EU elections: Welsh Lib Dems 'are the party of Remain'

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have launched their campaign for the European parliamentary elections.

Lead candidate Sam Bennett said Brexit would leave Wales poorer, less free and less able to shape its own destiny.

It is one of several parties on the ballot paper calling for a further referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

The Welsh Lib Dems said they were "the party of remain" and had been "from the start".

The party is hoping its recent local election success in England will help win its first ever Welsh MEP in the vote, which takes place on 23 May.

The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said she was "deeply ashamed" of her party's support for benefit cuts during the coalition years with the Conservatives.

Mr Bennett, a former chairman of the Young Liberals who works for Swansea University Medical School, said Brexit would "leave Wales poorer, less free and less able to shape our own destiny".

"I'm not prepared to sit back and let that happen," he said.

"Every vote for the Welsh Liberal Democrats is a vote to stop Brexit."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are joined by Plaid Cymru, Change UK and the Greens in explicitly backing a further referendum.

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds said hers was the "first party in Wales to call for the people to be given the final say and the opportunity to choose an exit from Brexit".

However, Gina Miller, a prominent anti-Brexit campaigner who was linked with the Lib Dem leadership, has called on "Remain" supporters in Wales to vote tactically for Plaid Cymru on the 23rd of May.

Asked about Ms Miller's call, Ms Dodds said: "We've got a huge history that says that we are the party of 'Remain'.

"On the 24th of June 2016 [the day after the EU referendum] we said 'we will fight to remain in the EU and we want a second referendum.'

"So, if you want a party that has crystal clear said what it wants from the beginning and will continue to do that across the UK, vote for the Liberal Democrats," she added.

With some research suggesting the austerity programme played a part in driving people towards

voting for Brexit, Ms Dodd said she was "not proud at all of that record around austerity and benefit cuts that we wrought on our poorest people here in Wales and across the UK."

"I was deeply ashamed of that and I still am. We have to right those wrongs in relation to supporting people who are in those situations," she added.

The European Parliament elections in Wales

There are eight parties fighting for four Welsh seats in the European elections on 23 May.

Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Green Party are joined by Change UK and the Brexit Party.

Jeremy Hunt’s Financial Statement Offers Only Uncertainty for Welsh Families

Commenting on Jeremy Hunt’s shock economic intervention Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “Hunt’s statement points to the despicable damage that the Conservatives continue to wreck on households, businesses and individuals. All his statement today has done is cause wider uncertainty for households and the businesses sector. “The Conservatives are trashing the economy with every day that passes and creating havoc for peoples’ mortgages. Now they are planning to inflict even more suffering by raising energy bills, hiking taxes and slashing crucial public services. These service cuts will see knock-on effects to the Welsh Government as budgets for key departments like education and health may be squeezed even tighter. “What’s worst is they are still determined to protect oil and gas giants from a proper windfall tax and they are still cutting taxes for the big banks. “Truss and Kwarteng are symptoms of a wider problem. This entire Conservative par

Significant Gaps Remain in Welsh Government Building Safety Announcement

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have welcomed progress announced today in the Welsh Government’s building safety announcement but have warned significant gaps remain. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS and Cardiff Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Rhys Taylor addressing building saftey campaigners. The announcement given by Environment Minister Julie James MS confirmed that 9 property developers have now signed up to the Welsh Government’s “Developers Pact” agreeing in theory their responsibility to remediate buildings they constructed with safety defects. The announcement follows a lengthy campaign by leaseholders in the five years since the Grenfell Tower Disaster. However, three major developers are still yet to reply. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated that due to the Welsh Government’s failure to work with the UK Government on the Building Safety Act, they are left with little to no options to deal with the property developers who have refuse

Welsh Lamb Exports to the US Welcome - But the Conservatives Are Paving Over Other Cracks

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS. "While we will of course always welcome more export opportunities for our fantastic Welsh produce, Liz Truss and the Conservatives are trying to plaster over the cracks regarding the damage they have already done to the Welsh farming sector. "That is that they sold out Welsh farmers for cheap trade deals with Australia and New Zealand for nothing in return. This was spearheaded by Liz Truss despite Australian commentators even being in disbelief about how lopsided the deals were. “Tariff free access by New Zealand in particular poses a direct threat to the survival of the Welsh lamb industry and the communities it supports, including Welsh language communities. "If Liz Truss was supportive of such poor trade deals already, it does beg the question how much more damage she could do to the sector as the UK seeks revised trading arrangements with the likes of the US, Argentina and Brazil. “This is of cou

Welsh Liberal blogs

Search This Blog