I’m pleased that we are able to air our thoughts on the confidence and supply agreement between the Conservative majority in the House of Commons and the DUP, although I think that some of the commentary so far has been so predictable.

This election proved a challenge for all of the main parties. Despite voting for Brexit, the electorate were not clear in giving the Conservatives the mandate they need for getting the will of the people done, and it is my view that that lack of clarity will affect the deal that any Government would be able to strike. Nonetheless, the Conservatives’ share of the vote did see an increase of over 5 per cent since the last general election, and at 318 we are the largest party in Westminster. We increased the share of vote in Wales—in fact, it’s been the best vote in Wales since at least 1935. And I think that this is really important, because the election proved a challenge for all parties.

It proved a challenge for the Labour Party, who are now lumbered with a leader that Carwyn Jones and most of the elected Welsh Members here have spent time trying to distance themselves from. Who would have formed a Government if not the Conservatives? Or were you all recommending that we should ask the public to go straight away to another general election? Huge tensions remain within Welsh Labour between those loyal to Corbyn and those who disowned his leadership, and it’s only a matter of time before this discord is again played out in public.

Having lost 15 deposits, I would have thought that Plaid Cymru would have been more alive to this opportunity, because why is it that Plaid Cymru MPs didn’t use any of their possible leverage for Wales? I think that Neil Hamilton—or, in fact, I think it was Mark Reckless and Neil Hamilton—did make that point really clearly about the mathematics of the situation. It could have helped, because you’re absolutely right, we need to be honest, as Leanne Wood kept saying. Is it right, for example, that Liz Saville-Roberts wanted to do a deal, but the leader of Plaid Cymru refused?

All this nonsensical cavilling over the confidence and supply agreement. Coalitions and confidence and supply agreements are commonplace in politics. There’s one now in place between Labour and Plaid, and there’s a lack of transparency on their concord. What have they actually signed up to? Scotland has also experienced such agreements between the Conservatives and the SNP. At a UK level, there have been six coalitions over the last 120 years, including the most recent one. And we should remember that the Labour Party clung onto power by agreeing a deal with the Lib Dems, which enabled Jim Callaghan to see out his term of office.