Speeches by Stevens.

“I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, including economic growth and increasing economic growth in Wales. We are creating thousands of jobs across Wales, supported by our investment in nuclear power in Wylfa, two artificial intelligence growth zones, two freeports, two investment …”

“Our £50 million defence growth deal will harness Wales’s unique strengths in autonomy. It is focused on supporting the growth of dual-use industry right across Wales, so that the benefits will be felt beyond the defence sector. This deal is another example of the choice facing Wales at the Senedd election in May. We ha…”

“I did indeed have the privilege of opening the London stock exchange this morning to mark St David’s day and Wales Week. It gave me the opportunity to recognise Wales’s thriving financial services and fintech sectors, which are benefiting from this Government’s modern industrial strategy. We are also building small mod…”

“My hon. Friend makes an important point. When we made the £2.5 billion nuclear investment announcement at Coleg Menai, I saw the difference it will make to people in the area. I met students who will be able to learn and earn, and will not have to leave their family and community to get on in life, because, with one of…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for recognising the scale of our Welsh rail announcement, and its benefits for cross-border travel. Our two Labour Governments have agreed a long-term plan for Welsh rail that we are committed to delivering as quickly as possible. It will unlock 12,000 jobs and connect people to the tens of thous…”

“I was pleased to announce last month that this Government plan to devolve powers to the Welsh Government to introduce a vacant land tax, subject to consultation. This will help the Welsh Government to encourage even more house building, fuelling construction jobs and economic growth, and it is a perfect example of how …”

“We have worked closely with the devolved Governments on a UK-wide DRS, and now have alignment across the UK on including polyethylene terephthalate plastics and metals in a DRS with the launch date of October 2027, which is good news for business. We considered the Welsh Government’s exclusion proposal, in line with ou…”

“The hon. Member has united a lot of us across the House. His Plaid friends sitting in front of him want separatism. They want to inflict an independence that will cost every single person in Wales—adults and children—£7,000 every single year. They want to build walls between us at a time when we should be standing toge…”

“I do not recognise what the hon. Lady sets out, and refer her to my previous answer. We believe that the UKIM Act exclusion, which we have agreed in response to the Welsh Government, is the most pragmatic way for us to protect trade and support growth in the UK.”

“The Conservatives strangled the Welsh economy with over a decade of austerity and neglect. Labour’s economic plan is working: wages are rising, inflation is falling and the economy is growing. The Conservatives presided over stagnant wages, insecure employment and a broken welfare system. We are investing in our infras…”

“The UK Government are investing more than half a billion pounds in Wales, through the new local growth fund, to help create jobs, growth and opportunity in communities right across Wales. That targeted long-term investment will drive economic growth, create jobs and put more money in people’s pockets. I am proud that w…”

“I think we have this discussion at every single Wales oral questions. We need to bring energy bills down, and we do that by investing in renewable infrastructure. In the process, we create jobs and secure Wales and the UK’s energy independence. Bearing in mind the situation across the world at the moment, that is absol…”

“Wales certainly cannot afford the cost of Reform; nor can it afford the cost of Plaid Cymru.”

“No, I am going to carry on, because I do not have much time left. Just before Christmas, we announced one of the biggest public investments in Welsh history: the siting of the UK’s first fleet of small modular nuclear reactors at Wylfa, creating 3,000 direct jobs and thousands more in the supply chain. After a decade o…”

“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 …”

“Please pass on our best wishes.”

“I absolutely understand the value and the crucial role that Valero plays in your constituency. I have had a number of discussions with them myself, and I know what their concerns are. Our refining capacity is really important to our energy security and to our resilience, but it is also important to the industrial base …”

“I was just going to say that Welsh food producers, for example, should save thousands in costs, because it will speed up exports and imports. I will hand over to the Minister, because this is her area.”

“Those are always part of the conversation. We are quite lucky in that we have MPs from Wales in ministerial positions. The International Trade Minister is a Welsh MP. As I said, the Paymaster General is a Welsh MP. We have two Welsh MPs in the Foreign Office in ministerial positions. I am an adviser to the Board of Tra…”

“We work very closely with relevant Departments across the UK Government—the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign Office, No. 10 and the Treasury—and you will know that we have done a number of very significant trade deals with India, the EU, the United States and South Korea. The trade strategy that we have p…”