Brexit must be challenged in the Senedd Election

Joe McDonald

It’s been six years since we’ve had Brexit. 2026 is undoubtedly going to be a significant year for politics in Britain, and most notably for the devolved powers, when the Welsh Parliament, now called the ‘Senedd’ since 2020, will be holding elections.

The centre-Left Labour Party have dominated the Senedd since the original creation of the Welsh Assembly in 1999, but if the polls turn out to be an accurate depiction of how people feel on election day, then this year is going to be an unprecedented moment for who holds power in the next devolved government.

Regardless of the upcoming result, I believe that every competing political party and their candidates should be questioned on how they would address the impact of Brexit on local communities in Wales, and the nation’s economy at large.

Many sectors, from farming, hospitality and the NHS, to transport, education and the creative industries, have all been affected by red tape and higher costs for those wishing to trade, travel, work or study in Europe.

As a result of these barriers and a deprecation of the Pound, numerous analyses have confirmed that Brexit has led to an increase in food prices for the average household, meaning that near enough everyone is worse off from Brexit.

What’s more, it’s been estimated that the UK has fewer job vacancies, due to many businesses finding it increasingly difficult to operate and trade in post-Brexit Britain.

Since we’ve left the European Union, Wales and the UK have also been falling behind in health and environmental protections, with divergences in air, climate, water, pesticide and chemical regulations.

People have caught on to the reality of Brexit, and recent surveys have indicated that most people in the UK now believe that Brexit has been a mistake, and that it was wrong for Britain to have left the European Union.

As such, the truth couldn’t be clearer for Senedd election candidates, and especially those who campaigned for or against Brexit nearly 10 years ago.

Build bridges

We should be working to build bridges with the European Union to reduce the harm it has caused for communities and local industries across Wales.

Westminster’s ‘Shared Prosperity’ and ‘Levelling Up’ replacements for Wales amounted to much less than what was granted by the European Union’s Structural Funds, and whichever political party sits in power at the Senedd will have to navigate this friction with the UK government’s funding replacement.

Undoing Brexit is more than just about improving the economy and protecting our health.

As the United States goes rogue, and as we face threats by autocratic powers in other parts of the world, all political candidates in Wales should be emphasising the importance of promoting peace, and peace is more achievable if Wales and the UK unite with Europe.

Joe McDonald is a Campaigns Coordinator with Wales for Europe.