THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017


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‘Extreme Brexit will isolate Wales’: Jonathan Edwards


Union. Responding to the Prime


Minister’s speech, Plaid Cymru’s Brexit spokesperson, Jonathan Edwards, said: “The Prime Minister has put the British State on track for an ‘extreme Brexit’, isolating Wales and the other UK countries from the rest of the world. “The Prime Minister has put


appeasing her deluded right-wing politicians before protecting the economy and surely the Labour Party must now join Plaid Cymru in voting against triggering Article 50. “The people voted to leave the


EU, not the Single Market or the Customs Union. Nobody voted to make themselves redundant or give themselves a pay cut. For Wales – a country whose economy is heavily dependent on its exports – isolating ourselves from the Single Market will be disastrous. “The Prime Minister says she


wants to give businesses ‘maximum access’ to trade with the EU for good reason, but anything short of remaining within the Single Market will fall short of maximum access. Wales is an exporting nation but our substantial trade surplus will now be put at serious risk as a consequence of the Prime Minister’s decision to put politics before economic sense. “200,000 Welsh jobs are


sustained by our trade with Europe. The greater the impediments put in place to trade between Wales and the European bloc, the greater the impact on jobs and wages. The Prime Minister’s decision to pursue the most extreme Brexit option means it is inevitable that Welsh companies will find themselves operating in less favourable trading conditions with our most important trading partners and the world's wealthiest trade bloc. “The serious and disproportionate


impact this will have on Wales’ economy and devolved functions means that Wales’ Parliament must also be asked to endorse the terms of the agreement before it goes ahead, not just Westminster.


Andrew RT Davies: ‘Onus now on EU’


“When the Prime Minister


says she wants global free trade agreements, she means she wants to be able to sell-off our public services to vested interests. “Living through a Tory


dismantling of Welsh communities was a motivation for me to enter politics and I am not prepared to sit back and let it happen again.”


FUW WELCOMES WELSH INPUT


The Farmers’ Union of Wales


has welcomed the recognition of the role devolved administrations should play in planning for our departure from the European Union. As Prime Minister Theresa


May outlined her 12 point Brexit plan, providing more clarity, she said: “I have also been determined from the start that the devolved administrations should be fully engaged in this process [...] Part of that will mean working very carefully to ensure that – as powers are repatriated from Brussels back to Britain – the right powers are returned to Westminster, and the right powers are passed to the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.” Responding to the announcement,


FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “Mrs May’s words offer us more clarity. That’s something we have been asking for since the referendum result. Now we know what we are dealing with and what our starting position is. “Devolution should be respected


within an overarching UK support framework in the context of making our withdrawal from the European Union and as such we welcome Theresa May’s commitment to work with the devolved administrations and her recognition that Wales is different to the rest of the UK. “With this in mind and


irrespective of what trade deals are in place post-Brexit, within the UK, Welsh farmers will compete


No looking back: Theresa May goes for ‘clean break’ with EU


against their counterparts in other devolved regions. We therefore need a common framework across the UK which minimises unfair competition and market distortion.” Mr Roberts added that a UK


agricultural framework should therefore be put in place which prevents unfair competition between devolved regions and secures and protects adequate long term funding for agriculture, while also respecting devolved powers over agriculture. However, he stressed that


there needs to be flexibility within that framework to allow devolved governments to make decisions which are appropriate for their regions and that specific ring-fenced funding for agriculture should be allocated to Wales outside the Barnett Formula, and should be administered


by the Welsh Government. “The FUW will continue in its


close working relationship with the UK and Welsh Government to find solutions to the problems agriculture is facing and work together to exploit the opportunities that present themselves to us,” added Mr Roberts.


NO REASSURANCE FOR RURAL WALES


Leader of the Welsh Liberal


Democrats Mark Williams MP told The Herald: “The Prime Minister’s speech today will do nothing to reassure many of us in rural areas that the government understands the needs of our communities. “The announcement that as the


realities of Brexit start to bite, we will be pursuing a hard Brexit, one


that pulls us out of the European Single Market, will have a hugely negative impact on Ceredigion. “Our farmers and farming unions


have said again and again that membership of the Single Market, to be able to sell their produce across Europe, is one of the most important factors for their continued success, and to lose this could see many of our small family farms struggle to survive. “There is little doubt that the


multiplier effect for our communities of this could be significant. “The Liberal Democrats will


continue to stand up against a disastrous Brexit, and for our membership of the Single Market, to ensure a strong future for our farming sector, our rural communities, and the country as a whole.”


13 News


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