5. 3. Debate: The Implications for Wales of Leaving the European Union

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:46 pm on 4 April 2017.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 3:46, 4 April 2017

I take that point, but when I asked to intervene on the point he raised at the very beginning, he didn’t allow me to have one. So, I took the chance now to tell him what I think about it—quite clearly.

Now, we understand there are risks. There are risks because we’re leaving. We must address those risks in the coming negotiations, and I believe strongly that the direct involvement of Welsh national Government Ministers in those negotiations will be important. We have to move forward. I’m conscious of time, so—. On the amendment, I wish you’d actually said we would actually ‘prepare’ a Bill, not ‘lay’ a Bill, because I think the preparation of one is, at this point, important. It’s semantics, but it’s important semantics. The laying of a Bill, perhaps, at this stage is presumptuous because we haven’t seen the Bill yet. We haven’t seen the Bill yet. We need to see that. But I won’t deny that preparation is important in that situation.

The UK Government has a mandate for us to leave the EU, but no mandate to use Brexit as an excuse for change in ideological approaches in the way in which we look at our economy and our public services. As they negotiate our exit and our future relationship, they must accept constitutional structural changes, and they must ensure that the interests and priorities of the devolved nations are actually not ignored.