Plaid Cymru Leader makes case for closer links with Ireland

Plaid Cymru Leader makes case for closer links with Ireland and single market membership as a matter of urgency in Cork keynote speech

Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS will today deliver a keynote speech at University College Cork in which he will make the case for closer links between Wales and Ireland, and for Wales to rejoin the single market as a matter of urgency.

In his lecture titled “Wales’ Constitutional Future: The European Dimension” Mr ap Iorwerth will argue that Brexit has been “deeply damaging for Wales, creating new challenges for negotiating the kind of relationship I and my party believe we can and should look to have with Ireland.”

However Mr ap Iorwerth maintains that that these are challenges which can be overcome and that “renewing and deepening Wales’ relationship with Ireland as a key part of reforging our relationships with our friends and neighbours throughout Europe, and of repositioning ourselves in the wider world. And all of this is part and parcel of my vision for a wider, urgent project of constitutional change and economic renewal.”

Developing closer links with Ireland is of strategic importance to Wales, the leader of Plaid Cymru said, adding that “Those closer links can be broad-ranging, but should certainly include economic cooperation, for example around developments either side of the Irish sea in renewables and hydrogen.”

Pressing the case for a closer alignment with the Europe Union he will say that “There is one immediate step which must be taken not only to safeguard Welsh jobs and trade, but also as a statement of intent about our nation’s constitutional future.

The UK Government should commence urgent discussions with Brussels to negotiate rejoining the single market and customs union.”

In his keynote address Rhun ap Iorwerth will say;

“Brexit has been deeply damaging for Wales. And it’s created new challenges for negotiating the kind of relationship I and my party believe we can and should look to have with Ireland.

But these are challenges that I am determined for us to overcome, and I believe that we can, because I see renewing and deepening Wales’ relationship with Ireland as a key part of reforging our relationships with our friends and neighbours throughout Europe, and of repositioning ourselves in the wider world. And all of this is part and parcel of my vision for a wider, urgent project of constitutional change and economic renewal.

It gives me no pleasure for Plaid Cymru to have been proven right when we warned that what “taking back control” meant in reality was the UK establishment “taking back control” from Brussels and clinging onto it in Westminster.

If Boris Johnson’s bungled effort at “getting Brexit done” wasn’t bad enough, the disaster that was Trussonomics only compounded the United Kingdom’s economic volatility and the social erosion which ensued.

Plaid Cymru’s own constitution couldn’t be clearer.

It states that – and I quote – “As the National Party of Wales, the Party’s aims shall be to secure independence for Wales in Europe.”

Brexit has failed to hamper this ultimate goal for our movement – far from it.

We haven’t forgotten the social and economic benefits of being part of the world’s largest and most lucrative trading area and economic community. And as we cling to those memories, the full extent of the damage that cutting ties with our closest trading partners has reaped becomes ever clearer.

The Welsh Government says that Brexit has resulted in a £1.1 billion shortfall in its budget due to the lack of equivalent structural funding.

The UK has suffered a loss of business investment since the referendum worth £29 billion, or £1,000 a household.

And it’s estimated that Brexit food trade barriers have cost UK households nearly £7 billion pounds – that’s around £250 per home.

But let’s set these figures aside for a moment.

I’m an optimist by nature, and I would much rather focus on identifying solutions than ruing the problems.

And let me say here – this is not, as our critics often say, about us trying to deny the referendum result. It’s just that a result which we absolutely and painfully did witness, has created a new reality which needs a new response. Protecting our interests.

There is one immediate step which must be taken not only to safeguard Welsh jobs and trade, but also as a statement of intent about our nation’s constitutional future.

The UK Government should commence urgent discussions with Brussels to negotiate rejoining the single market and customs union.

This would be a matter of common sense not just for Wales but for the entire United Kingdom. Between 1999 and 2007, the EU accounted for between 50-55% of UK exports. By 2022, this figure had fallen to 42%.

It is little wonder therefore that a YouGov poll conducted in November of last year showed that 57% of Britons wanted to rejoin the single market.

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement is already due for review in 2025 in line with the original deal in 2020 so my question is simple – why wait?

Every week, every month which goes by sees the UK economy diminish due to the result of a referendum that went in favour of a Leave campaign driven by misinformation and the cynical self-advancement of a select few.

This call to rejoin is not a partisan point – far from it. There are rational, well-reasoned arguments in favour of the single market across the political spectrum.

Whilst some are happy to go with the wind and even make the case for something their UK masters can’t be persuaded to agree to, I’m proud of my party’s unwavering commitment to closer alignment with Europe and subject to the consent of the people of Wales post-independence, membership of the European Union.”