Put focus on Wales, Drakeford tells PM
THERESA May was yesterday urged to switch her attention from Tory in-fighting to Welsh concerns before her final push to agree the basis for a lasting deal with the EU.
Wales’ Finance Minister Mark Drakeford is adamant the Welsh Government must have influence on negotiations and this cannot be left to ministers who only have “responsibility for England”.
After meeting ministers from across Britain, he said: “I do understand that the Prime Minister has enormous troubles behind her on her own benches and is spending all her time worrying about the future Conservative party.
“We have to claw a bit of time from her to think about the future of her country – a country that has four different governments as part of it, each with their own responsibilities.”
Meanwhile, Mrs May signalled that any extension to the Brexit transition period should end before the next scheduled UK election in June 2022.
THERESA May needs to stop thinking about the future of the Conservative Party and take Wales’ concerns on board when she negotiates the next stage of Britain’s exit deal from the EU, Welsh Government Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford insists.
The Prime Minister is expected to meet EU counterparts on Sunday as negotiating teams thrash out a statement on Britain’s future relationship with the union.
Welsh Labour leadership candidate Mr Drakeford, who has represented the devolved administration in Brexit talks with the UK Government, warned his Westminster counterparts they only have “responsibility for England” in key subject areas.
Speaking moments after leaving the first meeting of representatives of the different governments of the UK since the publication of the draft Withdrawal Agreement yesterday, Mr Drakeford said: “[In] those negotiations, responsibilities that are devolved to Wales will be on the table for discussion and English ministers in those circumstances are just that – they are not UK ministers, they are ministers only with the responsibility for England and therefore our voice and our priorities have to be directly reflected in those discussions.”
He added that the “negotiations will be about responsibilities that have been devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for nearly two decades”.
His comments come as speculation swirls in Westminster as to whether Conservative MPs will trigger a vote of no confidence in Mrs May.
Cardiff West AM Mr Drakeford said: “I do understand that the Prime Minister has enormous troubles behind her on her own benches and is spending all her time worrying about the future Conservative Party. We have to claw a bit of time from her to think about the future of her country – a country that has four different governments as part of it, each with their own responsi-
bilities.
“Our involvement in the future declaration is not a matter of politeness on the part of the UK Government, it’s a matter of constitutional necessity and that’s what we tried to get over today.”
Mr Drakeford warned that Labour will “not rescue” the Prime Minister by voting for her deal unless she agrees a text that meets the tests the party has set out.
He said: “If she doesn’t do it, the Labour Party will vote against her deal. She cannot look to us to rescue her from the problems of her own making.
“And if she comes back with a deal the House of Commons will not support, a general election is the right answer. If we are frustrated in that by Conservatives, then the people must decide.”
Mr Drakeford described the Cabinet Office meeting as “straighttalking”, adding: “I did have to say to UK ministers today how deeply disappointed we are by the language we’ve heard the Prime Minister use this morning in relation to migration. It is damaging to those people who we are lucky enough to have attracted to live and make their future in Wales, and it will be damaging to Welsh businesses, public services and universities in the future.”
He warned of the “corrosive nature of uncertainty” in the run-up to Brexit and expressed frustration with the meetings between representatives of the devolved administrations and the UK Government, saying: “[It] is not satisfactory that we turn up at these meetings simply to be told our views have been heard. What we need to know is that our views are making a difference.”
He did not rule out the possibility that Mrs May may yet get her deal through Parliament.
He said: “Politics is incredibly febrile at the moment... I don’t think anybody should simply assume that she cannot get this deal through the House of Commons. It looks very unlikely on what we know today, but what we might know in three weeks’ time, that could be different.”
Describing the tone of the meeting, he said: “We don’t do raised voices but I think it is important that you leave UK ministers with no doubt about the position that you take.”
Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said: “It was another constructive meeting... [The] Prime Minister is rightly determined to ensure that every part of the UK has an input into these negotiations.
“So the reality is there is no majority in Parliament or across the country for any one extreme, and this [proposed deal] seeks to honour the outcome of the referendum, taking control of immigration policy once again, stopping [sending] large sums of money to the European Union, but also looking to the new opportunity of striking trade deals right around the world so we can attract better-quality jobs, more investment to Wales and to the UK to deliver for future generations.”