Jo Stevens

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones) and the hon. Member for Ceredigion Preseli (Ben Lake) for proposing today’s debate, the Backbench Business Committee for granting it, and everyone who has taken part in it. In preparation for closing the debate today, I reflected on last year’s Welsh affairs debate. Still then less than a year into the new Labour Government, I updated the House on some of my priorities for Wales, but also those across the Government. I spoke of our plans to end Tory austerity, with investment in Welsh public services and infrastructure; to seize the golden opportunity of Wales’s new green industrial revolution in floating offshore wind and new nuclear; to rectify historic under-investment in Welsh rail; to deliver an industrial strategy with key Welsh sectors at its core; and to do whatever it takes to protect Welsh steelworkers and build a strong future for Welsh steel. It is fair to say it has been a very busy year. The UK Government and the Welsh Labour Government have worked together to deliver huge change on every one of those priorities and more. Take, for example, this Government’s announcements in the past week alone. On Tuesday, we launched a new £11 million fund to help businesses affected by the steel transition at Port Talbot, to create new jobs and attract investment. Some £122 million has now been allocated by the transition board. I promised that the Government would do whatever it took to protect Welsh steelworkers and we will always keep that promise. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister, the Transport Secretary and I were at Transport for Wales’s headquarters, with the First Minister and the Welsh Transport Minister, Ken Skates, to announce a generational commitment by the UK Government to deliver our long-term plan for Welsh rail as quickly as possible, building on the nearly £445 million announced last year. After years of under-investment by previous Conservative Governments, this is a plan to deliver the rail network Wales deserves, with up to £14 billion of projects in every corner of our country: seven new stations, including the first new station in north Wales for many decades; extra capacity; and more and faster trains, transforming the experience of passengers. That commitment will unlock 12,000 jobs in rail and our industrial parks, better connecting people with the tens of thousands of well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales. On Thursday I was at Cardiff castle with the Defence Secretary to sign the new £50 million defence growth deal for Wales, with the Welsh Government. That will back our growing Welsh defence sector, drive innovation and create even more high-skilled jobs, using our increased defence spending as an engine for economic growth.