Contribution
Diolch yn fawr, Madam Deputy Speaker, and dydd gŵyl Dewi hapus—a happy St David’s day—for Sunday. It is a delight to be in the Chamber, a year on, for another discussion about wonderful Wales. All of the Members who have spoken have shown a deep affection for this truly special place, and in that spirit I am absolutely delighted to contribute to this vital debate and pay a heartfelt tribute on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition.
I thank the Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones), for opening the debate so strongly and for the great work that she and her Committee are doing. She was absolutely right to say in her conclusion that the future of Wales and big choices will come up in May, and every single vote matters.
I have told this House on many occasions, and I am pleased to affirm it once again today, that my love and passion for Wales endure and are long-lasting. It has shaped my life in every way. It gave me life chances and a determination to succeed. Some of my happiest memories are from my nearly 10 years of living and working around Swansea. It was lovely to hear the hon. Member for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger) talking about future sporting aspirations and the impact of US football. My time in Swansea was long before Snoop Dogg, but I hear there was one heck of an atmosphere this week— I had family there, and they had a great time. On the sporting front, which was raised by the hon. Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris), the clouds on the horizon for rugby in Wales are not necessarily what we would have expected this time last year.
The hon. Member for Monmouthshire (Catherine Fookes) rightly raised the impact of Storm Claudia on her constituency, particularly those parts that were flooded. My heart goes out to those who are still living with the effects, and I was pleased recently to meet many of her constituents and those affected. They are living with this and are terribly worried about it, and I am sure they will have been pleased not to have been forgotten in this debate.
When the Leader of the Opposition asked me to look after Wales for her, I was ecstatic, because my opportunity to champion Wales continues. Much of my experience was pre-devolution, and I was reflecting during this debate on the opportunity I had at the Government Dispatch Box, working with my Welsh colleagues, of whom I hope to have many more in the future. When I was a Minister in the Wales Office, with my friend Alan Cairns, we abolished the tolls on the Prince of Wales bridge, and that is one of our legacies. There is this feeling that nothing happened for 14 years, but guess what happened on the bridge? We made life easier for everybody crossing the border, so there is some positivity.
Members have mentioned the challenges facing the NHS in Wales. Everybody knows somebody waiting in pain and in vain in Wales, including perhaps in the families of those of us in the Chamber. Yes, waiting lists are improving, but they are still outrageously high. Nearly one in four people remain stuck on a waiting list. We hear the cross-border stories, and we recognise the challenges when the NHS in England is involved. People are often told to hold back because the additional treatment cannot be followed up, and that is absolutely wrong.
There is the ongoing Betsi Cadwaladr scandal, and with the NHS still limping from one scandal to another, it is absolutely right that these scandals are tackled. Something needs to happen between Westminster and Cardiff Bay, because it is heartbreaking that hundreds of thousands of mothers, fathers, grandparents, children and loved ones living with ongoing pain feel that they are voiceless. It is unacceptable that, despite two fabled Labour Governments at either end of the M4, responsibility is still not being taken for those public services.
It is vital that, 27 years on, we look at what has happened with the powers devolved to Cardiff Bay. As we have heard, it is Welsh Labour, ably assisted by Plaid and the sole Liberal Democrat in the Senedd, that is responsible for the challenges we have seen in health, education, transport, schools, economic development—you name it—although we would not have recognised that from some of the speeches this afternoon.
I have mentioned the tremendous work of the last Conservative Government, and it was the record sums in investment that saved Welsh steel in Port Talbot and plotted its future. As the hon. Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith) rightly said, the electric arc furnace is going in, but that needs to happen on time, as promised to the community. We also saved 100,000 jobs with our furlough scheme and launched two freeports and investment zones. In fact, Members have pointed out many of those policies this afternoon. The problems holding back Wales have been caused not by the excellent people of Wales, including our excellent doctors, nurses and teachers—I have family members who are superb and passionate members of the teaching community— but, frankly, by the arrogance sometimes coming from Cardiff Bay.
The sanctity of our schools and the opportunities for young people have not escaped Labour’s clutches. I note that the shadow Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott), is now in her place, which is perfect timing. In mathematics, science and reading, schools in Wales continue to sit at the bottom of the PISA scores for the whole United Kingdom, as has been the case for a decade. It is absolutely wrong that we are not doing something about that.
Labour has now turned its attention to private schools. The ideological decision to hammer private schools with 20% VAT on fees is destroying jobs and livelihoods in Wales, and putting more pressure on state schools. I have been warned by anxious headteachers in the independent sector that nobody in the Wales Office or in Cardiff Bay is listening to their pleas. These schools may collapse soon, but they are key employers, often in rural areas, and they are vital for people’s pay packets and for communities.