Budget 2017: 'End austerity' plea from Welsh and Scottish Governments

The Welsh and Scottish finance secretaries have called on the UK government to abandon its "flawed and unnecessary" austerity programme ahead of next month's Budget.

Mark Drakeford and Derek Mackay warned about the damage caused by funding cuts since 2010 when they met Treasury ministers in Whitehall on Thursday.

"Public services across the UK are feeling the pinch," said Mr Drakeford.

The UK government said the funding claims "fail to stand up to scrutiny".

Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government's £15bn draft budget was "set against the backdrop of the longest period of sustained austerity in living memory - one which has seen our budget cut by 7% in real terms since 2010".

At the meeting on Thursday, he called for decisions about major projects such as the Swansea tidal lagoon and rail upgrades, and for a lifting of the 1% cap on public sector pay rises.

But afterwards Mr Drakeford said there was "little movement on the part of UK ministers".

"They're embarked on a series of courses of actions we believe are flawed," he said.

"That's in relation to the economy as a whole, in relation to investment decisions that they make and in particular in the way that those decisions they make impact on the lives of those least able to bear the burden of austerity.

"There was very little sense in the meeting today that there's much movement on those fundamentals."

Mr Mackay claimed the Scottish budget was facing a cut of nearly £3bn or 9.2% in the 10 years to 2019-20.

"We have repeatedly called for the UK Government to end austerity, invest in public services and reverse the cuts that are damaging our economy and hurting some of the most vulnerable people in our society," he said.

A UK government spokesman said: "We don't recognise these figures, which fail to stand up to scrutiny.

"The truth is that since 2015, the UK government's spending decisions have provided Scotland and Wales with [an extra] £3.6bn funding - £2.3bn for the Scottish Government and £1.3bn for the Welsh Government.

"Both the Scottish and Welsh governments are now increasingly-powerful, devolved Parliaments, with tax-raising powers to fund their own priorities and boost the economy.

"In addition, Scotland and Wales also benefit from the strength of the UK economy, which was the second fastest growing major advanced economy last year."