MPs’ as just one backs bill amendment – Plaid
national interest since Article 50 was triggered.
“The Tories are now able to say that the governing party in Wales opposed a meaningful say for Wales on the EU deal. Wales has been left voiceless by the inaction of your party tonight.”
Mr Lewis said in the letter that he was seeking an explanation from Mr Jones as to why his party had changed position on the matter.
He said: “As First Minister and leader of ‘Welsh’ Labour you’ve repeatedly argued for a meaningful vote in the National Assembly on the final agreement. The Labour Party’s actions in Westminster are entirely inconsistent with that commitment.
“I am in no doubt that the competence of our National Assembly and its ability to act in although she said she viewed it as a “badge of honour”.
The row broke out after Tory rebels warned the PM she will face a revolt over moves to enshrine the date of Brexit in law.
On Tuesday, former attorney general and prominent rebel Dominic Grieve told MPs that no amount of “arm-twisting” would make him vote for the amendment, which sets the UK’s departure from the EU at 11pm on March 29, 2019.
That amendment will not be voted on until next month at the earliest, and the government has so far survived the early skirmishes in the battle to get the so-called Repeal Bill through the Commons.
Meanwhile, a report today warns Britain faces a repeat of the 2015 cross-Channel transport chaos if the government botches plans for post-Brexit customs arrangements.
A Commons committee claimed failure could see lorry drivers and holidaymakers facing enormous queues and long delays the day after the UK’s departure from the EU.
MPs cited the summer disruption seen two years ago following a strike by French the interests of Wales have been greatly undermined by the actions of Labour MPs tonight. Labour has failed the people of Wales and has provided a mandate for the Tories in London to ride roughshod over the democratically expressed wishes of the people of this country in two referenda.”
Mr Lewis added that he would be proposing a Continuity Bill workers and a dramatic surge in attempts by migrants to reach Britain from Calais.
As the crisis unfolded a response known as Operation Stack was activated in Kent to manage traffic heading towards Eurotunnel or ferry services.
The Home Affairs Committee flagged up the episode as it published a critique of the government’s planning for post-Brexit customs operations.
Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the committee, said: “As things stand, the government is running the risk of celebrating their first day of Brexit with the sight of queues of lorries stretching for miles in Kent and gridlock on the roads of Northern Ireland, which would be damaging to the UK economy and unacceptable to the country.
“Contingency planning is essential. If the government gets this all wrong, we could be facing Operation Stack on steroids.”
Any new arrangements put in place at UK ports will need to be replicated at the Channel ports in France and Belgium, the committee’s assessment said.
It said the events of 2015 “clearly demonstrated aimed at enshrining in Welsh law “the standards, rights and duties our citizens enjoy today”.
A Welsh Labour spokeswoman responded: “This amendment was not one of those which were proposed by the Welsh and Scottish Governments and which have broad cross-party support: our efforts are focused on securing support for those amendments.” how quickly delays and backlogs can build up when the flow of traffic is interrupted at ports, and the dire knock-on effects this can have in the UK, particularly in Kent on the approach roads to Dover”.
The report noted that illegal immigration is another “potentially increased risk” arising from delays at French and Belgian ports.
Britain’s future relationship with the EU on customs is one of the issues under the spotlight in Brexit negotiations.
Goods worth hundreds of billions of pounds are traded between the UK and the EU every year.
The committee argued that the outcome that would cause the least upheaval for ports and traders would be keeping the status quo for customs arrangements.
If this is not possible, then businesses and haulage operators urgently need details of what changes will be introduced, according to the report. It also described Home Office plans to boost Border Force staff by 300, or 4%, as “completely unconvincing”.