9. Motion to agree to the First Minister's recommendation to Her Majesty to appoint a Counsel General

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:46 pm on 14 November 2017.

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Photo of Mr Simon Thomas Mr Simon Thomas Plaid Cymru 4:46, 14 November 2017

(Translated)

I’m afraid that Plaid Cymru can’t agree to this motion in the current context at the moment. May I say, first of all, that I’m not questioning the ability or appropriateness of Jeremy Miles for this position in any way? Rather, I’m asking a more fundamental question as to why we are appointing a new Counsel General.

I want to pay tribute to Mick Antoniw. I think he carried out the work in an appropriate manner—it was what we’d hoped that a Counsel General would do in this Senedd. He has protected the rights of this Parliament from the threats emerging from Brexit, and the EU withdrawal Bill more specifically. He’s promoted access to the law and worked to simplify the law, working with the Law Commission in terms of reorganising the law in Wales. He’s raised the profile of the legal profession in Wales.

Of course, we as Assembly Members only see the Counsel General when he appears here to answer our questions. And the fact that we've moved from a position where only one Assembly Member was questioning the Counsel General to a position where there are many asking questions of the Counsel General does demonstrate that Mick Antoniw has responded to the vibrant interest in this Chamber in the constitution, and in the development of this parliament. I want to thank him for that, and he has certainly broadened the horizons of the post in a way that Plaid Cymru welcomes.

But, of course, the reason we have this motion today to change the Counsel General is because the Labour Party want to change the people they see as a possible future leader, members of a new Cabinet, a new way of doing politics—whatever it may be. Now, this is a reorganisation of the Welsh Government—[Interruption.] I will in a second. This is a reshuffle of the Welsh Government for the purposes of the Labour Party. I will give way.