Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 6 June 2018.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 1:40, 6 June 2018

You gloss over it somewhat, but you did reiterate what the Labour Party position is there, which is that, upon leaving the EU, we should have a customs union as opposed to the EU's customs union. This really isn't about splitting hairs—you're talking about a new customs union that would have exemptions from certain EU laws. Now, I'd argue that that is just about as unworkable as Theresa May's famous 'max fac' option. It would be inconceivable, in my mind, for the EU to accept the situation where a non-EU country can enjoy the full benefits of frictionless trade with the EU whilst not following all the rules of the EU. Now, simply put, the Labour Party position, to my mind, doesn't do anything more than the Tory position to protect, in this case, the car components sector in Wales. But, moving on, membership of even the customs union alone wouldn't achieve frictionless trade. Membership of the single market is also needed for that. Does the Welsh Government still believe that the interests of the Welsh economy are best served by being a member of the EU single market?