I'd like also to thank my fellow Gwent Welsh Labour colleague John Griffiths AM for bringing this very important debate to this Chamber. I agree with much of what has been said by most Members. So, let us be frank: we live in a capitalist economy in a world dominated by capitalism and the divergent economic pyramid it produces. Whilst this indeed offers many opportunities for some—and the sales of Rolls-Royces, indeed, have escalated—it will also offer, and will always offer, the real political and moral dilemma of how do we ensure that there is an equitable distribution of wealth throughout our society for our citizenry, which we all serve.

This is the dilemma for us all—for our age, and for all of our nations. In the United States of America, President Lyndon Baines Johnson famously set the powers of the United States Government to wage an unconditional war on poverty, and he was right to do so. His noble aim of a truly great society could not and did not, however, eradicate poverty. In the United Kingdom, it is now sadly, widely, by many, just accepted that the gulf between the richest and the poorest in our society is stratospheric and stark. It is seismic, and worse, it is systemic. Indeed, you have to look back to the Labour Government of James Callaghan of 1976, according to a report published by the New Economics Foundation, to see a Britain where the proceeds of our nation's wealth were equitably distributed. Despite the valiant mitigations from this Welsh Labour administration, we today remain here debating what is a very disparate and very unfair world for many.

But it is Welsh Government policy that seeks at its heart fairer distribution of the fruits of work and labour for the many, not just the few. We on this side have a radically different view of how our society should be and become a fairer society through fairer social and economic policy for all of our peoples. The Welsh Labour Government continues to commit itself every single day to tackle the scourge of poverty across Wales, with the levers—which we must accept are limited—we have available to us. I support recent initiatives. Earlier this year, the economy and transport Minister Ken Skates welcomed an extra £2 million of EU funding to tackle in-work poverty and tackle the challenges faced by lower-skilled workers in south-east Wales. We must recognise the impact of Brexit upon poverty. So, to quote:

'Making sure we have a workforce with the skills necessary to thrive in a modern economy is absolutely central to our Economic Action Plan.'

So, with Ministers like Ken Skates and a socialist First Minister, the Welsh Government will continue the battle against the UK policies that cause poverty. I will take the liberty to contrast that to Tory UK Government policy. Let's listen to external and globally respected voices—and I will mention the United Nations. The United Kingdom social safety net, it quotes in its recent report—one of many—has been

'deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos'.

The special rapporteur on extreme poverty, Philip Alston, said—and I quote—that 'ideological' cuts to public services—and let us remember, it is public services that the most vulnerable in our society use, not the rich—since 2010 have led to 'tragic consequences'. Tragic consequences that are, as has been said already today, killing people. A government's first priority is to protect its citizenry. He concluded that

'The bottom line is that much of the glue that has held British society together since the Second World War has been deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos'.

The professor said that Government policies have led to the 'systemic immiseration'—economic impoverishment—of a significant part of the UK population, meaning that they, the Tory Government, have continually put people further into poverty. So, I will take no lessons today from the benches opposite, who are happy to cheerlead for a UK Government waging an ideological war on the working classes and the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. We cannot negate the harm of welfare reform, and we should not negate the harm of austerity. Let nobody then be in any doubt: it's in this Government's DNA to tackle for all of our people the injustices of economic disparity and combat the poverty caused by purposeful and strategic UK policy.

Our work will continue to be done in this place and we must, as has been stated, recommit ourselves every day to undertake optimum policy, and, if necessary, far more strategically. And I look forward every day to seeing a Labour socialist Government in power in Westminster to work in partnership with this place so it will enable the levers available. Together we can tackle the endemic poverty that is ruining people's lives and poisoning every day the aspirations of all of those let down by a cruel UK Tory social policy base.