7. Statement by the Counsel General and Brexit Minister: Brexit Update

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:10 pm on 17 September 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 5:10, 17 September 2019

I thank the Member for her questions. Can I first associate myself with her comments in relation to the thanks for all those people in public services and, indeed, across society in Wales who are working hard to take steps to prepare Wales for some of the sorts of things we saw described in the Yellowhammer document? 

She mentioned the Supreme Court case. I will just say to her that I've had reports of the proceedings today in court and the justices are taking a real interest in the impact on the work of the Assembly of the prorogation in Parliament and the consequence that that has on the legislation and the work that Members here have put in to scrutiny and consideration of those. I would hope, at least, that most people in the Chamber would support the interest that has been shown in the impact here on our work.

She makes a number of points in relation to the future of the UK as a consequence of a hard or 'no deal' Brexit. What I would say—I'll repeat the point that I made earlier—is that those posing the greatest threat to the union are those advocating a hard or 'no deal' Brexit. We know what consequences that that could easily have in Scotland and in Northern Ireland, and I think that the future of the UK is imperilled in a way that it hasn't been by the sorts of arrangements that those people are perfectly content to contemplate, and I include the Prime Minister in that.

She asks specifically about the expenditure and so on, and I'm very happy to confirm to her that I do think that money that is being spent in relation to preparation could be spent more productively on other things. None of us, I think, believe that the resources and energy and time that has been spent by Government, by local government and by public bodies and organisations and businesses across Wales could not be more productively spent elsewhere. And we absolutely will be making sure that we have a series of very clear financial asks to the UK Government if the sorts of circumstances described in the documentation we've seen come to pass. It is not possible for us to deal with the consequences envisaged in that document without very, very, very significant financial support from the UK Government, and I know that the Minister for finance is very focused on that task.

I won't comment, if she doesn't mind, on the question of the oil refinery; I will just direct her to the public comments that the company have themselves made about their concerns in relation to Brexit. And I will confirm—and I hope that she will have detected this from the document disclosed yesterday—we do think that the impact on vulnerable groups of the sorts of Brexit described in these documents is going to be very, very considerable. And the cumulative effect of a number of these impacts could be very, very damaging indeed to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. The plan does contain commitments to support various vulnerable groups. Those remain, of course, under review and we will do everything we can within our power and resources.