I'm really proud of the fact that my constituency voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. At the time in 2016 of the referendum, the Vale of Clwyd had a Labour Assembly Member who disagreed with the outcome of the vote, and like her colleagues on the Labour and Plaid benches, they did all they could to undermine Brexit. Aberavon, Alyn and Deeside, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Clwyd South, Cynon Valley, Delyn, Wrexham—the list goes on.

Today, the Vale of Clwyd is represented in both Parliaments by the Welsh Conservatives—Welsh Conservatives who respect the wishes of their constituents and have pledged to do all we can to ensure Brexit is a success. Unfortunately for the people of my constituency, and many other 'leave'-voting constituencies, Labour chose to waste the past five years trying to circumvent the referendum. Instead of abiding by the wishes of the 56.5 per cent of my constituents who decided Wales was better off outside the European Union, Labour, with the help of Plaid, tried every conceivable trick to keep us under the heel of Brussels. Apart from jobs for the boys, our membership of the EU has failed to deliver real benefits for my constituency or our nation. Yes, we received billions of pounds in structural funds, but those schemes totally failed to secure lasting benefits for the people of Wales in general, and my constituents in particular.

The Vale of Clwyd is home to the poorest ward in Wales, and the highest proportion of the most deprived, lower super output areas. We have the third highest rate of premature deaths in Wales; 37 per cent of our adult population have a long-term limiting health condition; a staggering 23 per cent of children fail to achieve the foundation phase; and we have the highest percentage of adults claiming benefits in Wales. Our membership of the EU didn't deliver improvements to the lives of my constituents. In fact, the membership of the moribund protectionist bloc has held us back.

Five years ago, the majority of the voting public voted to throw off the yoke of the dysfunctional bureaucracy and look to a wider world. We voted to free ourselves from rules designed to benefit French farmers and German car manufacturers rather than shop owners in Prestatyn and B&B operators in Rhyl. Instead of listening to their voters and the people of this great union, Labour have chosen to do all they can to undermine our future outside the EU. The Welsh Government have done all they can to keep us shackled to the EU's red tape and bureaucracy. Thankfully, we have a Conservative Government at the helm of the UK—a Conservative Government that is determined to leave behind the protectionism of the EU and pursue tariff-free trade with the wider world. In comparison, our Welsh Government threatened to damage free trade between UK home nations by proposing the UK internal market Act. If they had the power to do so, this Welsh Government would drag us back to a stagnating European Union, but thankfully that's not within their gift.

It's now time the Welsh Government and their little helpers stopped trying to overturn the referendum and started focusing on the important task of ensuring Wales reaps the benefits brought about by our exit from the EU. The UK Government have already secured trade agreements with nearly 70 nations. They are replacing structural funding programmes that failed our nation with a shared prosperity scheme that will ensure every part of Wales benefits from our economic growth as we become a more outward-looking nation. And I urge the Welsh Government to stop ignoring the people of Wales and to start working to deliver the benefits of Brexit. Diolch yn fawr iawn.