21 06 17 Brexit and the National Assembly for Wales

I don’t think that what’s contained within the Queen’s Speech makes it sufficiently clear exactly where those powers will lie, and that they should come directly back to us here. The fact that she mentions and assumes that there will be a pan-Britain agriculture policy takes this Chamber for granted, and it’s not acceptable. I would like to ask the more enlightened Members of the Conservative party in the Chamber today to have a quiet word to explain to Theresa May how devolution works.

It’s interesting to see that the customs Bill and a Bill that would allow Britain to form its own trade deals is to be introduced. Now, we will only need these Bills if we leave the customs union, but I don’t think that Theresa May should assume that there will be a majority in Parliament in favour of exiting the customs union, and that’s why I am a little concerned. I have promised Steffan Lewis that I won’t be too malicious on this, and I don’t want to make an issue of this, but the third point in Plaid Cymru’s motion today—. Whilst I agree entirely that the Assembly should have a role in future trade deals with the EU, because, of course, it will have an impact upon us, I am not currently comfortable with the wording of the motion, which accepts the fact that we will leave the customs union, talking about deals with other countries in the way that it is currently worded. So, I hope that Plaid Cymru will accept the point I make for the reasons that I’ve explained. I don’t want to make a big thing of this, but that’s why I am slightly concerned that we are accepting that we are to exit the customs union. I don’t think we should do that. Thank you.