8. What assessment has the First Minister made of the cost to the economy in Wales of ending freedom of movement? OAQ53422

I thank Lynne Neagle for that. The UK Government’s own economic analysis, published in November, concluded that reducing migration from the European Economic Area to zero would reduce UK gross domestic product by almost 2 per cent. The impact of ending freedom of movement would be felt directly in Welsh businesses, universities and public services.

Thank you, First Minister. Would you agree with me that it would be a very serious mistake to leave the EU without any clear idea of the destination? And, will you make it clear to any Ministers from the UK Government, or, indeed, anyone with significant influence over Brexit, such as the leader of the opposition in Westminster, that supporting a blindfold Brexit would be an unacceptably high-risk policy?

Well, we're certainly not in favour of a blindfold Brexit, and have not been since the very earliest days after the referendum. The Member knows, I know, very well the prospectus that the Welsh Government set out in that immediate aftermath: a Brexit that is shaped by the needs of the economy and jobs here in Wales; a Brexit that has a clear destination in terms of membership of a customs union; dynamic regulatory alignment with the single market; and a fair movement of people regime. That is the sort of Brexit, if we are to have Brexit, which does the most it can to mitigate the impact on the Welsh economy of leaving our closest and most important market. And I take every opportunity, as do my Cabinet colleagues, to advocate for that form of Brexit at every opportunity that comes our way.

Thank you, First Minister.