Jeremy Miles: Llywydd, let us be under no illusion about the seriousness of this situation. I note the one thing the Prime Minister did not say last night, despite the crushing nature of the defeat, was that she would ask for an extension of article 50 to give breathing space for the new approach that she offered. Indeed, Government figures have continued to say that such an extension is not necessary....
Jeremy Miles: Our position is set out in our paper 'Regional Investment in Wales after Brexit'. We are actively planning successor arrangements and pressing the UK Government to honour promises made that funding for Wales would be fully replaced in the event of leaving the EU and that devolution will be strengthened.
Jeremy Miles: Brexit preparations are a high priority for the whole of the Welsh Government. We discussed ‘no deal’ preparedness work related to Welsh ports, in particular Holyhead, at our Cabinet meeting on Monday.
Jeremy Miles: We are clear that leaving the EU should not result in a deterioration in the rights of people. We continue to press the UK Government to commit to dynamic alignment for areas within their competence, including workers' rights, and we are considering how we can safeguard and enhance protections in areas within our competence.
Jeremy Miles: The UK Government proposals in the immigration White Paper means nurses, junior doctors, and a range of workers that we need for our public services and industry may no longer be allowed to come to Wales. Our future immigration system should help our economy and people and not stifle it.
Jeremy Miles: The UK Government’s own analysis in addition to that from independent bodies and the Welsh Government demonstrates that Brexit will damage the economy. The Prime Minister must commit to negotiate an EU exit as outlined in 'Securing Wales’ Future', which remains the least damaging form of Brexit.
Jeremy Miles: The whole Cabinet is committed to supporting Welsh businesses through Brexit. I attended the Cabinet sub-committee on EU transition in December, where the Minister for Economy and Transport presented a detailed paper on preparing business for Brexit. We continue to engage closely with businesses across Wales.
Jeremy Miles: Since the Prime Minister committed to the UK’s ‘remaining in step’ with the EU on state aid in her March 2018 Mansion House speech, we have engaged with the UK Government to ensure regulatory continuity for Welsh businesses and press for Welsh input into any future changes.
Jeremy Miles: The recently introduced Legislation (Wales) Bill commits future Governments to keep the accessibility of the law under review and to take action to make it more accessible to all. We intend to develop consolidated codes of Welsh law as well as improving the way legislation is published.
Jeremy Miles: We have consistently argued with the UK Government that EU citizens who have contributed to our public services and economy should not have to pay settled status fees to remain in the UK. As the UK Government insists, then it should at least waive the cost of children’s fees.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. I’m conscious perhaps that 'no deal' Brexit fatigue may now be setting in. But, in concluding this series of statements this afternoon, I want to focus on the overall impact on our economy and the well-being of the people of Wales. A 'no deal' Brexit will bring profoundly negative consequences for workers, businesses, higher and further education and the Welsh economy....
Jeremy Miles: I know some Members will dismiss this as scaremongering, but for those who believe good times are just around the corner if we move to WTO terms, let me quote the President of the Confederation of British Industry, John Allan, who said last week: 'The notion that we're the only major nation on earth operating just on WTO terms seems to me to be saying we're confident we have a mile race but...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I regret the tone of complacency and Pollyanna-ish optimism that the Member brought to his questions. If he thinks that an economy that is 2 per cent smaller than it would have been otherwise is anything other than bad news for the people of Wales, then he's going to find not many people in Wales are going to agree with that perspective, because whilst we talk about things in this...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. The kind of support for education is the kind of support for the education sector that the Welsh Government has been outlining in its evidenced policy documents over the last two years. It bears no relationship to the kind of support that the UK Government are envisaging in the political declaration or anything else that they have done, and I know that the education...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those questions. In relation to the shared prosperity fund, as he will know, the Welsh Government has been clear that Wales should not receive a penny less as a consequence of Brexit and that all decisions currently taken by the Welsh Government in relation to regional funding, as it is, should remain with the Welsh Government. I most recently made those points to the...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those questions. He mentioned the steel sector and the automotive sector, but there's also the aerospace industry, advanced engineering—all of these sectors are the sectors that will be hit by tariff and non-tariff barriers. So, the short answer to the Member's question is that, in the context of no deal and in the context of the Prime Minister's deal, there is no...
Jeremy Miles: May I thank the Member for those observations? He hits the nail on the head, doesn't he, when he says that, too often, the proponents of Brexit are people for whom there is no jeopardy in either outcome, where their resources and their affluence and their self-protection put them in a position where, whatever outcome, is a question of financial modelling and a question of moving your assets...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. Before I start, I'd like to thank members of the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee for the three reports looking at the Welsh Government's preparedness for exiting the European Union. I'd also like to thank you for the opportunity to reply to this debate. I'm pleased to say that the Welsh Government, in our formal response, have accepted all of the...
Jeremy Miles: I'm pleased, therefore, to be able to report that we are taking substantive action in this area, and that we are reasonably confident that disruption at our ports will not lead to severe problems on our road network. This does not, however, reduce the risk of border disruption adversely affecting our businesses and our citizens, with potential chaos at Dover a much more serious threat from...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. The events last night in the House of Commons, rather than clarifying the issue, have confused things further. Of course, we welcome the fact that the House of Commons has stated clearly that a 'no deal' Brexit is an unacceptable outcome to the Brexit negotiations, a view expressed by this Assembly a fortnight ago, which demonstrates the force of decisions taken within the...
