28 Politics
THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 27 2017
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Welsh Brexit paper published
Carwyn Jones: ‘A comprehensive and credible plan’
Urging UK government to take paper seriously: Leanne Wood
THE FIRST MINISTER OF
WALES Carwyn Jones and leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood have published a plan for Wales as the UK moves towards negotiations on leaving the European Union. The White Paper is not just a
shopping list of demands from Wales, but a pragmatic starting point for negotiations that can deliver for all parts of the United Kingdom. The paper, developed jointly by the
Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, balances concerns over immigration with the economic reality that makes participation in the Single Market central to Wales’ future prosperity.
First Minister Carwyn Jones
said: “The White Paper provides a comprehensive and credible plan for the negotiations with our partners in Europe on the UK’s exit from the European Union, based on solid evidence. It places Wales’ priorities centre stage, but is designed to work for the UK as a whole. And it is based on dialogue and agreement between ourselves and Plaid Cymru, ensuring it will command strong support in the Assembly. “It balances the message which
the Welsh people gave us that we should leave the European Union with the economic reality that makes
participation in the Single Market so important for the future prosperity of Wales, and indeed the UK as a whole. “The decision is made that the UK
will leave the European Union. The challenge we all face now is ensuring that we secure the best possible deal for Wales and the UK. Together, the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru intend to rise to that challenge.” Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood
said: "In engaging with this process, Plaid Cymru has prioritised the Welsh economy. We have done this because two thirds of all of our exports go to the European Single Market. "How we withdraw from the European Union is too important to be left to one party to decide.
The
cons equenc e s following on from the terms under which we leave, whatever they end up being, stand to be far-reaching and long-standing. "Plaid Cymru
Te paper sets out six key areas: The importance of continued
participation in the Single Market to support businesses, and secure jobs and the future prosperity of Wales. A balanced approach to immigration
linking migration to jobs and good properly- enforced employment practice which protects all workers whatever their country of origin; On finance and investment, the need for
the UK Government to make good on promises made during the referendum campaign that Wales would not lose funding as a result of the UK leaving the EU; A fundamentally different constitutional
relationship between the devolved governments and the UK Government – based on mutual respect, reaching agreement through consent; Maintaining the social and environmental
protections and values that we prize in Wales, in particular workers’ rights, once these are no longer guaranteed through the UK’s membership of the EU; Proper consideration of transitional
arrangements to ensure the UK does not fall off a cliff edge in its economic and wider relationship with the EU if longer-term arrangements have not been agreed at the point of exit.
has worked constructively with the Welsh Government to write the White Paper and in doing so we have strengthened the Welsh negotiation position. "I now would urge the UK
Government to take these proposals seriously.” UKIP Wales leader Neil Hamilton
dismissed the proposals, saying: "It's not so much a White Paper as a white flag of surrender to the EU before negotiations have actually started. "If Theresa May were to take this
blueprint to Brussels then the EU would get everything they wanted. "It would mean that we weren't leaving the EU in any meaningful
Neil Hamilton: 'It's a white flag to Europe' Wales' message disorganised: Andrew RT Davies
sense at all." Welsh Conservative leader
Andrew RT Davies said he would have tried to reach a wider cross- party agreement but claimed the first minister had not invited him. "We have a disorganised message
coming from Wales," he said, adding Europe also needed to respond on the issue of immigration. "When the Single Market was
created and the tenets that underpin the Single Market, this mass movement of people around Europe wasn't a consideration," he said. "It is a consideration today."
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