The Prime Minister is to hold the first Joint
Ministerial Committee meeting to take place outside of London
today, in a special meeting in Wales.
As a sign of the Government’s commitment to
engage with the devolved administrations and to seek a
Brexit that works for the whole of the UK, the Prime Minister,
together with the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, the
Secretary of State for International Trade, the Secretaries of
State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Minister
for the Cabinet Office will be meeting with Ministers from the
devolved administrations today.
This will be the second JMC under the Prime
Minister’s leadership and follows three JMC-ENs that have taken
place over the last few months.
Discussions are expected to focus on our exit
from the EU, how we can work together to support UK businesses to
trade and invest in the lead up to leaving the EU and
intergovernmental relations.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Prime
Minister said:
“I am delighted to be holding today’s JMC in
Cardiff, particularly in the week the Wales Bill is expected to
gain Royal Assent – heralding a new devolution settlement for
Wales.
“At the JMC in October, I set out how we would
fully engage with the devolved administrations in the process of
planning the UK’s departure from the EU. I am pleased that the
committee on EU Negotiations has met three times since then,
giving ministers from the Scottish Government, Welsh Government
and Northern Ireland Executive a direct line to the Secretary of
State for Exiting the EU.
“I know ministers and officials from all sides
are also in regular contact bilaterally. We have received papers
from both the Scottish and Welsh governments and I am grateful to
the devolved administrations for their contributions to this
important process.
“We will not agree on everything, but that
doesn’t mean we will shy away from the necessary conversations
and I hope we will have further constructive discussions
today.
“We have also had the Supreme Court judgement
which made clear beyond doubt that relations with the EU are a
matter for the UK Government and UK Parliament. We should not
forget that that means MPs representing every community in the UK
will be fully involved in the passage of Article 50 through
parliament.
“The United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, and
the UK Government has a responsibility to deliver on that mandate
and secure the right deal for the whole of the UK. We all have a
part to play in providing certainty and leadership so that
together we can make a success of the opportunities
ahead.”
The Prime Minister met all the heads of the
devolved administrations within her first month of taking up
office, and has made it a priority of the UK government to fully
engage with them on the UK’s exit from the EU. Since the
referendum the UK Government has continued discussions with
the devolved administrations both at ministerial and official
level, including a direct line to the Secretary of State for
Exiting the EU through the JMC-EN. There have been three
JMC-EN meetings to date. There will be further meetings including
the JMC-EN as the UK Government continues discussions with the
devolved administrations on this important issue.
