Carwyn Jones: Well, it was certainly the policy of the UK party, and, of course, the Prime Minister has been reminded of that in the past. Certainly, it is the case that the referendum was not accepted by the UK—. I hear what he says about the Welsh Conservatives, and I know his own personal view, but the reality is it was not accepted by the UK Conservatives and, of course, it's not accepted by UKIP...
Carwyn Jones: Well, I mean, that ignores the fact that a large number of Conservative MPs didn't support her either. That's the problem that we have here; she couldn't carry her own party. That's the problem you have in your own party. Just one final point—[Interruption.] Just one final point: circumstances have changed in the last two years. I do not see why we now cannot ask people to express a view in...
Carwyn Jones: 3. What progress has been made to establish a proper mechanism for resolving disputes between the governments of the UK? OAQ53385
Carwyn Jones: I thank the First Minister for his answer. Does the First Minister share my concern that the current arrangements for dispute resolution are inadequate, because we know that the UK Government is the arbiter of disputes, despite frequently being a party to those disputes? And if he agrees with me on that, what kind of system would he like to see in its place?
Carwyn Jones: 4. What progress is being made to improve Welsh rail services over the next five years? OAQ53445
Carwyn Jones: I thank the First Minister for that answer. Unlike the UK Government, which reneged on a promise to electrify the south Wales main line to Swansea and who have delivered a paltry 1 per cent of UK rail infrastructure funding to Wales, Welsh Labour has invested in our rail network. First Minister, could you tell me what improvements that passengers can expect to see over the next two years?
Carwyn Jones: I thank the Member for allowing me to intervene. If you put in the words 'Neil Hamilton' and 'South Africa', the first thing that appears is an article from The Independent in 1998, when he addressed something called the Springbok Club. The record of the meeting says, 'Mr. Hamilton gave a riveting keynote speech in which he recalled his own fond memories of South Africa during the era of...
Carwyn Jones: I'll take that as a compliment, and I thank the Member for allowing me to intervene. Does he not accept that democracy is such that the MPs who sit in the House of Commons now were elected after the referendum and are therefore a better indication of people's desires as to what they want in the future?
Carwyn Jones: Some weeks ago I was watching a television programme. It was a natural history programme about very curious creatures who live in the arctic, and every now and again they migrate in numbers to various different places, and their migration instinct is so strong that they often fall off the edge of a cliff believing that there is a pathway they can cross—apparently some memory that goes back...
Carwyn Jones: I very much respect, of course, the Member and his views, but I have to say, I saw the way that the Conservative Government operated from 2016 onwards, as did others in the current Government. David Davis, as far as I can see, did absolutely nothing for a year and a half. Absolutely nothing. Boris Johnson: nothing for a year and a half, apart from the odd quip now and again. A lot of time was...
Carwyn Jones: Honda have said they're closing in Swindon—3,500 jobs. Of course they said they're going to leave. BMW has said it today. Unless you're saying that all those employers are lying, then somehow we are not to take any notice of what they say and it's all smoke and mirrors. Why would you stay in the UK when your market is Europe? Why wouldn't you just manufacture in Europe instead and treat the...
Carwyn Jones: I apologise to the First Minister for intervening, but there is one point that has disturbed me—something that Mark Reckless said, which surprised me, I have to say, when he said that we should have the opportunity to impose large tariffs on Irish beef. If that is the case, that means tariffs between the UK and Ireland, it means customs, it means a hard border, it means the ending of the...
Carwyn Jones: I'm grateful to the Member for the intervention. He may not know but the Prime Minister has indicated that she's going to resign if the deal goes through—the first time in history that a leader has said that, if they get the backing of their party, they will resign, rather than the other way around. But I have to put this to him, and I'll be brief, Llywydd: in 1997, we had a referendum on...
Carwyn Jones: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on progress towards creating a feminist government in Wales? OAQ53882
Carwyn Jones: I welcome that gentleman's initiative. Thank you for that, First Minister. Could I ask you to outline what further changes you think will be needed in the future to realise our shared ambition of true equality in Wales?
Carwyn Jones: 3. Will the First Minister provide an update on funding for rail infrastructure in Wales? OAQ53937
Carwyn Jones: I thank the First Minister for that answer. First Minister, the Welsh Government has a strong and historic record when it comes to train transport in Wales, opening new lines, opening new stations, investment in rolling stock, electrifying some of the lines and, of course, the metro systems—more than one, of course—around Wales. This contrasts, First Minister, does it not, with the UK...
Carwyn Jones: I'm very grateful to the Member. Does he remember that his party, for eight years between 1997 and 2005, had a policy of calling for a second referendum on devolution in Wales?
Carwyn Jones: If I could, perhaps, return then to the actual debate, which is over a referendum—it's not about remain or leave today. I've had plenty of views on that issue; I don't propose to repeat them. What I can say, though, is that, quite rightly, Darren Millar earlier on in this Chamber drew attention to the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-day tomorrow, when 12 nations united to defeat Nazism and...
Carwyn Jones: Yes, of course.
