3. 3. Statement: Supreme Court Ruling on Article 50

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:13 pm on 24 January 2017.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 3:13, 24 January 2017

Well, I think, as ever, the Member raises very, very important points. He’s clearly given these matters a lot of thought and I think the comments that he makes are incredibly valuable and ones that I think there is a lot of agreement with because the whole point about Sewel is all very well getting to this stage, but it has to then be implemented practically, not just in terms of legislation but, as he says, in terms of the actual Joint Ministerial Committee and whatever other structural processes there are in terms of ensuring that there is genuine engagement. That is why I think the comments by the Supreme Court about the importance of Sewel and its role within our constitutional structure are so important and why it is so important, therefore, that the issue of an objective of achieving consensus and agreement between the devolved administrations and with the UK Government is such a fundamental part of that and what it requires, as it does within an environment where we do not have a written constitution as such, is a lot of goodwill, a lot of trust and a lot of common political objectives. That is obviously what we must seek to achieve and I’m sure that is exactly—well, I know that that is exactly—what Welsh Government’s position is and it is seeking to achieve.