‘I for one am a proud Welshman, Unionist and royalist’ – Cairns
AN UNAPOLOGETIC Alun Cairns told his party’s conference he was looking forward to crossing the Prince of Wales Bridge once it is formally renamed later this year.
The Secretary of State for Wales has been the subject of much criticism after deciding to alter the name of the Second Severn Crossing without a public consultation.
But Mr Cairns re-emphasised his royalist credentials by referring to the renaming and by joking about today’s royal wedding.
He said: “Although this [the conference] is clearly the most important event happening this weekend, I appreciate that many of you will be looking forward to a certain wedding taking place tomorrow.
“I initially thought that the street parties being arranged were to celebrate the arrival of a host of Conservative politicians coming to west Wales.
“But this special event does give us an opportunity to recognise the important connections Wales has with the Royal Family.”
He said Welsh gold had a long history in the Royal Family’s jewellery boxes, while Felinfoel Brewery in Llanelli was one of the Prince of Wales’ favourites. Pembrokeshire corgis had also been residents of Buckingham Palace for decades.
Mr Cairns said: “I for one am a proud Welshman, a proud Unionist and a proud royalist. And I look forward to crossing the Prince of Wales Bridge, toll-free, later this year.”
Abolishing the Severn tolls would, he said, have an immediate impact on the economy in south Wales and south-west England.
Mr Cairns said he was particularly excited by what he described as the new cross-border economic region that was emerging as a consequence of growing links between the two sides of the Severn.
He went on to list examples of such links:
■ A financial services worth £2.5bn a year; sector
■ A creative industry cluster employing 15,000 people, including the BBC drama village in Cardiff Bay and its natural history unit in Bristol;
■ The world’s largest compound semiconductor cluster in Newport working with quantum technology at Bristol University;
■ Nine universities with nearly 170,000 students, three of which are members of the Russell Group;
■ The new Qatar Airlines link to Doha which, said Mr Cairns, put Cardiff at the heart of this new economic region on the western side of the UK.
He said: “The end of the tolls will be a catalyst to develop new partnerships on either side of the border, learning from and achieving the same dynamism as the north Wales/North West axis.
“I want us to compete and collaborate in equal measure.”
He concluded: “The [Brexit] referendum was not a reason to turn inward and retreat from the world.
“The socialist and nationalist parochial and protectionist agenda lacks confidence in our people and stifles the innovation and entrepreneurialism they show. Now, more than ever, we must be confident and outward-looking.”