Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:03 pm on 19 October 2021.
Well, Llywydd, I certainly agree that that is exactly the purpose of the commission: to take our future into our own hands. I think that this is a particularly important moment for us to do that. During this Senedd term, while we are all sitting here, it is very likely that there will be a further referendum on independence in Scotland.
I don't often quote Iain Duncan Smith here, Llywydd—[Laughter.]—but I'll make an exception today. I think that he said to the Conservative Party conference that the future of Northern Ireland was more uncertain today than at any time in the past, because of the impact of the Brexit decision and the uncertainties over the Northern Ireland protocol. The United Kingdom is in a fragile position, and it is very important that, as a responsible Government and as a responsible Senedd, we find a way of mapping out our own future in the turbulent times in which we live.
Llywydd, can I say that I was very grateful to the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies, for making a number of nominations for someone to sit on the commission? Because I want the commission to be something that anybody who has a view about Wales's future and how best it can be secured, given the uncertain times in which we live, should feel confident that they can turn up to and make their case.