Thank you for the opportunity to pay tribute to Rhodri in the Senedd today, and, of course, in the presence of Julie, who formed such a strong partnership with Rhodri over so many years, in marriage and politically. It was a privilege, Llywydd, to serve with Rhodri in the Assembly, and indeed in Government, and I’m very grateful to Rhodri for giving me my first opportunities as a member of his Governments. To work with him was a pleasure. His commitment to socialism, Wales, and devolution, and his lively sense of humour, made it a great pleasure.

I well remember, in his early days as First Secretary, Rhodri speaking at so many events in the Assembly, in the Bay, round and about, on a very wide variety of matters, and always displaying that breadth and depth of interest and knowledge that made, I think, all of us very proud that we had such a First Minister. And that was certainly well in evidence at an international gathering of leading figures that I recall in the Celtic Manor, when Rhodri gave a tour de force on the history and culture of Wales, and so many people came up to me and others from the Assembly afterwards and said that we must be very proud to have a leader with that depth of knowledge in terms of Wales’s history and culture.

Accompanying Rhodri to visits in steel plants in Newport East was a very interesting experience. Everybody there, with decades of experience in the steel industry, was so impressed by Rhodri’s interest and his knowledge of industrial processes and products, and I know that wasn’t only true of the steel industry. It was true of so many visits to different sectors that made up, and make up, our economy in Wales. And when he occasionally came along to Newport Gwent Dragons’ rugby games—not when they were playing Cardiff Blues, but other opponents, such as Munster, that I remember—he was a huge hit on the terraces because of his passion, his very obvious passion, for rugby and, indeed, sport in general, and his vocal support and willingness to engage in banter around Cardiff Blues and Newport Gwent Dragons and their different merits and results and successes. And, of course, on the streets and doorsteps, Rhodri was just incredibly popular, and, as so many have already said today, and as has been said so many times outside this Chamber, he had such an entirely natural and genuine ability to relate to people from so many different backgrounds.

Llywydd, I think it’s clear that Rhodri’s place in history is secure—getting the Assembly up and running and established, giving it credibility, profile and popularity, and shaping post-devolution politics in Wales and Welsh Labour politics on to that territory that we are now so familiar with: left of centre, designed for Wales, clear red water.