5. Statement by the Chair of the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee: Brexit Priorities

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:33 pm on 17 July 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 3:33, 17 July 2019

Can I thank David for his contribution, and particularly for his kind words at the start of that? Just to inform everybody, I have received apologies from the Counsel General. I do agree that perhaps Ministers are Brexited-out a little bit, but it is an important area that we need to ensure—. And, to be fair to them, it's quite right that Ministers have never shied away from coming to the committee and being full and frank with the committee, and the odd UK Minister has done that as well. 

He also highlighted concerns again that the next three months are critical three months—August, September, October. I think, actually, four and five months, because I think November, December, after we leave, if we do so without a deal, are going to be just as bad, facing some challenging times for us. But there are going to be critical times ahead. He's also highlighted a strange task of claiming democracy, but yet proroguing Parliament, which denies democracy in one sense. So, it's something we can't have a say on, unfortunately, because we are not able to stop that, but it is an impact that we should be fully aware of, because the consequences of that are serious to us, because if they prorogue Parliament, clearly nothing gets done in Westminster for those months. It impacts upon what we do—we don't know where we will go. We clearly wouldn't understand one thing is the purpose of it is a 'no deal' exit, and that is something we would therefore clearly have to accept is going to happen. But the consequences beyond that are something we really don't understand. Because, as David highlighted, what's important is to strengthen the union through the reform, and if you prorogue Parliament, I somehow struggle to see how that will strengthen the union through reform. So it is a very serious question we have to watch.

He has made quite clear again the challenges that a 'no deal' would bring to the UK as a whole, and the risks that we would be facing. And he's quite right on the parity of the pound; I read this morning that they anticipate the pound will drop to $1. I remember the time when it was $4 something to a pound; actually, I do remember an awful lot $2.50 to the pound. I know it's dropped dramatically, but I've never seen it to $1 to a pound—that's absolutely crazy. And those are the figures they're talking about. So we do need to be very wary of the consequences, because, yes, a lot of global products are actually purchased in the process through dollars—oil being a perfect example of that—and that will impact upon everything we do, because it impacts upon the transport costs of everything we deliver. So, it is challenging ahead of us if that does happen as a consequence.