‘Strong opposition vital ifWales is not to founder with Brexit’
Today, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron will visit Cardiff to meet candidates and activists. Here, he argues that Theresa May’s Brexit would be ‘disastrous for Wales’...
THERESA May’s announcement of a snap election took many of us by surprise, though it shouldn’t have.
Her time really is now. The local elections showed us just how vulnerable the Labour Party and its leader are and how ruthless the Conservatives have been in exploiting the fact.
This election is not a question of who will be the occupant of number 10 Downing Street on the morning of June 9, but who will be sitting on the green benches in the House of Commons, ready to hold Theresa May to account.
For over a year and a half we have had a weak, ineffective opposition in Parliament.
That is why we are heading for the hardest of Brexits, because the Labour Party has failed to fight for Britain’s place in the single market, and failed to secure the rights of EU citizens to remain in the UK.
This kind of Brexit, with no deals or trade agreements in place, would be disastrous for Wales, the nation that receives most EU funding in the UK.
Much of this money supports agriculture and rural development exporting world-class produce which keeps our rural communities alive and thriving.
Since 2000, Wales has received £4bn of structural funding from the EU via the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund, ensuring vital investment in Wales’ roads and transport.
This funding is expected to continue until 2020, but Brexit has thrown into considerable doubt what the future looks like for Wales after this point.
Consistently Wales has fallen below the averages of the other home nations when it comes to the strength of the economy. Theresa May needs to be providing assurances that Wales will not suffer as part of our withdrawal from the EU. The problem is that she hasn’t had to, because she is so assured of victory. This is not just bad for democracy, it is bad for Britain.
Our vision for the future sees a Britain that is open, tolerant, and united and a Wales that is a strong component of that.
We represent people who don’t want to see an inward-looking country closing itself off from its neighbours. We want to give younger generations a chance to change Britain’s future by introducing votes at 16 and we want to help encourage those between 16 and 21 to access work, education, and public services.
We would get shovel-ready for the construction of the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon and build on the great work on education already implemented by Kirsty Williams in government such as the doubling of the early years people premium and providing extra support for small and rural schools.
Last week we committed to protecting the pensions triple lock and investing £6bn in the NHS and social care via a dedicated 1p tax. This will mean more than £300m additional funding for Wales, and our leader in Wales, Mark Williams, has made it absolutely clear that this extra money should go directly to NHS Wales, investing in mental health services and making it easier to see your GP, and providing the dignified care our loved ones need.
A vote for my party, the Liberal Democrats, is a vote to halt this huge swerve to the right being made by the Conservatives with Theresa May at the wheel.
She has opted to do the worst thing for the economy, leaving the single market, before the negotiations have even begun, attacking those in Brussels, with no indication why she has taken such an extremely defensive stance. Her party has seemingly swallowed the Ukip vote, including their policies, and entrenched themselves as a party Nigel Farage would feel right at home in.
Across the UK we have seen a 7% rise in our vote share in the areas that voted on May 4 and some extremely encouraging shifts in areas we hope to make gains next month.
If you feel dismayed by the direction the Prime Minister is taking the country, if you want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to stay where they have made their homes, and if you want to strengthen the economy, then we are working towards those same goals.
It is no longer a question of whether you voted Leave or Remain, it is about what happens next and what kind of Brexit is best for Britain and all of us who want a Britain that we are proud of.