8. Statement by the Counsel General and Brexit Minister: Legislation related to leaving the EU

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:16 pm on 25 February 2020.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 6:16, 25 February 2020

I think I heard two questions in that contribution. One relates to the actions of this Senedd in relation to voting to withhold consent for the withdrawal agreement Bill. I'll just take the opportunity once again to say, since we seem to be going over some pretty old territory at this point, that the reason this Assembly withheld its consent was because the provisions in the Bill, which the Government recommended to the Assembly, were threatening the position of this institution as part of the devolution settlement. It was not a question of not reflecting the will of the people of Wales. The people of Wales have voted on two occasions for this institution to have certain powers, and that legislation did not respect those, which is why the Senedd withheld its consent.

On the question of dynamic alignment, it's a matter of regret to us as a Government that the UK Government has not decided to seek dynamic alignment, but we have been very clear that we do not wish to see a devolution of standards in relation to the social and environmental and labour standards that we have regarded as an asset here in Wales, and so the very purpose of looking to keep pace with regulation into the future is just to continue to be able to express our values here in Wales in defence of those rights and standards into the future. We would like to be in a position where the UK Government—as all Governments in the UK—feels that the best deal for the UK is in ensuring that those standards are maintained into the future. That's certainly the best deal for businesses across the UK and workers across the UK, and those of us who've enjoyed those standards as part of our daily life, but the UK Government is not persuaded of that, and I think that's a matter of regret.