“Rishi Sunak is more respectful of the UK than Johnson”

I have to ask you about Brexit. In the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Brexit and its consequences still affect the political and economic spheres greatly.

Yes, I agree with that, but I think there is reason for optimism right now, that the difficult negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol seem to have already reached agreement on what to do. It is a first, if not the last, step to rectify some of the unsatisfactorily resolved issues in the Brexit deal. The new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has shown some political courage in engaging with the protocol and we should see it as a springboard to do more. I think there are many areas where we should be able to bring closer economic ties. The European Union remains our closest and most important trading partner, but there are many other aspects as well. From a Welsh point of view, we would very much like the return of Erasmus Plus, the return of the Horizon Europe program for Welsh universities, the return of Euratom, the return of public policies around food safety or public health. We didn’t do these things well in the original deal and we need to take advantage of this new opportunity.

Welsh people voted for Brexit, but the government she heads is critical of its effects. Does Wales want to return to the European Union or is another consultation not possible?

I do not think that this will be possible in the near future, so our efforts should not be directed towards trying to join the European Union again, but at establishing the best possible relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the current circumstances. If we can show that the relationship is getting better, who knows what possibilities there are for the future. But for now, I think arguing about getting back together is a distraction from where the real act needs to be, which is to do a better job of the relationship that’s currently in place.

In terms of British domestic politics, how was your relationship with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and how does that line up with the current one, Rishi Sunak?

Johnson’s tenure was difficult, because he was betting that all power was in London and that the London government made decisions for the benefit of the whole of the United Kingdom. He thought this was the best way to do things; The problem was that he was very wrong, because in fact the influence of centralism strengthens nationalism, not reduces it. His political prescription was wrong and he was on his way to the opposite result of the one he was trying to achieve. Relations with the new prime minister are easier. I think he treats nations with a more respectful approach than the UK. He’s obviously a Conservative politician and I’m a Labor so there will always be disagreements between us. But what I would expect is a Prime Minister who respects the fact that decisions are now being made in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and that we have the democratic mandate to do so.

The Labor Party is now being presented as a strong alternative to the British government. Do you trust your party to win the next general election?

I think if there was a general election tomorrow, Labor would win. I think people have made up their minds after seeing the things that happened in Downing Street during the coronavirus outbreak and the fallout from Liz Truss’ disastrous budget in September last year.