Their nation’s public services may be in crisis but virtue-signalling Labour politicians in Wales are spending more than £4 million of taxpayers’ money on planting trees – in Uganda.
The Welsh government has been backing the Mbale Tree Planting Project since 2013 to mitigate the impact of climate change, improve the livelihoods of Ugandans and promote gender equality for female workers.
And when the project celebrated planting its 25 millionth sapling earlier this year, Welsh Labour minister Jane Hutt declared: ‘The distribution of 25 million trees in eastern Uganda is not only helping to combat climate change, it’s transforming lives, particularly for women and young people across Uganda.’
Meanwhile, Welsh NHS patients are being forced to wait longer than their English counterparts for operations such as hip replacements.
The ambulance service in the country has also faced ‘significant pressure’ and the social care sector is struggling to cope with growing demand.
Schools and public toilets are being shut while the average rise in council tax for 2025-26 across all councils was 7.2 per cent.
The taxpayer-funded Size of Wales programme, which sends the cash to Uganda, has also found money grows on trees for bee-keeping in Africa as part of the Advancing Gender Equality for Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation project.
Meanwhile, in the northern Peruvian Amazon, the indigenous Wampis people are enjoying Welsh taxpayer-funded solar-powered boats and charging points.
Welsh Tory leader Darren Millar told The Mail on Sunday: ‘People in Wales will be amazed that there is money to plant trees in Uganda, yet public toilets, libraries and other services are closing in their communities.
‘Every pound spent on planting trees in Africa is a pound that is not being spent on public services here.
‘The Welsh government isn’t even responsible for international relations so Labour ministers should stop the overreach and focus on the things that they are responsible for such as our poorly performing schools and hospitals and getting to grips with the unacceptable waiting times in the Welsh NHS.’
Tory colleague Janet Finch-Saunders added: ‘It is time the Welsh Labour government stopped this virtue-signalling and instead concentrated their spending priorities on the things that matter most to our tax-paying residents.’
Defending the project, a Welsh government spokesman said: ‘Climate change affects all of us, and we are stepping up to play our part in the world.
‘These trees protect communities from floods and droughts, while connecting Welsh and Ugandan schoolchildren culturally and through practical environmental education opportunities.
‘Earlier this year, we passed a £26 billion budget, investing an extra £1.6 billion in public services, strengthening our NHS, supporting schools and helping communities across Wales thrive.’
