Diolch, Llywydd. I move the amendment in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Plaid Cymru believes that the act of leaving the European Union will have a profound effect on Wales as a nation. Last week, we witnessed two major events that will enable the UK Government to take Wales and England out of the European Union. The fact that only two parts of the UK want to, and are definitely going to, leave already speaks volumes about the tectonic changes that are taking place, and it demonstrates that we in Wales must protect and defend our national interests. We cannot be a silent bystander or spectator. We must use whatever leverage we have to create our own voice and to carve out a distinct position if Wales is to have its own future, distinct and different from that of England.

Both the article 50 letter and the repeal Bill White Paper refer to Wales. But, to Plaid Cymru, the UK Government isn’t acting as if Wales exists at all. Plaid Cymru continues to give its strong support to the joint White Paper, ‘Securing Wales’ Future’, as the most comprehensive outline of the Welsh national interest for the Brexit process, but we don’t see enough evidence that the UK Government has listened. We are not convinced that, to date, consultation has been genuine.

The article 50 notification makes clear, once and for all, that the UK Government will take us out of the single market. The question for us now is what a free trade agreement will look like and whether it will include tariff or regulatory barriers. Will there be some sectors of the Welsh economy that face tariffs and others that don’t? Business doesn’t want this uncertainty. Employers will need to know the playing field well in advance of Brexit taking place.

Llywydd, perhaps the greatest challenge arising from the UK Government announcements last week is the future as to how the UK works internally. The original motion recognises this to some extent, and the Plaid Cymru amendment today confronts that challenge and offers a solution: a continuation bill for Wales to uphold our current constitutional status. That constitution has been endorsed by people in Wales as recently as the 2011 referendum. The common EU frameworks are discussed in chapter 4 of the UK Government White Paper. Those frameworks are the foundation upon which this Assembly operates. The replacement of those frameworks with new arrangements to protect the UK single market is a recipe for a Westminster power grab.

The repeal Bill White Paper gives the UK Government the power to create new UK frameworks. They say they will consult with the devolved Governments, and, at best, they will work intensively with them, but we aren’t here to be consulted with. As the First Minister has already said, Wales already co-decides the UK position on EU frameworks. These responsibilities rest with Wales and they are for us to share and negotiate, not for Westminster to impose. That’s why Plaid Cymru wants this continuation bill. We should act in the most decisive way possible to make sure that the balance of power within this state does not shift even further towards Westminster, and I would encourage the Welsh Government to look seriously at this option.

If you share our analysis, then I urge you to take action and support this amendment. This can’t be a last resort. We have a relatively small window of opportunity here; don’t delay in taking it. Don’t wait for the Tories to change their mindset and don’t abstain. Please back Plaid Cymru’s amendment on this today.

Llywydd, we will be opposing UKIP’s amendment. They offer nothing whatsoever in terms of protecting the Welsh national interest. They would delete the need for agreement and consensus between devolved and Westminster Governments. They also talk of EU intransigence at a time when Wales needs friends and allies in the rest of Europe. And isn’t it interesting to note that UKIP is the only party talking about the referendum in their amendments today? Why do UKIP seem so obsessed with the referendum? Is it, perhaps, because they have no vision whatsoever beyond that result? And we’re still waiting to hear their plan. The debate has moved on. [Interruption.] It’s now about securing the Welsh national interest during the negotiations ahead of us.

The original motion today describes and analyses that situation. There’s nothing in that motion that we can disagree with; it’s just a description. On the other hand, the Plaid Cymru amendment proposes action. A continuation Bill is the next immediate step we should take to secure that position. Future UK frameworks covering the single market, agriculture or any other fields that interact with devolution must be co-produced and co-decided. As far as the Party of Wales is concerned, nothing less is acceptable and I would urge the Chamber to support our amendment today. I’ve run out of time, sorry.