Diolch, Lywydd. I was hugely disappointed at the outcome of the EU referendum. Throughout the campaign, I sought to truthfully set out some of the dangers as I saw them, on leaving the EU. I campaigned from both my heart and my head on what I genuinely believed was the best for some of the most deprived communities; not just in Wales, but across the UK.

What is clear is that many people voted on things that they believed would result from us leaving the EU, in particular, an end to immigration. This was fuelled by the leave campaign and the reactionary and disgraceful right-wing media that shamed this country. For many, it was also a desperate vote for change from people who’ve now suffered years of Tory-imposed austerity. Many people thought that anything must be better than what they have now. We now know clearly that the leave campaigners both misled and lied to the British public with promises of £350 million a week for the NHS and how immigration would be controlled. That has not only reinforced mistrust in politicians, but it has also made many start to regret having voted to leave.

One of my other fears of a ‘leave’ vote has always been the impact that it would have on workers’ rights. We’ve already seen leading Brexiteers advocating the removal of workers’ rights as part of any exit negotiations.

Incidentally, Llywydd, it is worth noting that the restrictions placed on trade union strike ballots in the Tory Trade Union Act 2016, supported by most Brexiteers, would’ve invalidated this referendum result, because, apparently, strike ballots are far too important to allow a simple majority of those voting to determine an outcome, but a simple majority on the whole future of our nation for generations to come is not.

Perhaps the most distressing manifestation of the leave vote, as has been said by many Members here today, is the widespread incidence of overt and public racism that we have witnessed since this result was announced. I hope everyone in this Chamber is appalled by this, will reject it totally and will stand up to defend and protect anyone subject to such hatred—hatred fuelled by the anti-immigration rhetoric of the ‘leave’ campaign.

Now, while it is true that people voted to leave for a number of reasons, some of those were not to do with the EU at all—that does not mean that we should not listen to their concerns. We have to accept the outcome was what it was and I would now argue strongly that we need to put an end to the uncertainty pervading the country and invoke article 50 without delay. Those leading the ‘leave’ campaign should’ve had in place a strategy to enable them to be ready to negotiate a swift and structured exit, to settle the money markets, to protect people’s jobs, pensions, homes and investments and perhaps more importantly, the future of our young people. But as we know, they do not.

Llywydd, I mention our young people, as one thing that impressed me during the campaign was their knowledge and understanding of the issues at stake—far greater, perhaps, than many two or three times their age. As Julie Morgan mentioned, many of them didn’t get a vote.