9. Debate on NNDM6985 — EU Withdrawal Negotiations

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:43 pm on 5 March 2019.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 5:43, 5 March 2019

We can negotiate that. [Laughter.]

Llywydd, what we've heard today is clearly what we've heard before, and Carwyn Jones, the Member for Bridgend, is quite right: this discussion is about a 'no deal' Brexit, and we forget that sometimes. And it's been quoted today by several people who always vote for Brexit that the Labour Party manifesto in 2017 was about actually honouring that referendum result, and I'll quote it, just to remind them of a few things. 

'Labour accepts the referendum result and a Labour government will put the national interest first. We will prioritise jobs and living standards, build a close new relationship with the EU, protect workers' rights and environmental standards, provide certainty to EU nationals and give a meaningful role to Parliament throughout negotiations.'

It also says that it would scrap the Brexit White Paper 

'and replace it with fresh negotiating priorities that have a strong emphasis on retaining the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union'. 

Now, before anyone says what went into the manifesto, they are things the UK Labour Party has put to this Government—the five points Jeremy Corbyn put to the Government and the Prime Minister. That's what it says. So, what we are simply repeating, by the way—. Before anyone says we're reneging on it, we are delivering on the Labour Party manifesto of 2017 and putting the interests of the nation before the interests of a party, which is what the UK Government is currently doing. Let's make that quite clear now.

And when we talk about going out with no deal, we are talking about WTO rules, and if anyone here supports it, I gave the offer last time of telling me where WTO rules are better for Wales than what we currently have. Neil Hamilton intervened. He didn't give me an example. He just tried to defend his arguments. If anyone wants to intervene again and give me a single example of where WTO is better for Wales than what we've got, please do so now, I'll take it. Again, no contenders. So, clearly, everyone recognises WTO is not in the best interest of—[Interruption.]