6. 6. Statement: Update on Brexit Negotiations

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:13 pm on 24 October 2017.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 6:13, 24 October 2017

Okay. What would satisfy us is a removal of the power grab, a commitment to a co-operative approach to the UK single market, a commitment to a co-operative and agreed approach on frameworks, on state aid, and also on the way in which the market is regulated and the adjudication of a court. Those are our red lines in terms of the power grab.

In terms of impact analysis, others have done that analysis. None of it is good. The UK Government, we think, has done one and we don’t think it’s particularly good because it’s not been shared with anybody else. Should there be more frequent JMC meetings? Yes. I’d like there to be a JMC plenary as well as a JMC (European negotiations). We have a British-Irish Council coming up next month and I have a meeting planned with the Prime Minister next week, which is progress. Should they meet more often? Yes. We also have bilaterals as well, I should add, on top of the JMC, which help us to talk through some of these issues as well. It’s a matter of regret that it took eight months for the JMC to meet. One of the problems in the past was it met irregularly, with different chairs all the time and people not knowing what had gone on in the meeting before or who was sitting in the chair. There needs to be a consistency; the same people need to be at those meetings every single time in order for progress to be made. That’s what we need. That’s what we’ve been saying for many months now, and that’s what we’ll continue to be advocating.