Jones to meet pm may as brexit deal turmoil continues
FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones is to meet Prime Minister Theresa May “in the next few days” he revealed yesterday, in the wake of the latest Brexit turmoil hitting the UK Government.
His comments came as Amber Rudd made a dramatic return to Theresa May’s Cabinet as the Prime Minister sought to bolster her position following the backlash to her Brexit deal.
Leave-supporting Stephen Barclay has been promoted to Brexit Secretary from a ministerial role in the Department for Health.
In a further reduction to the Brexit Secretary’s duties, it was revealed that Theresa May will in future take sole control of negotiations on EU withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Mr Jones told Assembly colleagues: “Bluntly, I don’t know who I’ll be meeting at this rate. I’ve never seen such an unpredictable time in politics.”
“We all make our political points on this but ultimately the certainty isn’t there for business. Businesses are saying to me, ‘What’s going to happen’ and we’re still none the wiser.
“The main argument I have with the withdrawal agreement is that it doesn’t give certainty. It kicks it down the road for a while and doesn’t give the long term certainty that’s needed. It may be this process is part of that, we’ve had two years of that, we should be in a position now where there’s a full agreement that was sustainable and long term on the UK’s agreement with the EU.
“What we have doesn’t meet the requirements we laid down some time ago.”
He added: “Who knows what the Government will look like next week. I suspect it will be a Conservative Government next week, who knows in the future.”
When asked by Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Sayed whether he would be taking up the offer of Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns to become an MP to get inside the Brexit negotiations, Mr Jones replied: “No is the simple answer to that.
“I’m not tempted by that, I think if I was to say that today I would find next week most of my possessions would be out on the street.
“The reality is, of course, that I don’t think the Wales Office has much influence anyway, bluntly.
“We have access to the Prime Minster and to David Lidington who is down today...I don’t see how being a backbench MP puts you in a better position than being First Minister.”
Mr Jones said he did not want to put forward a motion of no confidence: “I am worried about the precedent against a member of another Government.”
David Lidington, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was meeting Welsh Government Finance Secretary and Labour leadership contender Mark Drakeford. The two have met regularly in the run-up to the publication of the draft deal. Mr Lidington was also due to meet with business representatives.
But the charm offensive is unlikely to quell Welsh Government frustration about the lack of what Carwyn Jones describes as “meaningful engagement” in the Brexit process.
The First Minister said: “If this ends up with a lead-