When I spoke in this Chamber a few days after the referendum vote, I expressed huge disappointment at the result, but added that we had to accept the outcome and that’s still my position. And that is despite the fact that 62 per cent of voters in Merthyr Tydfil either voted to remain or didn’t vote at all. Unfortunately, the trade union ballot threshold didn’t apply in the referendum, so the simple majority voting on that day actually won. But given that clear divide of opinion, I will accept my responsibility to consider what is in the best interests of all my constituents. More than anything, what everyone needs is for the Government to put an end to the uncertainty. But seven months on that uncertainty remains.

Llywydd, I was saddened more than shocked by the result of the referendum, not because of what it meant to me personally, but because of what it would mean for people in one of the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom. For many, voting ‘leave’ was a desperate vote for change, a vote for something better from people who had suffered the decimation of their communities in the 1980s and the 1990s, resulting in decades of households without work, and finally those same communities becoming the victims of Tory-imposed austerity. But my real fear is that post Brexit it won’t bring the change that is craved and the very people that voted to leave are the very people who need the support of the EU provided for the most.

It also became clear that many people voted to leave on a range of things that they believed would result from us leaving the EU, including an end to immigration. But when I had conversations with many of these people, their concerns around immigration were not backed up by any personal experiences nor, indeed, were they able to say with any conviction how immigration had adversely affected them. However, when whipped up by the lies and the Goebbels-like propaganda from the right-wing media, immigrants became demonised as the cause of the day-to-day challenges that they faced. But, of course, the lies around immigration were far from the only ones. The whole ‘leave’ campaign was founded on lies and false promises, be it the promise of £350 million being reinvested in the NHS or the riches that would arise from new trade deals, which Ken Clarke referred to last week as ‘Alice in Wonderland fantasies’.

For me, however, the most distressing manifestation of the ‘leave’ vote has been the widespread increase in incidents of overt and public racism and the normalisation of such behaviour. Unfortunately, this has shown few signs of abating, and when you couple this with what we’ve witnessed from Donald Trump and the rise of the racist right in other parts of Europe, this must give us all cause for concern.

Just for a moment, can I focus on the personal impact on EU nationals caught up in the current uncertainty, both here and in Europe? I learnt recently about an EU national—a German—who came to the UK 40 years ago. He lives in Wales with his partner and he’s set up a small, successful arts-based programme. Despite what we’ve heard from the Conservative benches here, he, his wife and his son now face uncertainty as to whether they will be able to stay together, living in this country, and he believes that his family and others in similar situations are being used as bargaining chips in Theresa May’s Brexit negotiations. And what about UK citizens living in Europe? What happens to them? That still remains unknown.

If anyone still needs convincing about the urgency of this, then look at the figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council that show that registration of European nursing staff in the UK has fallen by a staggering 90 per cent since the referendum.

So, as we move forward, what do we want from Brexit? Above all else, for the people of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, regardless of how they voted in the referendum, I want to see decent, affordable housing; improved services; business growth; sustainable and well-paid jobs; an end to poverty; and vibrant and thriving communities. EU funds have massively contributed to the transformation of my constituency over the years, and although people may not always have felt the direct benefits due to the impacts of austerity, there must be a replacement for the EU moneys that have been invested in communities like Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, because the environment that people live in is vital to their quality of life and goes hand in hand with other economic investments.

So, the UK Government must now address the uncertainties that remain; recognise the importance of EU funding, historically, to many parts of Wales; take on board the wishes and needs of devolved nations in any negotiations to ensure that our communities here in Wales do not lose out as a consequence of Brexit; and find a way of turning this into a positive way forward for those deprived areas that have been previously left behind. For these reasons, Llywydd, along with many others that I’ve not had time to cover today, I’m supporting both the motion and the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru White Paper, ‘Securing Wales’ Future’.