WALES will not receive any new funding for business support during the current lockdown, it is claimed, despite the UK chancellor's £227 million announcement earlier today.

Rishi Sunak said Wales would take a share of the Treasury's latest grants and support packages, worth £4.6 billion, to cope with the pressures placed on businesses in the most recent round of coronavirus restrictions.

A Welsh Conservatives press release sent out on Tuesday morning welcomed the "additional" £227 million for Wales, but shortly after the chancellor's announcement, the Welsh Government said it had been confirmed that the funding package contained no new funds for the devolved administration.

Later, a Scottish Government minister said she was "disappointed" to find out supposed new funding for Scotland was similarly part of previously-announced support.

The Welsh Government has now called for "greater transparency" from the UK government to prevent "confusion" among traders.

“The UK Treasury has confirmed that today’s announcement does not include new money for Wales," a spokesman for the Welsh Government said on Tuesday afternoon. "This funding is already within our existing COVID funding guarantee.  Greater transparency is urgently needed to prevent the confusion these UK announcements cause for people and businesses across Wales.

“The Welsh Government has provided funding to enable businesses in Wales to access the most generous support package anywhere in the UK.

"Before Christmas, we announced a further £450m for hospitality and retail businesses affected by the latest restrictions. Funds are reaching businesses as quickly as possible and more will receive support over the coming days and weeks."

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The Scottish Government's finance secretary, Kate Forbes, said she was "surprised and disappointed" to learn the £375 million announced for Scotland by Mr Sunak was not new funding, and would form part of cash that had already been announced by Westminster.

The funding, according to the Scottish Government, is part of cash already guaranteed by the UK government to the devolved administrations, expected to total £8.6 billion for Scotland in this financial year, which has been previously announced and most of which has already been budgeted by the Scottish Government.

Ms Forbes said: “We are both surprised and disappointed that the UK Government’s announcement of additional funding for businesses in England will not – despite the initial indications – generate further new funding for the Scottish Government or other devolved administrations."

Additional reporting by Press Association. This story was updated at 6.15pm on January 5 using the comments from the Welsh Government and Ms Forbes.