Shadow Secretary for Europe, Mark Isherwood AM, has supported a Motion regarding proposals for a new law to defend Wales from UK post-Brexit plans on the basis that it “notes only a proposal for a Welsh Continuation Bill”.
The motion noted that the Bill’s purpose “would be to affirm the continuation in Welsh law of all areas previously a matter of EU law that fall within the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales”.
Speaking in a Member's Legislative Proposal Debate on a Welsh Continuation Bill in the Assembly Chamber yesterday, Mr Isherwood said:
“Although the UK Government's European Union (Withdrawal) Bill doesn't actually take back existing competencies from the Assembly, there is no end date for the restriction on devolved competency created by the retained EU law model it would introduce. We, Welsh Conservatives here, instead believe that any common framework in any area must be agreed and not imposed by the UK Government, and further we will support this motion on the basis that it notes only a proposal for a Welsh Continuation Bill.
“However, we do welcome last week's statement by the Secretary of State for Scotland, confirming that amendments to clause 11 of the Bill will be brought forward in the House of Lords. As the Scottish Conservatives' constitutional spokesperson said last weekend, 'clause 11 of the Bill needs to be amended to restore the spirit of the Scotland Act' and obviously, by association, legislation applying here. He said: 'There is a fundamental principle on which Scottish devolution rests and has rested since its creation 20 years ago which is that everything is devolved unless it is expressly reserved.' He said, 'that is the principle that clause 11 needs to be amended to comply with and that is our position too.... It is relatively easily done. This does not have to be difficult.' May I say that that is also the Welsh Conservatives' position here.”