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The surprise decision to rename the second Severn Crossing the Prince of Wales Bridge has triggered controversy, consternation and bewilderment.

The UK Government is under fire for announcing the change without a public consultation.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns wrote to First Minister Carwyn Jones last year and that no objections were raised.

Labour and Plaid Cymru politicians have each denounced the move and by mid-afternoon an online petition opposing the name change had attracted more than 4,500 signatures.

The name change comes ahead of the final abolition of the Severn tolls later this year following the return of the infrastructure to public ownership. The renaming is intended to mark both the 60th anniversary of the Queen giving Prince Charles the title of the Prince of Wales when he was nine years old and his 70th birthday.

Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn was not impressed, saying: “It’s a rather pathetic and desperate stunt which improperly uses the Royal family in what is their repeated attempts to claim credit for the abolition of the tolls. I presume they’ll have another photo opportunity.”

The announcement contrasts with the approach taken in Scotland. A public vote was held in 2013 and the Forth Replacement Crossing was named the Queensferry Crossing.

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood initially asked if the announcement was a “late April fool joke”.

She said: “I wouldn’t impose any name on it as a politician. If the bridge really has to be renamed, an option would be to let the public decide.

“The problem with this is that people in Wales have not been asked – as people in Scotland were asked when the Queensferry crossing was named. Decisions about Wales should be made in Wales, not imposed on us without our consent.”

The Rhondda AM said neither the Assembly nor the public had been given the opportunity to discuss the renaming of the iconic landmark.

She said: “The wider issue here is that decisions are being imposed on Wales all the time without proper consultation, demonstrating a constant lack of respect.”

A UK Government spokeswoman insisted the Welsh Government had supported the move, saying: “Since last year, the Secretary of State for Wales has corresponded regularly with the First Minister about the decision to rename the Second Severn Crossing. Throughout the process, the Welsh Government has been in full support of the announcement.”

Neither of the candidates in the running for the deputy Welsh Labour leadership supported the name change.

Cardiff North AM Julie Morgan said: “I think it’s a bit embarrassing really that this announcement has been made without any consultation. I’ve already had people contacting me in the office here about it...

“I hope there will be consultation and it will be opened up to the public to say what they would like.”

Swansea West MP Carolyn Harris doubted that people would use the new name and would continue to refer the second crossing as "number two".

She said: “I think it’s been called number one and number two for a long time and people are never going to stop calling it number one and number two. I think it’s just a bit silly, really.

“No disrespect to the Prince of Wales – he deserves every accolade; he works hard but those bridges have been there a long time and they’ve had names a long time; it’s a little bit patronising, actually, to try and give it a new name now.”

Ms Harris suggested the renaming was an attempt to draw attention to the changes in the tolls, which were cut in January from £6.70 to £5.60.

She said: “They just want to keep reminding us that they’ve done something they should have done a long time ago. I just think it’s a PR exercise and it’s a bit wasted.”

The announcement has come while Prince Charles is on a visit to Australia.

(Image: Getty Images AsiaPac)

Graham Smith of the anti-monarchy group Republic said: “I think it’s just incredibly badly judged to name the bridge after Charles. He’s not someone who’s really engaged or supported the Welsh community and there must be any number of exceptional Welsh figures the bridge could be named after...

“Absolutely no-one was demanding this, no-one was calling for it, it’s just a pretty awful bit of sycophancy... It’s the worst possible choice really for the name of a bridge.”

Mr Smith said it would be “fantastic” if the bridge was named after NHS pioneer Aneurin Bevan.

Swansea West Labour MP Geraint Davies, who has long campaigned to bring down the tolls, said: “The people of Wales should have a say on the name and if they want to name it the Prince of Wales of Bridge, I’d be very happy with that... I think there is a genuine conversation to be had about what the bridge should be named, rather than it being unilaterally decided by the Government.”

Newport East Labour MP Jessica Morden, who was also a prominent opponent of the tolls, said she would have liked to have seen a consultation but stressed that there were more pressing issues.

She said: “It’s always better to have consulted people, but to be honest what is really important to my constituents as the tolls come off and Newport and Severnside experience a housing boom, is that we have access to affordable housing and the infrastructure and transport links, including cross border rail services, that work.”

However, Montgomeryshire Conservative MP Glyn Davies welcomed the name change and dismissed the online opposition to the move.

He said: “While the online keyboard warriors will be making some negative comments I think the vast majority of people will be very, very pleased... Today it’s so easy to think that there’s some sort of movement afoot with all the gibberish you see online and I stopped Twitter a long time ago – it’s a cesspit of evil, I call it... It’s very damaging for civility.”

He continued: “I think it’s a very good name for a bridge... I think Charles himself has a very good connection and a longstanding connection with Wales since his investiture in Caernarfon.

“I think he’s popular and I think we should completely ignore the nonsense we’re seeing on the internet sites.”