Last week was a very devastating week, I think, for Welsh politics. In the most tragic of circumstances, a family lost a dedicated husband and father, Alyn and Deeside, and north Wales, lost a very hard-working and effective Assembly Member, and I, along with many others in this Chamber, lost a very kind and gentle friend.

I can remember arriving in the Senedd for the first time, after my election back in 2007, and taking my seat in the Senedd. And, looking across at the Labour benches, I clocked Carl, and I immediately thought that he would be better suited to being a nightclub door attendant in Rhyl, than he would be a politician. But, you know, those first impressions couldn't have been much wronger. He was an absolutely stunning politician. He was a wonderful human being, and, as we've already learned this afternoon, his record was one of delivery—yes, for the Welsh Government, but also for the Labour Party, for his constituents, and for the things that he was personally very passionate about. And while he cut a very unorthodox-looking figure, for a politician, underneath the very tough exterior he had a very kind heart that was always seeking to fight for the underdog, whoever those underdogs were.

Remembrance Sunday has just passed, and it reminded me not just of the sacrifice of the fallen, but also of what a fantastic champion the armed forces community and veterans across Wales had in Carl Sargeant, holding that portfolio, representing their views around the Cabinet table, and across the country. And, of course, he wasn't just a friend to the armed forces, he was a tremendous friend of faith communities as well, across Wales. I know how greatly faith communities, faith groups—of all religions—appreciated his work and engagement through the faith communities forum.

And, of course, Carl had an infectious smile, and boy could he make me laugh. As a fellow north Walian, he reached out to me in friendship, particularly in my early days in the Assembly, and I can remember him asking me one day, 'You alright, boss? How are you settling in?' So, I told him I'd found an apartment in the bay, and was busy setting it up, and the apartment happened to be in the same complex as Carl's apartment. 'I've got a spare mattress if you want it', he said, 'I'll bring it round later.' And then he said this: 'It'll be no good for you—you're too fat.' He said, 'But it'll be alright for your kids.'

And there was another occasion, you know, during an Assembly recess, I'd brought the family down to Cardiff. And I took them swimming one morning, in the complex where the apartment was. Imagine my surprise when, that afternoon, I received a text message from Carl. It simply said this: 'You look terrible in those swimming trunks.' Unbeknown to me, he'd been peering through the window while I was in the pool. You know, he was a cheeky flamer, but I loved him all the more for it.

And then there were the chats. We'd have chats, sometimes in the tearoom, sometimes in the corridor, sometimes in Mischief's or The Packet—all about family life. He absolutely adored his family. He spoke of them often and he was extraordinarily proud of them. I want to say this to Bernie, to Lucy and to Jack today: thank you so much for sharing Carl with us, we loved him dearly and we're going to miss him greatly.