Plaid Cymru asks Westminster for three demands to 'guarantee' the future for rural Wales

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Simon Thomas
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Simon Thomas

Welsh political party Plaid Cymru has unveiled three demands which the party argues will 'guarantee' a better future for rural communities post-Brexit.

The party has said that the Westminster government must meet the three key criteria on funding, trade, and connectivity, to 'mitigate the impact of Brexit'.

The guarantees set out by the party include the demand that the Westminster government gives rural communities a fair deal after Brexit.

Plaid Cymru has also urged the government to protect trade and exports. It has been urged to secure tariff free access to European markets and prevent farmers from facing 'trader barrier burdens'.

Finally, the third guarantee is connecting communities, to ensure that rural areas have better provision when it comes to mobile phone signal, broadband and transport.

'Blocks devolved powers'

Speaking after the press conference in the Royal Welsh Show, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Simon Thomas said: “The current approach to Brexit by the Westminster Government blocks the exercise of devolved powers by the National Assembly and endangers the control people in Wales have over their lives.

“The Westminster Government’s European Union (Withdrawal) Bill rolls back powers from the people of Wales, the Welsh Government and our Parliament, which incorporates the sovereignty of Wales.

“We’ve had 20 years decision making on devolved matters like agriculture from Wales and the people of Wales resoundingly endorsed that in the 2011 referendum on the powers of the Assembly.

“We cannot now allow Tories who do not represent Wales making decisions on devolved issues.

'Underpinned'

The party said that environmental law will be most significantly affected by Brexit.

Mr Thomas continued: “A large amount of Welsh law is underpinned by over 200 EU regulations that relate to environmental protections and the regulation of agriculture and fisheries.

“Decisions about Wales should be made in Wales. This is particularly true of laws relating to agriculture and our environment, where Wales has different needs that are not understood by a distant Westminster Government.

“Wales needs an EU Continuity Bill to enshrine all existing EU regulations into Welsh law and stop power grab from the Westminster Government.”