Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:45 pm on 17 October 2017.
If you agree, First Minister, that leaving the EU without a deal is a real prospect and that it would be, indeed, bad news for Wales, then the next obvious question that I have for you is what it is you’re going to do about it. How is the Welsh Government preparing for every possible Brexit scenario? You’ll know that yesterday the Farmers’ Union of Wales indicated its support for staying in the single market and the customs union, and they said that the evidence supporting that position was incontrovertible. It’s only a matter of time now before other sectors follow them. Your Government said in July that businesses were more focused on the short term because there was so much uncertainty around that final deal. You could also not provide data as to how many businesses your Government had been in contact with regarding Brexit support. Can you now outline the concrete steps you are taking to prepare the Welsh economy for all possible Brexit scenarios, and will you accept that it is your duty to ensure that the Welsh economy does not sleepwalk into a dangerous economic crisis?