Wales Secretary Alun Cairns speaks at Tory Conference: "A United Union will secure the best Brexit Deal"
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Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, speaking today at
Conservative Party Conference in Manchester said:
“It’s a pleasure to be here at Conservative Party
Conference. And I’m delighted to see so many of our Welsh
membership here in Manchester. I want to thank my Minister,
Guto Bebb and my PPS Glyn Davies. And of course Andrew RT
Davies and his Assembly team, as well as the Party
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Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, speaking today at Conservative Party Conference in Manchester said:
“It’s a pleasure to be here at Conservative Party Conference.
And I’m delighted to see so many of our Welsh membership here in Manchester.
I want to thank my Minister, Guto Bebb and my PPS Glyn Davies.
And of course Andrew RT Davies and his Assembly team, as well as the Party Director Richard Minshull and you the members for all your hard work.
I would also like to pay tribute to the Secretary of State for Scotland who I work with very closely, supporting a Celtic alliance across Government.
WALES There is no doubt it has been a year of political ups and downs in Wales.
We had excellent council results, gaining a majority in Monmouthshire and becoming the largest party in Vale of Glamorgan, Denbighshire and Conwy.
And we have excellent progress on key issues such as our commitment to City and Growth Deals and the ever popular scrapping the Severn tolls.
But we also had a difficult general election, losing some excellent colleagues including Craig Williams, Dr James Davies and Byron Davies, who I have the pleasure in welcoming to his new role as Chairman of the Welsh Conservative Party.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you, the membership, who have worked so hard this year. You are the backbone of our Party and I’m particularly proud of the Welsh membership who never fail to turn out, often in the wind and rain – not that we get much of that in Wales! And sometimes against the odds, knocking on doors and championing Welsh Conservative candidates from Pembrokeshire to Wrexham and Monmouthshire to Anglesey.
Your commitment to our nation epitomises the spirit of Wales, and the spirit of our Union.
At first glance we might seem to be a small country but in reality, if we flattened our mountains we would be much bigger than England!
We are a fiercely proud, energetic and passionate nation.
Culturally, politically, and economically, we are proud of our record.
And as I said back in March at our Spring Forum in Cardiff that as we leave the European Union the Union of the UK is more important than ever before.
And as the Brexit negotiations continue, this statement becomes more and more relevant. We must do everything to protect the precious bond between Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
We are a Union of four nations developed over a long history, communicated through a common culture and a shared identity.
Acting together as a combined force ready to take the new opportunities that exiting the EU provides.
And we all have something to offer that benefits the whole of the UK.
Scotland brings us the best Whisky in the world;
England brought us Shakespeare;
Northern Ireland gave us Seamus Heaney;
And Wales…well, where do I start … We have the oldest language, more castles per square mile than any other country, definitely the richest culture of all 4 nations! We have the best beaches in the world, the best Capital City in the world, the best singers in the world, the best lamb in the world, the best rugby team in the world…and for that matter, the best football team in the world.
Not bad for a population that is only slightly bigger than that of Greater Manchester!
But seriously, my point is we all bring something to the table.
Scotland’s oil and gas supply chain accounts for a huge proportion of the UK economy.
England remains a powerhouse of industry from world leading automotive manufacturing in Sunderland to a growing digital cluster in Bristol – and of course London remaining the world’s premier financial centre.
Northern Ireland is fast becoming one of the go-to places for creative industries with 250 media production companies delivering on a global stage.
And Wales plays its full part too.
We have secured major investments from companies such as Aston Martin in South Wales, and delivered multi-billion pound defence projects in North Wales.
We are also improving our rail infrastructure with the most modern trains coming to Wales later this month, as well as securing a new daily air route to Qatar – connecting Wales to the world like never before.
It’s clear that Wales is an open, outward looking economy determined to make the most of post Brexit opportunities.
And as a result of these initiatives and others, Wales is the fastest growing part of the UK outside London since 2010. We have 31,000 more businesses. Unemployment has almost halved. And Welsh exports continue to increase.
I want a young person in Merthyr, Bangor or Newtown to feel the benefits of our stronger economy, a fairer society and to take the opportunities a global Britain provides.
And as the Chancellor will highlight, we will continue to take a balanced approach to the economy so whilst we will maintain our economic momentum, we will also deal with the deficit and debt to support families by keeping taxes low as well as investing in our public services.
SEVERN TOLLS There are also direct interventions government can take that have an immediate impact on the economy, as well as initiatives that provide solutions to longer term structural challenges.
No other policy will have such an immediate impact on growing the economy in South Wales and the South West of England than our decision to abolish the tolls on the Severn Crossings.
After 50 years of having to pay to enter Wales, I’m grateful to my Cabinet colleagues, particularly Chris Grayling who understood the significance of this policy.
The announcement has been one of my proudest moments as Secretary of State.
25 Million vehicles cross the bridges every year, with a cost of up to £20 a time.
Anyone living and working in South Wales, knows how important this.
Just think – no tolls, no booths, no charges, no long queues to get into Wales.
This decision will immediately boost the economy of South Wales by £100 million a year.
Equally important is that it brings the opportunity to bind the South West and South Wales – to develop the Great Western Cities of Bristol, Newport and Cardiff.
And last time I checked, we are still waiting for the Labour Party to welcome this landmark announcement.
On a similar theme, the North Wales Growth Deal focusses on cross border opportunities too – linking the proposed new power station on Anglesey to nuclear expertise in Manchester University; supporting Advanced Manufacturing on Deeside to benefit Toyota and Nissan investments in Sunderland and Derbyshire.
In South Wales, the Cardiff City Deal is the biggest in the UK – combining the might of 10 local authorities, delivering the world’s most advanced compound semi-conductor cluster, supporting industries of tomorrow.
And the Swansea Bay City Deal will help make steel production sustainable, through a new Steel Science Centre in Port Talbot; will develop a creative digital cluster in Carmarthen, and create a wave energy testbed in Pembrokeshire.
The UK Government is helping devolve real power into the hands of the Welsh people through innovative City and Growth Deals which benefit Wales and the whole of the UK as we leave the EU.
This is particularly relevant as only two weeks ago we celebrated the 20th anniversary of devolution in Wales.
Labour may have followed the process of devolution but we should never forget that it’s the Conservatives who devolve power in the interest of our Union:
We are Unionists and devolutionists.
But I think we can and must do better – I want politicians in Cardiff Bay to be as ambitious as the Welsh public.
And that’s why I want to go further and truly empower local communities throughout Wales, from Carmarthen to Conwy.
And so as we develop the North Wales Growth Deal, let’s challenge the Labour Welsh Government to trust communities and to empower local authorities.
Give them the capacity to compete with the new Mayors in Manchester and Merseyside – this is a new dynamic Wales must respond to.
And as we are standing just 45 miles from the North Wales border we mustn’t forget that the Welsh economy is fundamentally integrated with the rest of the Union.
Almost half of the Welsh population live within 25 miles of the border.
People commute daily from Chester to Deeside and Hereford to Monmouth. They drop the kids off at school in Welshpool and do the weekly shop in Shrewsbury.
And as we look for investment and growth opportunities, Wales, England, Scotland or Northern Ireland should not be considered in isolation.
We must bring together the assets of all parts of the UK to win that deal or secure that trade agreement.
As a Union we share in each other’s successes.
This reinforces the point that as we leave the European Union the Union of the UK is more important than ever before.
WELSH LABOUR Exiting the EU is a time when the nation needs to come together to secure the best deal for every part of the UK.
Yet Labour in Wales are pursuing an agenda which aims to derail Brexit – when Wales voted leave.
At a time when our economic interests need to be our priority, when we should be reaching out to new markets, securing new trading opportunities and increasing our exports, the First Minister is obsessed with process, bureaucracy and power.
We will not give in to pressure to make decisions that are in the interest of politicians and not the people they serve.
His most recent demands are around a Constitutional Convention, Joint Ministerial Committees, a new Wales Bill, his role in Brexit negotiations and calls for Federal Frameworks and structures at every stage. But it’s not about him.
He seems to spend most of his time working with the nationalists in Scotland – seeking to divide the UK, rather than working in the interests of every constituent part.
David Mundell and Ruth Davidson have seen off the immediate threat from the Nationalists but the Federalists remain at large.
We know that Labour always leave the country worse off than when they found it, and sadly, nowhere is this more true than in Wales.
The First Minister should be concerned about his longer waiting lists, or his widening education gap, and his record breaking Council Tax rises.
Labour claim to be a unionist party, they claim to care about our precious bond of nations and yet they do all they can to undermine it at every turn.
That’s why it’s so important that we, as the Conservative and Unionist Party, do not ‘devolve and forget’ – the whole country, every constituent part, all nations, all Cities and every region, must come together to show their support for David Davis and the Prime Minister as they face the European Union, to help them deliver the best Brexit deal for the whole of the United Kingdom.
CONCLUSION The United Kingdom is the most successful political union of nations to have ever existed.
Our Union isn’t just practical and economically sensible; it’s at the heart of what makes us part of this great country.
One United Kingdom where we all gain so much more.
We have a shared history, shared cultures and we all essentially want the same thing:
The Prime Minister is the strongest champion of the Union.
A true friend to Wales and a true servant to the Union.
So whether you’re Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or Mancunian – by working towards this shared goal I firmly believe we can build a country that works for everyone and achieve great things for our future generations.
Thank you conference.” |