Mark Drakeford AM, First Minister
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
A meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee in Plenary format (JMC(P)) was held in 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 19 December. I represented the Welsh Government, along with the Counsel General Designate and Brexit Minister. The communique, which was issued after the meeting is available at:
The first agenda item was a discussion about the UK’s exit from the EU, during which the Prime Minister called for the Welsh and Scottish governments to back her deal.
I emphasised the rejection of the current deal by the National Assembly and urged her to change the government’s approach to the negotiations, in line with the resolution passed by the National Assembly on 4 December. I reiterated the vital importance of avoiding no deal, while also calling for the greater intergovernmental collaboration, which is essential to plan for that scenario.
The second agenda item was a discussion about the state of relations in the UK, including an update about the review of intergovernmental relations, commissioned by JMC(P) in March 2018. I underlined the need for this review to proceed at pace, given the significant load the intergovernmental machinery will need to bear after the UK leaves the EU.
I will be making an oral statement to update Members about the latest developments for EU Transition on 8 January.