Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:47 pm on 15 January 2019.
I’m very grateful to the Counsel General for the statement, and I welcome also the Government’s endorsement, and its appeal to the Government of the United Kingdom to extend article 50 on the basis of the motion passed before Christmas.
Just on that point, it’s one thing to appeal to the United Kingdom Government, even though there’s been no hearing given to that at present, but it’s important also that we reach out to other member states of the European Union that will have to respond to any proposals. Is the Welsh Government considering forging those relationships with member states—such as the Republic of Ireland—to ensure that they’re aware that there are some in the United Kingdom who are pressing for the timelines to be extended?
One thing that is missing in the statement, even though the Counsel General did start touching on it, was: an extension to what end? Of course, the Counsel General has just reflected perhaps some of the language that we’ve heard from his fellow members of the Labour Party in Westminster—namely to extend it, to find an opportunity to have renegotiation and a better deal. The truth is—and that was endorsed, certainly, in the discussions that we had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland—that isn’t an option. The time has passed for that. So, it’s only to extend for something fundamentally different, such as membership of the single market, or, of course, a people's vote.
And on this, of course, we are some four hours away from the vote this evening. Things will accelerate, and I understand why the Labour Party has tried to keep all options on the table, but over the coming days we are likely to have a vote of no confidence, and the likelihood is that that will be lost. In that particular situation, would the Welsh Government move swiftly to make a decision and a statement with regard to what should then happen? We could be talking about developments by the end of this week, that is not something that will happen over the coming weeks—there aren’t many weeks left. So, can the Counsel General walk us through the steps to be taken over the coming weeks with regard to the loss of this evening’s vote, or the failure of it?
And finally, one of the things that we also discussed in Dublin was the need, regardless of what happens with Brexit, to intensify and to strengthen the links that we do have across the Irish sea in the Celtic nations where we have so much in common, so many joint interests, and to use the capacity that is there under the Good Friday Agreement, under strand 3, to create a multilateral relationship between Ireland, Scotland and Wales, so that, whatever the mess that should enfold in Westminster, we at least, together, can collaborate for the future, for the benefit, of course, of all those nations.