Diolch, Llywydd. When the people of Wales voted in 2016, they made it abundantly clear that they wanted to leave the European Union. Fifty-two and a half percent of voters in Wales chose to leave the EU, and all but five areas of the country delivered a 'leave' result from their counts. Welsh voters may have cast their votes for a number of different reasons, but the result remains that Wales voted to leave. Of course, since that time, we’ve had many debates on the intricacies of Brexit, its implications for Welsh businesses and communities and how the Assembly can best prepare the country for life once we finally leave the European Union. In that time I’ve asked many questions of the First Minister about Wales’s preparedness for Brexit, the ongoing discussions he and his Government are having with UK colleagues, and how we can work together to avoid a 'no deal' Brexit. 

Sadly, Labour, Lib Dem and Plaid MPs in Westminster are making the negotiations tougher with their actions. During this time of constitutional difficulty, we must all remember why we are here, and that is fundamentally to make Wales a better place. As a country, we need to move from this current impasse, and we need to move forward together. And, as a Conservative, I hope very much that my party will continue to be a broad church that listens and respects different positions and different views.

The leader of Plaid Cymru earlier tried to suggest that I can no longer lead the Welsh Conservatives in this place, and he would expect me to extremely disagree with that point. What I've tried to do since the Brexit referendum is respect the outcome of the referendum result, where people voted to leave the European Union. And I put it to the leader of Plaid Cymru that he and his party should therefore no longer call themselves 'The Party of Wales', given he's trying to overturn the referendum result, where the majority of the Welsh people voted to leave the European Union. 

Now, the positions of each of the leaders of the political parties in this Assembly is well versed, and today's debate just serves as another opportunity not to say anything new or different, but just to rehearse tired lines and repeat much of what Assembly Members have said before. And we've heard all that so far this afternoon.

Now, I understand, respect and accept the Llywydd's position in allowing this debate to take place following the request by the Welsh Government and indeed by Plaid Cymru. Whilst I fully accept the strong views and the range of views, however, whether we like it or not, the Assembly does not have a direct competence on this issue. Members should be engaging with their MPs, businesses and communities to ensure that they are best prepared to leave the European Union. Whilst the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru seem to have all the time to endlessly debate, we are working across Wales to ensure that Wales is ready post Brexit. I am concerned that the Assembly—