Questions now from the party leaders. The leader of the Conservatives first, Andrew R.T. Davies.  

Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, yesterday you hosted the new UK Prime Minister. He talked of the Tata plant—[Interruption.] I thought I'd get you a cheer, at least, once in this Chamber, First Minister. [Laughter.] You can thank me later. The new UK Prime Minister came to the Senedd yesterday. Obviously, on everyone's mind is the Tata Steel situation in Port Talbot, which is of pressing time constraints now that Tata have shut the one blast furnace, blast furnace 5, and, obviously, there's the timeline to blast furnace 4 in September. Can you enlighten the Chamber today as to whether the new UK Government has presented a new plan to Tata Steel to secure the longevity of blast furnace 4 so it can stay open as long as possible? And, if that plan has been submitted, what timeline have Tata Steel indicated they are working to to assess it and, ultimately, give you an answer on it?

Thank you for noting that the Prime Minister, just a few days into office, has come physically to Wales. That is a really positive statement. I didn't have the opportunity to meet the previous Prime Minister in Wales. I did see him briefly in Normandy. When people have been asked, of course, what they wanted at that election, I'm delighted the people of Wales chose to implement a blanket ban on Welsh Tory MPs, and we then have an opportunity to deliver on the manifesto on which 27 out of 32 Welsh MPs were elected. And Tata is a significant part of that. We are dealing, though, with a legacy of the previous deal offered by the Conservative Government, that Kemi Badenoch celebrated as being good news—that's essentially the plan that Tata are working too—with eye-watering job losses within it, and we are very much at the very end of the line on this.

And I do have to reflect yet again that, several years ago, when I was first appointed as the economy Minister at the time, Kwasi Kwarteng, as the business Secretary, attended a steel council in Cardiff, and there was a deal to be done that would have delivered significant co-investment and a different and a better future for steel at the time. It was the occupants of 10 and 11 Downing Street at the time who wouldn't sign up to that, and it's no surprise that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have left us in no better a position now. We are, though, engaged in good-faith negotiations with the company. That is engagement from the Welsh Government, me and the economy Secretary, engaging directly with Jonathan Reynolds, as the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and conversations with the UK and the Mumbai leadership. Those negotiations are on the back of a manifesto that can now be delivered. The £0.5 billion that has not been spent, the £2.5 billion that is available to transform steel across the UK and those negotiations have a limited window over a period of weeks to succeed. We can't undertake those negotiations in public, and I don't think steelworkers or steel communities would expect that. What they do expect is that both Governments, here in Wales and across the UK, will fight for a better deal for steel and for steelworkers, and that is exactly what we are doing.

My question was relatively straightforward: has a plan been presented to the Tata board? Because we were told that you had an oven-ready plan to deliver once you assumed the office of UK Government Ministers and Secretaries of State being able to negotiate a new deal with Tata. That was what we were told. And I note, in your long answer, that you didn't indicate that any deal has been presented to Tata Steel. But what we do know is that, ultimately, the clock is very much ticking on this. So, are the discussions—[Interruption.] Are the discussions focused—[Interruption.] Are the discussions focused more on new investment for future projects, or are the discussions focused on extending the life of blast furnace 4? We understand that you can't go into the commercial sensitivities, but at least give some hope as to the direction of travel in the absence of the answers you have given that indicate that no plan has come forward yet.

I'm afraid that the second question just feeds into a real level of cynicism that people feel around politics. The phrase that the Member used, 'oven ready', was used by the Conservatives in 2019 about the Brexit deal, and we saw what happened there. I have never said that, Jeremy Miles has never said that, the Prime Minister has never said that, Jonny Reynolds never said that. What we have said is what we have consistently said: there is a different level of investment available from the now, current, UK Labour Government. There is a different level of ambition for the future of steel that is available with this UK Labour Government, with a significant mandate and an economic plan that will require more steel in our future, not less. Trying to claim that we had used a phrase that has never been used is—you could almost say that it's act of deliberate deception.

I think, when we get to the serious businesses of negotiations with the company, which is what I set out in my first answer, that is exactly what is taking place. We won't be bounced into the sort of language and the lack of fidelity to the facts that the Member seeks to urge on us. And, on this issue, the Conservatives need to recognise that they are completely without credibility. To now say that the clock is ticking and we're nearly at the end, when actually there have been years when a deal could and should have been done—a better deal was available to be done several years ago. That is the reality of this. You really do remind me of an arsonist with his matches angrily shouting at the fire brigade. We are now in the position of trying to rescue the damage and the dereliction from your 14 years across the UK. I will not take a single breath of lecturing from you or any other Conservative on our ambition and our commitment to the future of steel.

First Minister, you have accused me of being an arsonist; you have accused me of deliberately misleading. You are a First Minister who is standing there with a vote of no confidence around his neck. You are a First Minister who took £200,000 from a man with two criminal convictions. You are a man who, ultimately, has stood there week in, week out and been not able to answer the questions that we have put to you week in, week out about those donations. And I can see your health Minister chopsing away there from the frontbench—

Hold on. I wasn't intervening, but 'chopsing away' is probably not respectful enough to discuss—. She was making comments, as absolutely every single one of you are in this Chamber at the moment. I'm sure you're bringing your question to a conclusion. Carry on, Andrew R.T. Davies.

I asked you for two points. One: is there a plan on the table, and has that been put to the Tata board? You clearly have not indicated that a plan has been put to the Tata board. And two: will the investment that is identified, the £2.5 billion that you talk of the Government making available, be for future projects or to sustain the continuation of blast furnace 4? So, I put those two points to you once again: where is the plan and, above all, is it linked to future investment or is it linked to the continuation of blast furnace 4 that will safeguard the jobs in Port Talbot during the transition to arc furnace, which we have supported and continue to support?

Well, for all of the shouting and the finger pointing, I think the leader of the opposition hasn't been listening to what I've been saying. Listening is important in Government and in politics, and, if you look at what I have been saying, the negotiations are continuing with the UK leadership and with the Mumbai leadership. We're not going to undertake those negotiations in public about what a better deal for steel looks like. In the limited window we have left after the Conservatives have quit the pitch, although, frankly, they were hardly active players over the last few years on these issues, we will understand whether we've been able to secure a better deal with a significant additional co-investment available, with a significant additional ambition for the future of steel, and I just do not believe that any of the Member's words or angry protestations will carry any impact in steel communities. They know who has been on their side and who still is on their side, and they know where he rests in that equation.

The leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Thank you very much. I want to start by congratulating all of the MPs who were elected in Wales last week, and I wish them well in representing communities in Wales. Wales stated its opinion very clearly on 14 years of Conservative Government, but there was a very clear message for Labour as well not to take Wales for granted. Plaid Cymru stood on a positive platform for fairness and ambition, and it was lovely to be with Ann Davies and Llinos Medi in Westminster yesterday, as they joined Liz and Ben there.

I have written to the new Prime Minister congratulating him, and I know the four Plaid Cymru MPs will hold him and his new Government firmly but constructively to account. We've already heard a lot from the Prime Minister about his wish to reset the relationship between the Governments and nations of the UK, but those words, as welcome as they are, must mean something, and I'm afraid I'm still worried about some of what I'm hearing: new Labour Minister, Stephen Kinnock, on the BBC over the weekend saying that the Crown Estate should not be devolved to Wales. 'I don't think we need to be overly worried about process, now, moving the pieces around the jigsaw puzzle', he said—the kind of dismissive approach that echoed what the new Secretary of State for Wales said about the devolution of justice being a matter of 'fiddling around with structures'.

Now, the First Minister knows very well that these issues, as well as fair funding and HS2 funding and so on, are much more than process and structures; they're core matters of fairness. So, did the First Minister forget to make an early pitch to the Prime Minister for a little respect to be shown to Wales, or is the new Government already choosing not to listen? 

Well, I congratulate every new Member of Parliament who has been elected to represent Wales in Westminster. I'm sure they will all do their best for the communities that have chosen to elect them. I won't name all 27 of our Welsh Labour MPs or the 11 new names that are representing constituencies in Wales, but I believe they will be fantastic champions for every part of the country that they represent, and I wish them all well. Because part of our challenge, honestly, is how we remake the case for politics as a positive endeavour to serve the country. There are people across this Chamber who are decent people who simply disagree; far too much of political discourse in the last few years has been to demonise and deny that to people we don't agree with. And I hope that we can do better than that, and that comes from the top, both here and indeed across the UK Government.

When it comes to the position of the new UK Labour Government, I had a very warm and positive meeting with the Prime Minister. I don't buy into the campaign of grievance and disappointment within the first week that the leader of Plaid Cymru is so keen to force upon us. That isn't the view of the people of Wales, either, in the way that they voted. I am keen that we deliver on the manifesto we put before the people of Wales—that will take devolution forward, and it will see real progress across our economy and support for public services on a whole range of areas where a mission for the UK can only be delivered if Wales plays its full part. So, I look forward to not just fairness in funding, but, actually, a much better future for all of us here in Wales, and I believe the election of a UK Labour Government really will deliver the change that Wales and Britain need. I look forward to working with the Prime Minister and a new team of Labour Ministers across the UK to do just that.

Many people listening to that will regret that a Welsh First Minister is not demanding that fairness for Wales and those decisions on funding around HS2. And to have a First Minister saying that he's happy to have a manifesto implemented that did not promise to pursue the interests of Wales in terms of the devolution of crime and justice, that's a worrying sign at the start of this new UK Government.

Now, saving thousands of jobs at Port Talbot has to, certainly, be one of the most important strategic priorities for Keir Starmer. Eight weeks ago, the First Minister himself flew to India and urged the management of Tata Steel to wait for a UK Labour Government before taking a final decision on Port Talbot. Now, we all knew that what the Tories were offering was woefully inadequate, and there is now an opportunity to pursue a different path. But, as my colleague, Luke Fletcher, has pointed out on numerous occasions, despite the welcome commitment of £3 billion for the steel sector as a whole, we have little understanding, I think, still, of what that means, including, crucially, how much of that £3 billion can be dedicated to Port Talbot, how to save the jobs and how it can be used to try to continue primary steel making in Wales. So, can the First Minister update us now, after that meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday, so that the workers of Port Talbot are given the reassurances that they need? Will he give us more detail on the what, the how and the when of Labour's plans to safeguard the future of Welsh steel? 

I think there are three broad points to mention. The first is that the Welsh Labour manifesto does pursue Welsh interests, and it's a manifesto upon which 27 of our nation's 32 UK MPs have been returned. It's a manifesto that will see a greater say for Wales on the future of Wales. It's a manifesto that, I believe, can lead to much greater investment in our infrastructure, including across transport. If you just think about north Wales, where the claim that there was a £1 billion investment was simply not true—it was made by a party at the end of its time in Government—we are looking for a plan to deliver real investment in our transport infrastructure. The appointment of Lord Hendy as the rail Minister is a good example of someone we can work with who does understand the need for further investment here in Wales. I'm confident that our team of Ministers here, and the 27 Welsh Labour champions who have gone to Westminster, will make the case and deliver real investment in our rail infrastructure and much more. 

It's also worth pointing out that the national wealth fund is another example of where I expect Wales to benefit, and to benefit disproportionately. If you consider again the ports investment that took place under the last Government, with £160 million for the whole of the UK, Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven were excluded from that. We are now going to see a quadrupling of that in the national wealth fund, together with the ability to lever in more private investment. All of those things matter in dealing with our climate and nature emergencies, but, more than that, the race for clean power can only be achieved if we deliver a significant chunk of that here from Wales and the jobs that should come from Wales as well. That's why I look for immediate action around the Crown Estate—it's to make sure that we can have a much better offer when it comes to the supply chain. The real value being delivered is that supply chain, with a longer term list of jobs in communities that will see power generated. I want to see opportunities so that people can, then, plan a genuinely ambitious future here in Wales. That is what we are working towards, that is this Government standing up for the interests of Wales, and having a willing and positive partner to do so, and that is what I believe people voted for last week.

The First Minister didn't answer my question on the £3 billion and what share of that will come to steel in Wales; perhaps he can come back to that point. But I'll finish with health. The new health Secretary in England had barely set foot in the department of health before he pronounced that the NHS is broken. I assume he was talking about the NHS in England, although with Labour in Wales having deliberately muddied the waters on that particular devolved issue during the election, I can't be quite sure.

But, if the NHS is broken in England, surely it's broken in Wales too, with its record waiting lists. Now, despite the hard work and dedication of the staff, our NHS is on its knees here in Wales, largely because of the decisions of Labour health Ministers over 25 years, and coupled, yes, with Tory cuts. So, Wes Streeting declared:

'From today, the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken.'

I don't disagree with him, by the way, and that's why Plaid Cymru called on the Welsh Government to declare a health emergency back in February. But can the First Minister confirm whether admitting that the NHS is broken is now also the official policy of the health department of his Labour Welsh Government, or will he continue to take the attitude that, as far as the NHS under Labour in Wales is concerned, there's nothing to see here?

Well, again, the leader of Plaid Cymru is seeking to put words into my mouth that I've never used, and to try to reach a judgment that is certainly not the judgment of this Government. I do agree, though, that our staff are under tremendous pressure, and, without the extraordinary commitment and expertise of our staff in primary care and in hospital-based care, we would not be able to deliver our service. It's a fact that most people have a good outcome and have timely care in their own experience. Our challenge is far too many people do wait too long, and far too many people don't have the experience that we would want them to. We know there's been a huge backlog created after the pandemic with the extraordinary measures that we had to take. Recovery in our healthcare seems to be taking even longer than we thought it would do. We're still not yet at the same level of efficiency on a range of procedures in the service—that has an impact. We've diverted £1 billion into addressing the backlog, with long-term waits coming down, but we know there's more to do. That has meant we haven't been able to invest in, if you like, the front door, the primary and the community care part of our system, which we know will deliver, longer term, better outcomes, and reduce need within our system. We also have huge public health challenges that are society wide. The health service deals with the sharper end of that, but there's actually a whole range of measures that we need to take successfully to try to get on top of those.

I have never and will never be complacent about the challenges and the extraordinary pressure that our healthcare system is under. To get on top of that, to see the improvement that we know that we need to, that we want to, will not just take slogans in this place, it will take real hard work. It will take reform and resources. It will take modernisation. We've been modernising our service in a range of areas. And, actually, Wes Streeting is looking at delivering a range of the improvements in delivery of healthcare that we have delivered here in Wales. We have a much better offer on pharmacy in Wales than in England. He's looking to do more of that. We've changed the way that dentistry contracts—with more new patient episodes. I'm very proud of the work we've done in optometry. Interestingly, when I was seeing people in Ireland, they were very interested in what we had done in moving more services with greater access to front-line optometry. So, we have a number of things we should be proud of, as well as recognising the significant number of challenges we do have.

And on Tata, I refer him to the answer I've given to the leader of the opposition: we are in a negotiation—a negotiation with a limited window. You'll have heard the leader of Community—the largest steel union at Port Talbot, the largest steel union in the UK—indicating in his view a window of four to six weeks, to understand if a better deal can be done, if we can persuade Tata to change course, to invest in the future and give us a different period of transition. That is only possible because there are now two Governments on the pitch, fighting for steel and steelworkers, because there is a different level of co-investment, and a different level of ambition for the future of steel. And I believe that steelworkers and their communities understand that, and know that we are doing everything we could and should do for them, and, indeed, what it means for our economic future as well.