I think it's fair to say that if you look at the free-ports programme in England, it's different to the one we have in Wales. The parameters for the bids are different—that's because we did eventually have a sensible conversation between the two Governments. I welcome what Samuel Kurtz said earlier about the fact that the Welsh and the UK Government have worked together. That wasn't without some difficulty. We eventually secured the same UK Treasury offer. You'll recall at one point we were being told that Wales would have half the money of other free ports. We also secured agreement on our priorities—a commitment to a bid needing to meet the requirements of the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and needing to meet our requirements on fair work as well. Those things would not have been in there if the Welsh Government had not been part of reaching a pragmatic agreement on a compromise we can live with.

We are now looking to make sure that the competition reaches an end. The closing date for the bids was 24 November last year. Three bids, as has been noted, have been received. My officials are in the process of assessing those bids jointly with UK Government officials. So, as I anticipated in moving this debate, I'm therefore unable to comment on the specific details of any one proposal, to the surprise of no-one. We hope to announce the outcome this spring. So, it should not take much longer.

I should say, though, and this goes to part of the reason why there is a Government amendment seeking to change point 3, that if there is to be more than one free port, then the UK Treasury will need to make financial resources available. It should still be the case that there should not be a Welsh free port delivered with devolved powers and us needing to forgo devolved taxes with a lesser settlement from the UK Treasury than any other free port anywhere else. And so there's a challenge there about the bids themselves. And if there is more than one outstanding bid, then the UK Treasury will need to act to make that a reality.

I should also make this point clear: free ports are not the sum total of investment opportunities for good, sustainable jobs based around our ports in Wales. Members will recall that only a few weeks ago I updated the Senedd, providing an oral statement on our economic priorities and some of our joint projects with UK Government. There are real benefits where the Welsh Government and UK Government work together, with a partnership founded on mutual respect, where the UK Government discharges its responsibilities in accordance with, not over, the devolution settlement. It's regrettable that this approach has not been extended to other programmes and policies, such as the shared prosperity fund and the levelling-up fund.

In my previous oral statement, I set out our long-term plan for stable, future-focused economic growth against a worsening overall economic outlook, the key causes of which are a toxic combination of Brexit, underinvestment and the damage caused by last autumn's mini budget. I was grateful to Tom Giffard for his comedy interlude. I don't share Liz Truss's view on the anti-growth coalition, nor indeed that she fell foul of a left-wing plot, rather than a disastrous market reaction, and the men in grey suits from the 1922 committee visiting her to tell her that her time was up.

Her brief time, though, has caused real and lasting harm to mortgage holders, potential house buyers, and business investment. We're still living with the consequences of her choices. The IMF has recently reforecast that the UK will be the only major economy to shrink in 2023—a very similar UK forecast to the Bank of England's. As concerning is the bank's bleak assessment that the UK economy cannot grow at more than 1 per cent a year without generating inflation. 

In responding to the motion today, I want to reiterate that what is really needed to energise the UK economy as a whole is a coherent economic direction for recovery and growth, one that is founded on the strengths and strategic choices of each constituent nation, and one that respects devolution and the direct mandate of this Parliament and the Welsh Government. In Wales, we have a plan, and our economic mission remains our focus for a greener, more prosperous and more equal nation. I ask Members to support the Welsh Government amendment in today's debate.