Might save the day reach deal on Brexit
our view, the key is to ensure that, apart from students and those who are able to sustain themselves independently, freedom of movement of people is linked to employment.
“For students and researchers, we believe continued free mobility across Europe is in the best interests of Wales and the UK as a whole.
“Linking freedom of movement to employment should be complemented by rigorous enforcement of existing legislation to prevent exploitation of workers, particularly those in low-wage occupations.”
Sceptics have suggested that Wales is so far off the agenda as far as the UK Government is concerned that whatever document on Brexit emanates from here will have – to put it kindly – negligible impact on the negotiations. But incorporating, as the White Paper does, a commitment to both free movement of labour and some degree of migration control, as, it seems, envisaged, by the EU when devising the original principle, it is surely worthy of consideration. That depends, of course, on the willingness to be flexible both of the Brexiteers who will be conducting negotiations on behalf of the UK Government, and of the EU negotiators who won’t want to create any unseemly or exploitable precedents. Carwyn Jones certainly believes there is scope for such flexibility, based on feedback he has had from both sides of the future negotiating table.
Supplementing the contents of the White Paper to which she signed up, Ms Wood has today announced five key demands she says on behalf of Plaid Cymru should be included in Theresa May’s letter triggering Article 50, including continued participation within the Single Market and the Customs Union; guaranteed citizenship rights for EU nationals in Wales and Welsh nationals in the EU; continued participation in European funding programmes including a commitment from the UK Government to guarantee current levels of agriculture support payments beyond 2020; a commitment to transfer a package of new responsibilities to the National Assembly for Wales, with no claw back of powers; and a requirement for all devolved administrations to endorse the final terms of the exit deal.
If the UK Government doesn’t go for the nuclear option and walk out of the talks when EU negotiators demand a commitment to pay billions of pounds, it’s likely that the negotiations will be long and tortuous.
There’s no guarantee that any deal will be reached, much less that even if agreement is secured between the negotiating teams, all 27 member states of the remaining EU will ratify them.
But at this stage it’s good to think that a Welsh-born compromise might save the day.