The Welsh Government is expressing deep concern following the Chancellor's lack of further funding to alleviate poverty and prop up vital services in Wales.

The plea for resources from Welsh Government finance minister Rebecca Evans remained unfulfilled, in a move described as "deeply concerning".

Ms Evans said: "Jeremy Hunt, once again, has rejected the case to invest in public services, and has failed to provide the critical investment that is needed in the health service and in schools.

"Despite our poor settlement from the UK Government, in Wales we have taken difficult decisions in order to increase funding for Wales' health service by more than 4 per cent next year, while the UK Government is only increasing NHS spending in England by 1 per cent."

The finance minister added: "The Chancellor’s statement has failed to present a convincing plan for growth that backs Wales' economic potential in a fairer UK economy."

She elaborated on the absence of measures to support the most vulnerable with income tax thresholds being frozen, while public service austerity and short-term schemes being prioritised.

The minister criticised the Chancellor's neglect of the proposition for an Essentials Guarantee; a plan aimed at ensuring Universal Credit recipients can cover their fundamental costs.

This proposal was dismissed in preference to a 2p reduction in employee National Insurance Contributions, which according to the Institute for Public Policy Research, benefits wealthy households more than those needing an uplift most in our communities.

She said: "Every Conservative budget since 2014 has promised higher wages, higher skills or higher growth - but a year on from the so-called ‘budget for growth,’ the economy has actually shrunk, as have wages."

According to the Resolution Foundation, if wage growth had sustained the rate seen before the financial crisis in 2008, the average worker would be earning £10,000 more per year.

The finance minister went on to express dissatisfaction on the lack of Welsh focussed decisions in the budget.

She noted: "Apart from a few small announcements, there was nothing in this Budget for Wales."

Key priorities for the Welsh Government such as UK Government's investment in coal tip safety and HS2 re-classification were dismissed.

Finally, she highlighted the UK Government's inaction towards an unanimous request from all four Senedd parties for increased budget flexibilities for Wales, which would lead to inflation indexed borrowing and reserve limits and a permanent removal of reserve draw-down limits.

The Chancellor's budget comes as a blow to the Welsh government which will still be £700m short in terms of real expectation for the 2024-2025 settlement.