JONATHAN Edwards has accused the Government of ‘treating the people of Wales like third-class citizens’.

The Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthenshire East and Dinefwr has demanded that Wales is given its "rightful share" of the money used to "bribe" Northern Ireland.

An agreement between the Conservative Party and the DUP includes a commitment to invest an additional £1 billion in Northern Ireland over two years.

Funding for devolved nations and regions, including Northern Ireland, is usually done through the UK Government's Barnett Formula based on relative population.

Under the Barnett Formula, spending in one nation triggers an increase in funding for other nations, based on relative population. A £1billion investment in Northern Ireland would equate to a £1.7billion increase in the Welsh Government's funding.

"Once again Westminster's claim of the UK being a 'family of nations' and a 'partnership of equals' has been exposed as nothing more than empty words. This £1billion bribe makes a mockery of those claims,” said Mr Edwards.

"The deal is nothing more than the Prime Minister paying a very high price to keep the keys to Number 10 Downing Street while treating the people of Wales like third-class citizens.

"Wales' rightful share of this investment, based on population, would be around £1.7 billion. A boost to the Welsh Government's finances of that magnitude could be transformative for the Welsh NHS, for people's wages and for our citizens' standard of living.

"This Tory-DUP deal not only deliberately evades the checks and balances that are there to ensure Wales gets its fair share of investment, but also neglects the fact that it is Wales which needs this investment most."