BORIS Johnson has repeated his support for an M4 relief road around Newport, lambasting the Welsh Government for spending £144 million on the project to then cancel it.

A relief road - a new stretch of motorway which would bypass Newport - would be a project "we'll be seeing if we can take forward", the Prime Minister told ITV Wales.

The Welsh Government said the project was "not a matter for the Prime Minister" and "is entirely a matter for Wales, and the decision has been made".

First minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, cancelled the project in June 2019, going against the recommendations put forward by a planning inspector following a lengthy consultation and public inquiry.

At the time, Mr Drakeford said the so-called Black Route had been scrapped due to ever-increasing estimated costs and environmental concerns.

The proposed route for the relief road would have cut across swathes of the Gwent Levels, a wetland area containing Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

The estimated cost of the project was £1.4 billion at the time Mr Drakeford scrapped the plans.

READ MORE:

Since becoming prime minister, Mr Johnson has repeatedly championed the relief road project despite the fact such a move could open up an enormous legal and political dispute.

Transport in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Government, which has frequently slapped down Mr Johnson's flirtations with the relief road project.

But a proposed piece of Brexit-related legislation could let Mr Johnson's government override the wishes of the devolved administrations around the UK, by pushing through funding for projects that promote economic development or provide infrastructure.

Dismissed as a "power grab" by the Welsh Government, the Internal Market Bill would, if passed, theoretically give the prime minister the means and opportunity to build the Newport relief road – a project which remains deeply divisive in South East Wales more than a year on from Mr Drakeford's decision.

Speaking to ITV Wales, Mr Johnson said: "What we’re going to do is look at projects like the relief road, and I must say it was quite extraordinary that the Labour Welsh government managed to spend £144 million on a study… which they then filed vertically.

"So we'll look at the relief road and look at how to relieve congestion in the Brynglas tunnels, that will certainly be one of the things that we’ll be seeing if we can take forward."

Meanwhile, the work of the South East Wales Transport Commission continues.

Set up by Mr Drakeford in the wake of his Black Route decision, the commission has been tasked with finding alternative ways to improve congestion and the public transport network in the region.