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Plaid Leader says return to single market ‘simple solution’ to cost of living crisis

14 Jun 2022 3 minute read
Adam Price speaking in the Senedd. Picture by Senedd TV.

Returning Wales and the rest of the UK to the single market would be a “simple solution” to help thousands of families already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, Leader of Plaid Cymru Adam Price has said.

Speaking during today’s session of FMQs, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price called on First Minister Mark Drakeford to commit his government to the policy of single market membership – as previously adopted in the joint Plaid Cymru and Welsh Government white paper, Securing Wales’ Future.

He also called on the First Minister to make the case to both Boris Johnson and leader of the opposition Keir Starmer – pointing out that the latter’s position was “vague”.

Mr Price said the Tories were risking a “trade war” over the Northern Ireland protocol and stated that re-joining the single market would be a “very simple practical solution” to the economic challenges facing families throughout the United Kingdom.

GDP

GDP has fallen in the UK for the second month running with an initial drop of 0.1 per cent in March, and an unexpected slump of 0.3 per cent in April.

The Centre for European Reform last week said that Britain was £31 billion worse off than it would have been without the dual impact of Brexit and Covid, but that the bigger impact was the effect from Brexit.

Mr Drakeford declined to commit but agreed that he continued to believe that if “Wales and the United Kingdom were inside the single market, all those barriers to trade that we see doing such harm to the Welsh manufacturing industry and to Welsh agriculture will be removed”.

Soaring energy and food costs

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said: “Households and families across Wales and the UK are continuing to struggle with soaring energy and food costs. Barriers to trade and skills shortages are only set to make the cost-of-living crisis worse.

“If that wasn’t bad enough, the Tories in Westminster is now risking a trade war over the Northern Ireland protocol, which will not just plunge Northern Ireland into political uncertainty but also add further to the economic pain families are already experiencing throughout the United Kingdom.

“The cost-of-living crisis and the challenges we’re facing in every sector of the economy and in every part of the UK bar London arguably has a very simple practical solution which is returning to the principle at the heart of ‘Securing Wales’s Future’, the White Paper Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government jointly published, which is re-joining now the single market and the customs union.

Former minister

Earlier this month a Tory former minister sparked uproar within his party for suggesting the UK should rejoin the single market to ease the cost-of-living crisis.

Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, who campaigned to Remain in the EU in 2016, argued there is an “appetite” to make “course corrections” to the current model, claiming recent polling suggests “this is not the Brexit most people imagined”.

The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee said “more radical thinking is required if we are to energise our economy through these stormy waters”.

He said Brexit in its current form had sparked a number of challenges, including shrinking exports to Europe and issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, and that these and other problems would “disappear” if the UK chose to rejoin the single market.


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Rob
Rob
1 year ago

But what kind of Brexit did Wales vote for? How many times in the run up to the referendum were we asked ‘Why can’t we be like Norway’ (ie out of the EU but in the single market and customs union)? Yet after the referendum the rhetoric changed to ‘support a Hard Brexit or your against democracy, a traitor or remoaner’ etc. If you want Brexit to work than it needs to be a successful one, as Bill Clinton once said ‘its the economy stupid’.

Ianto Ffrainc
Ianto Ffrainc
1 year ago

It’s almost like since the run up to the stupid referendum we were all warning the Brexiteers about this. Now look at the mess UK is in. Worst performing economy in Europe, but within which Cymru is growing faster

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago
Reply to  Ianto Ffrainc

Brexiteers are like religious extremists and Trump supporters. No matter how much you try cannot talk sense to them. To them the earth is flat and Boris Johnson is doing a great job and misunderstood.

The Original Mark
The Original Mark
1 year ago

Recent figures show that the north of Ireland’s economy is outperforming the rest of the UK, due to the fact it’s still in the single market.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Yes, and the DUP want not only risk the Northern Ireland peace process with their actions but are also actively encouraging the fascist Tory Government idiocracy in London to break international law. Their reasoning? Because they don’t want to be treated “differently” to the rest of Britain. Because currently there’s no hard border between Northern Ireland & Republic.and they enjoy unlike Wales & Scotland has the best of both worlds. Talking about being treated differently. Oh is that the same corrupt DUP who with FM Arlene Foster accepted a £1.4 billion bung from Theresa May’s Government to keep the Tories… Read more »

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

What the hell are you on about?. Basic economics, lol. Hilarious from one who supported Brexit to utter such BrutNat bilge What you fail to understand is that with Brexit Wales lost access to a 500m marketplace where we sold the majority of our agricultural goods. And now farmers face insermountable red-tape and unnecessary tariffs on their goods because those lying Conservative clowns took Wales out of the Customs Union. This was never on the cards remember or that the Tories would steal our EU powers and interfere in areas devolved. And the so-called working classes you fail to mention… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Y Cymro
ianto frainc
ianto frainc
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

do u read the news? inflation in eurozone over 8%.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago
Reply to  ianto frainc

Yes, but I also know my history too. The world as a whole has been affected by inflation not only Europe.. Resource rich Wales on the other hand who is allegedly part of the 5th largest economy in the world suffers from historical poverty still, which is akin to someone starving whilst being trapped in a larder full of food.

Last edited 1 year ago by Y Cymro
ianto frainc
ianto frainc
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

u seem to have completely missed the point about European inflation and therefore how Adam price argument is compeltely wrong. basic economics

Ianto Ffrainc
Ianto Ffrainc
1 year ago
Reply to  ianto frainc

I would never use text shorthand. “U” is for schoolchildren. I also use punctuation. Troll better

Ianto Ffrainc
Ianto Ffrainc
1 year ago
Reply to  ianto frainc

it’s just him again copying more identities

Phil
Phil
1 year ago

Here we go again… Wasn’t he listening when the results were announced? Wales voted overwhelmingly to leave!
“I’ll lead the Party of Wales against their own wishes!”
Why can’t people accept it?

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