I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate today. Obviously, because of the referendum last Thursday, a clear mandate was given to the Governments of all parts of the United Kingdom now to enact those wishes. It was a clear commitment from Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom that they wished to rebalance their relationship with the European Union. The negotiations will start, and start over the next couple of months and years, and it is vital that Wales’s voice is heard. As the Prime Minister stated on the steps of No. 10 Downing Street on Friday morning—he specifically mentioned the important role that Wales, that Scotland, that Northern Ireland and, obviously, Westminster will play in these negotiations.

It would be right to pay tribute to the role the Prime Minister has played over the last six and a half years as the Prime Minister, but also, as leader of my own party for 10 years, as leader of the opposition as well. You can look at the—[Interruption.] You can look at the changes that have been made. It really is regrettable, when we’ve had comments today about language—I think the First Minister used the words ‘talking to one another again’—that comments are coming in about ‘stabbing in the back’. There’s no stabbing in the back if you have a principle and a belief, and you stand on one side of that principle and you stand before the electorate; that is political debate. If that type of rhetoric is coming from the Labour Party, there is no wonder that 17 out of the 22 electoral divisions clearly turned their back on the message that you were trying to give out in this referendum.

That is the important thing, going forward. We have reached out after this referendum to work constructively to make sure that Wales does not lose out in these negotiations, that Wales’s voice is heard, going forward, and, above all, the importance of making sure that support is there, going forward, and is continued. But, when we woke up on Friday morning with the referendum, the schemes that were in place had not come to an end. The payments into the European Union and out to the European Union continue until the negotiations are concluded. It is important that those discussions continue and that reassurance is given.

I appreciate that people on the ‘remain’ side of the argument would wish the will of the people not to be heard and actually point the finger and continue to say, ‘We told you so’. But it is a fact—[Interruption.] It is a fact—[Interruption.] It is a fact that what we need to do on all sides of the referendum is come together and make this work. [Interruption.] So, we innovate, we invest and we build. That’s what we do—we innovate in the way we do business, we innovate with the way we deliver for people’s aspirations. We cannot say that business is to continue as normal. This referendum was a clear mandate. We invest in the opportunities and create a global Britain, a global Wales—looking out.

Ultimately, people in this Chamber—and I understand why, because you were clearly on the other side of the argument—. It is vital—it is vital—that the opportunities that lie before us are actually grasped and delivered, and I believe those opportunities are there and they can be secured. [Interruption.] I appreciate you might not wish to listen to what I’ve said, but I have clearly highlighted—[Interruption.] I have clearly highlighted the opportunities that are available to us. Sadly, the First Minister, in his response to me in First Minister’s questions, clearly indicated he was not interested in taking those discussions forward.