Thank you, Minister, and to the Welsh Government, for bringing this very important debate to the Senedd Chamber. Llywydd, black lives matter. 2020 will be a year that will be burnt into the collective consciousness with the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we here in this place can ensure that 2020 is also remembered for the year that we collectively said, all of us, that enough is enough when it comes to racism. Black lives truly do matter, but words are cheap and actions are not.

In the communities of Islwyn and throughout Wales we have seen the concerns manifest that black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are disproportionately contracting and dying from COVID-19. The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has led assertively in constituting his BME COVID-19 advisory group. The report of the socioeconomic sub-group, chaired by the eminent Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna, is an important body of evidence-based work, focusing on the fact that available statistics suggest that British BAME groups are up to two times more likely to die from the disease than their white counterparts. It is right that we do this as a nation and that we accept the facts that we find.

The report's finding that race inequalities exist in Wales does not surprise me or many others in this place, but it is a sobering thought for all to consider, especially those deniers, as we've just heard, in the factions of residue of some Brexit and UKIP opposite. I could not and cannot believe their denial of the facts, of the evidence, and am actually appalled at the language used and world view proudly displayed in the amendments to this debate. My advice is for people watching this debate to read the amendments set out. But, if you deny climate change and if you deny expert health and science evidence, I know that you would deny racism in Wales. 

In 2020 in Wales, our proud country, the experiences of our citizens continue to be affected by their racial profile. It is a fact. We must do better, and we will do better. I note that the Equality and Human Rights Commission's 2018 report, 'Is Wales Fairer?', highlighted that race inequality persists in Wales, with race hate crime still being too prevalent. In education, attainment gaps, the report notes, are also sadly evident. BAME groups are also under-represented in apprenticeships. And the question is: why?

So, I do applaud the inquiry of the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt, who has committed the Welsh Government to developing a race equality plan for Wales. Thank you. We need those answers. Wales needs those answers. The report recommends, and I also welcome, the Welsh Government's proposal of an independent racial equality champion for Wales, the production of the race equality strategy for Wales, and the establishment of the race disparity unit within the Welsh Government.

I have campaigned all my life for racial equality, as have many others in this place, and the death threats I have had from far-right groups, and media abuse, has been, at times, part of life. So, racial hatred is very alive and deeply seated and it is actively being bred from far-right groups across the UK, Europe and in Wales. So, now is the time to act.

But, leading into the Senedd elections now, it is time for political parties and certain newspapers and press outlets to stop racist language and inference used in party campaigning, as evidenced during the Brexit campaign. Who can ever forget Nigel Farage standing in front of a black and white photo of a refugee queue from the 1940s?

So, now is the time to act, and I know that my party and Jane Hutt leading this debate and the Welsh Labour Government are totally committed to ensuring racial equality, a fairer Wales, and making real in our country that black lives matter. These are not words, these are actions. Thank you, Llywydd.