This Bill is wrong in principle and unnecessary in practice. We see successful roll-out of vaccines, we see infections and, increasingly, deaths falling sharply from the virus. We're within three months of this projected election, and the suggestion that we need emergency powers to postpone this election is not borne out by that factual background.

We have already had the UK Government say that the police and crime commissioner elections for England and Wales will go ahead on 6 May. Therefore, the purpose stated for this Bill is no longer there. We heard from the Minister various, I thought, rather contradictory concerns posed about us being subsidiary or secondary to the PCC elections, or that we had to act in the best interests of voters, but if there's already going to be an election on 6 May because the UK Government is so determined, how on earth would we be protecting voters by requiring them to vote twice by postponing our election? It makes no sense.

Most shocking I find of this is the extension of our term beyond five years. Since the Parliament Act 110 years ago, the House of Common has not been able to extend its own term—the House of Lords has to consent. However, we now see, thanks to the Wales Act 2017 that the Conservatives passed, without, as far as I can see, considering this issue, that we, in Wales, are able to evade that requirement—powers once exercised subject to that democratic restraint no longer are. And here we're perhaps being quite measured with only six months of an extra term, but there's nothing to stop us going further. Why is it right in Wales that we can extend this term, as a unicameral institution, without anyone else's say-so when there are previously democratic protections that have now been removed? 

I regret that I recall at least three Labour Members from the Labour benches saying that they wouldn't vote to allow a postponement to the election. Yet, today they are. I regret that 2017 Act giving us these powers to do so. I think it's not surprising that with and more powers being taken by this place, contrary to what was agreed in the 2011 referendum, more and more people are now intending to vote to abolish this institution.