7. 7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Borrowing and the Economy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:05 pm on 10 May 2017.

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Photo of Mohammad Asghar Mohammad Asghar Conservative 5:05, 10 May 2017

Adam, what I’m saying is this: don’t mix oranges with—. Our economy in Wales, actually, we have been given different funding with the Barnett formula. Our Government is there to answer. Most of our economy is controlled by us here, also. You should not blame London. Your education, transport, health—you name anything. Twenty devolved areas, none of them have reached the level that you are quoting for the other parts of the United Kingdom. They have achieved better than us, and it is you and them, not us who have actually had control of our economy since 1999.

Qatar is a small country, now they are spending £5 billion in the next three years in this part of the world. Why? Because they can see the economic growth coming. Google has announced it will invest £1 billion in a new headquarters in London that could create 3,000 new jobs by 2020. Toyota, Jaguar, Land Rover and McLaren have all announced plans for a £1 million investment in manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom. Seized the opportunity there, Adam. As we all leave the European Union, Britain remains open for business to the whole world. We all are the same. We are the same outward-looking, globally minded, flexible and dynamic country we have always been and we are always here to make sure that the world comes and trades with us and we’ll trade with them. Europe is not the only part. At this point, I have to mention Jeremy Corbyn—[Interruption.]