Today in Westminster there is to be a three-hour debate where nationalist MPs from Plaid Cymru will call for UK membership of the Single Market and EU citizenship for UK citizens to be retained "in the event that the UK leaves the EU".

Author: Rory Broomfield

The motion on today's Order Paper, which stands in the name of four Plaid Cymru Members of Parliament, states:  

"That this House supports the maintenance of European Union citizenship rights for Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and English citizens; notes that the range of rights and protections afforded to individuals as European Union citizens are integral to a person’s European identity; further notes that many of those rights are closely linked to the UK’s membership of the Single Market; and calls on the UK Government to ensure that the UK’s membership of the Single Market and UK citizens’ right to European Union citizenship are retained in the event that the UK leaves the EU."

Three things immediately stand out about this motion.

1. These MPs do not recognise that the EU Referendum vote in June 2016 was to leave the Single Market; 

2. They haven't noticed that the people of Wales - and the UK - voted to leave the EU;

3. They don't accept that the UK will be leaving the EU. 

On the first point: It was clear during the campaign that a vote to Leave would result in the UK leaving the EU Single Market. Here's a video that proves this. 

On the second point: EU citizenship rights are determined by the European Court of Justice - an EU institution - through EU treaty law. Leaving the EU means the UK is not bound by the EU's treaty law, or its institutions, anymore. Voters in both Wales and the broader United Kingdom voted to leave.  

Finally: The UK is leaving the EU. We had a referendum; Parliament voted to enact Article 50; Parliament also voted to leave on March 30 2019. 

Questions, therefore, remain on why these Plaid MPs want to go against the people of both Wales and the UK. Surely, as Welsh nationalists, they'd wish to respect the will of the Welsh people? Secondly, why can't these MPs find something that would improve the lives of the people of Wales and the UK - rather than just rehashing old debates?

Both the people and the UK Parliament has voted to leave the EU. It's time that Welsh nationalists moved on and put Parliament to better. Maybe use in debating ways to make people's lives better post Brexit? Just a thought...   

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