A moment not to be wasted with PM
FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones today has a rare opportunity to look across the table at Theresa May and leave her in no doubt about the greatest opportunities and threats facing Wales.
Today’s meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee is a chance for both Mr Jones and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to raise issues of top concern to their nations.
For Mr Jones, the meeting with the Conservative leader comes a day after MPs made new calls for the UK government to come to a decision on the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.
Energy Secretary Greg Clark did not close the door on the project getting the go-ahead and said discussions were ongoing with the Welsh Government. Mr Jones could use today’s meeting as an opportunity to make a decisive push for the lagoon.
Mrs May has the political cover she needs to back the project. Former Tory energy minister Charles Hendry’s review was adamant that it could be backed as a “no regrets” policy.
More than a year has passed since that milestone of a report. This is a chance for the UK government to deliver on its rhetoric about its support for infrastructure and the environment and put its muscle behind a potential gamechanger for the energy sector.
Instability in the Middle East and Russian antagonism have left none of us in any doubt about the risks that come with dependence on imported energy. A network of lagoons around the Welsh coastline could play an important role in keeping the country’s lights on.
The First Ministers may well also use their time with the PM to press for the softest possible form of Brexit.
The pessimism expressed in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s growth forecasts for exports demonstrates why we need to preserve existing trade links while also exploring new opportunities.
Mrs May should be left in no doubt about the critical importance of Wales’ trading relationship with the European Union. We jeopardise this at our peril.
The conversation may also touch on the ongoing debate about changes to the EU Withdrawal Bill to address deep Scottish and Welsh concerns about a UK “power grab”.
There is much to talk about but the PM has the chance to protect and advance key Welsh interests which will be to the benefit of the whole UK. If she believes Britain has a great future, she should certainly help build one in Wales. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%