First Minister calls for ‘home rule’ for Wales within the UK
MARK Drakeford will today call for “home rule” for Wales within the United Kingdom. In a keynote speech to Welsh Labour’s online event Spring Forward, the First Minister will argue that the Senedd should have more powers devolved to it.
He will say: “We need a more powerful devolution settlement. One in which we secure home rule for Wales – in a successful United Kingdom.
“Internationalist, not nationalist. Outward facing, not inward looking.
“Yes for Wales, of course – that’s what I have been throughout my whole life – but Yes to a Wales that takes ownership of its own destiny alongside working people in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland who share our progressive values.
“Yes to a Wales which has the confidence of knowing that we are at our best when we break down barriers, not build them up; where we create our future alongside others, not despite or against them.”
In the speech, his first as Welsh Labour leader since last autumn, Mr Drakeford will frame the coming Senedd election as a contest unlike any other.
He will talk of a Wales which is optimistic, outward looking and unapologetically patriotic. And he will formally adopt Welsh Labour’s new strapline – Moving Wales Forward.
Speaking of the future Welsh Labour wants for Wales, Mr Drakeford will map out how to best harness what it is that makes the country great: our tenacity, our environment, our natural beauty, our institutions and sense of social solidarity – and how these characteristics will shape Wales for generations to come.
He will say: “Our history has taught us, from the coal field to the rugby field, that when we work together we are always stronger than any one of us can be standing alone.
“Now, as we look ahead, it is that same shared experience that gives us grounds for optimism.
“Not only that there is a future beyond this pandemic, but that tomorrow can be fairer and stronger than today.”
With Wales now a world leader in recycling, the First Minister will commit to supercharging the creation of a cleaner, greener nation, with investment in new green jobs, action to ban single use plastics, low carbon, affordable homes, and creating a new National Forest for people to further enjoy Wales’ natural beauty.
He will say: “An ambition that puts meaningful action behind our urgent need to tackle the climate crisis – to put it at the heart of everything we do.
“Because we’ve proved that we can do it – the best recycling rates in the UK, one of the best in the whole of the world.
“Ambition that has the humility to know how much more we have still to do in banning the use of single use plastics in Wales; in making a reality of a new National Forest; in getting more people out of their cars and onto good quality public transport; in tackling agricultural pollution; in building new homes to the very highest environmental standards.
“The next Welsh Labour Government will match the scale of that need with ambition to ensure we leave a living legacy for those generations who come after us.
“And to be ambitious in a way that uses the natural strengths of Wales to create the jobs and prosperity of the future.”
The First Minister will point out that last year, more than half the electricity used in Wales was generated from our own renewable sources.
He will say: “We are so lucky, in our country, to have all the natural resources we need to put Wales at the forefront of the global energy revolution which the world will need: wind, water and wave.
“The next Welsh Labour Government will make those assets work to create the jobs of the future.
“And in doing so make our contribution to securing the future of our beautiful but fragile planet.”