cancelled road-building projects right across the country.”
Ms James, who holds the counsel general brief and served as climate change minister when the policy was introduced, rejected the criticism without concession.
“The idea that you want to drive faster at the risk of a child’s life should be something that you are thoroughly ashamed of,” she told him flatly before setting out her case.
She described the limit as a proven public health measure: “The 20mph shibboleth, a policy that has cleaned up our air, has saved the lives of children, has stopped countless families from suffering the misery of extreme injury and death, has lowered the insurance costs of most people across Wales, and has saved the NHS a lot of money by any measure, is one that you should be embracing.”
She went further, framing the limit as a social justice issue rather than a road safety question alone. “20 mph is a real social justice issue. It makes streets safer for women and children. It makes them safe to walk on without you suffering from poor air. It makes people safer in our cities and towns.”
The 20mph default came into force in September 2023 and has proved one of the most contentious policies of the current Senedd term. Labour has eased some exemptions since, but the default limit remains in place. The Welsh Conservatives have committed to reversing it. Welsh Labour has not yet published its election manifesto.
Before turning to 20mph, Ms James had already dismissed Mr Giffard’s overall contribution as rhetoric dressed as argument.
“…from a party with not a single MP in Wales, who does not control a single council, that is absolutely not in a position to speak for the people of Wales,” she said, “is quite extraordinary.”
Mr Giffard’s wider attack on the Government covered NHS waiting times, educational outcomes and overseas spending he described as vanity projects, including what he called “mini embassies” and schemes in Uganda and Peru. He called on voters to back the Welsh Conservatives to “get Wales working.”
Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price challenged Ms James from a different direction, arguing that while some government achievements were genuine, the overall picture on health waits, education attainment, housing and productivity remained one of falling short.
He pointed to the Government’s own national survey satisfaction score of 4.8 out of 10 and asked whether some of the blame lay closer to home than Labour was prepared to admit.
Ms James said demand across public services had been “extraordinary” and that the system was “working at full tilt.” She accepted more remained to be done, particularly on housing demand, but rejected the framing that the Government had lost direction.
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