How do we stop channel crossings?

What we’ve got to do is tackle the smuggling gangs whose business model enriches themselves and endangers lives. I believe legal migration is sensible yet what I am against is the criminal gangs who are profiteering by human misery which cannot be tolerated. Its not racist to call that out. Cooperation with France and other countries is essential as they should not be facilitating illegal crossings as they are the first point of entry. If people want to come in legally, they go through the process and what we as a country must have is a screening system which gets through applications in a timely manner and to root out bogus claims. If they don’t meet the criteria on our specification it is not our responsibility to play host. Ultimately, you only solve the migration problem on an international basis and by international agreements.

Can you summarise your opposition to the 20mph speed limit being implemented?

The first is that they haven’t taken people with them as is shown by this petition, with even their own backbenchers highlighting this. The second is that the data from Spain and Belfast indicates there hasn’t been a reduction in road traffic accidents and in the Spanish context a lot of the evidence was taken during the Covid crisis where we saw a large amount of cars off the road anyway. Thirdly, it’s the harm to the economy overall which the government’s figures indicate. We could have a hit of over 9 billion pounds. I do believe 20 mph is a sensible compromise outside sensitive sites such as by hospitals, care homes, schools etc but it is the blanket nature the government has imposed which is the problem. When it comes to justifying the 20mph policy they cite air pollution, yet people are now driving around in second gear revving their cars which sees more pollutants going out into the atmosphere. The public are told that this money is being reinvested into public transport yet they are not seeing any uplift in public transport. We all want easier modes of transport but I believe the independence of having a motor car is one of the great liberators of the 20th century. At the moment, we have a war on motorists by the Welsh Labour government which is doing no good for the economy and communities.

What do you feel the coming GE may hold for the Tories?

I think people are seeing that Rishi is not shying away from taking the tough decisions which is important as people want to see leadership from their Prime Minister and that people are seeing the economy is starting to settle down after Covid and we are seeing growth, compared to countries like Germany who currently find themselves in recession. We didn’t see the spike in unemployment after Covid that many predicted which was averted due to the calls made by the Prime Minister. People will put a greater reliance on economic data that comes out as we come closer to the election as they will want to know if they will be economically secure. It will be up to us as a party to put forward a manifesto that puts confidence in people that we have a vision for where we want to be in five years’ time after the election and to highlight Labour’s extreme policies here in Wales, particularly as Starmer is on record for saying he’d like to do across the United Kingdom what Labour have done in Wales. When you look at 20 mph or £1,600 being given to migrants coming in, one has to fear for the United Kingdom if Starmer was to hold the reigns of power.

Given your time at the NFU, how do you feel the current industrial disputes may be resolved and ended?

At the end of the day, it is around the table and all disputes must be solved through negotiation, although you have to be in the same ball park. If you look at the junior doctors calling for a 35 percent pay rise, I think even the most ardent supporters would pause and reflect whether that was a reasonable position. No organisation could pay that and ultimately given the government have paid out according to the Independent Remuneration Board, you have to question whether these disputes are just for political purposes or are they genuinely on the members behalf. I would say there’s a lot of politics at play here and when you look at the waiting times going up and up, it is a real area of concern. We have to discuss these issues face to face and around the table but you must have reasonable positions on both sides that can result in a settlement in the middle. By having a 35 percent pay rise, this would do no good but rather fuel inflation which is the bedrock of these disputes.