St David’s Day and Welsh Affairs

Debate between Mims Davies and Gerald Jones

Thursday 26th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Gerald Jones]

The shadow Minister is talking about public services in Wales. Would she care to reflect on the 14 years of austerity and the damage that the Conservatives, along with the Liberal Democrats, did as the architects of austerity to Welsh public services, which we are rebuilding?

[Mims Davies]

We left office with the best readers in the western world, apart from in Wales. I think this trope about those 14 years is deeply unhelpful. Eighteen months on from entering government, it is now Labour that is in control. It wanted the levers—get on with it.

While my constituency is obviously not in Wales, it is the home of the Caravan and Motorhome Club. We talked about tourism and the importance of the economic situation, and we heard from some Members concerns about the economy. The club has 1 million members, and 15 of its campsites and motorhome sites are in Wales, supporting the three beautiful national parks and five areas of outstanding natural beauty.

The hon. Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) talked about grey seals and flying rings. I had no idea what they were, but they are posh frisbees. Asda has been called out twice in the Chamber this afternoon to get a grip of them. I congratulate her on her important campaign.

The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who is no longer in his place, highlighted the power of our Union. All our nations make up the great United Kingdom. The danger is that, in May, we could be sleepwalking into separatism. I hope that that has been drawn out strongly enough in this afternoon’s debate.

That leads me to the hon. Member for Ceredigion Preseli (Ben Lake). He talked about Welsh wonders, which I think we can all agree on, and the power of small business and tourism. He told the tale of businesses struggling to trade, the insecurity of higher energy prices and business rates, and the challenges to the high streets in his constituency. I am very much looking forward to pictures of him parading for St David’s day and making it so joyous. Did he mention a cawl-eating competition? I think I have been in many of them myself.

The hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare (Gerald Jones) rightly called out the cost of fuel and asked for the CMA to get involved, and Asda was called out. I am not sure that tin baths and tourism are a happy marriage, but Zip World certainly sounds great.

The hon. Member for Caerfyrddin (Ann Davies) spoke about the importance of new electricity and the reality of green energy for the people of Wales. People are being overlooked when it comes to vast projects, and absolutely—I agree with her—they need to be heard. Two banking hubs are coming to my patch—yes, I am showing off—but keep pushing, because they are well worth it and they mean so much. She also rightly highlighted talent, which is everywhere.

The hon. Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden) talked about Newportonians. May I please pass on my condolences on the passing of Martyn Butler? He was a fantastic advocate for the Terrence Higgins Trust, and he did so much around HIV testing and PrEP. I am very sorry to hear of his passing.

On transport in Wales, a lot of figures have been bandied around. I have the same view as the hon. Member for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (David Chadwick). Let us see the reality, because that is extremely important.

Before I conclude, I want to highlight the Labour UK Government’s decision to allow their colleagues in the Welsh Government to include glass in their deposit return scheme from 2027. That will have serious ramifications for the whole of the United Kingdom and jeopardise the integrity of our internal market. With all other areas of the UK not including glass in their DRS, there could soon be a significant new trade barrier for Wales and, as a result, a significantly less competitive market. This decision will not do.

We need to keep Wales in the United Kingdom. We need to stop attempts to divide us. That means voting for the Welsh Conservatives in May and, in doing so, backing our family firms and farms, and stopping wasteful and unnecessary spending—plenty of money has gone to Wales, but spent wastefully. Wales needs more doctors, dentists, nurses and teachers. We have a health emergency; we need to put the NHS first and focus on the long waits. We also need to scrap the default 20 mph limit and look at a proper road building programme.

I hope my speech has not sounded defeatist or pessimistic; it is just that I and the whole Conservative and Unionist party know that after 27 years of Labour, Wales deserves better.