Welsh Labour leader calls Brexit a disaster
Ken Skates brands Brexit a disaster, backs Andy Burnham’s EU outreach and warns of costly red tape hurting Welsh exporters.
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates has declared Brexit “a disaster”, warning that the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU has crippled trade and added costly bureaucracy for Welsh exporters.
Speaking on ITV Cymru Wales’ Sharp End on Tuesday evening, Skates said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, Brexit has been a disaster.” It’s been a disaster.”
He added that since 2019, exports have fallen by 20 per cent and 16,000 fewer Welsh businesses are now exporting goods abroad.
“Every shipment goes through a bureaucratic system now on average costing an extra £149 per shipment,” Skates warned, describing the extra red tape as a “disaster”.
Skates praised Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s push for closer ties with the European Union, saying the prime minister is “right to recognise that and is right to engage with our European partners”.
He called the issue “the most important matter to the future well‑being of the country in terms of the economy and in terms of security”.
The comments followed a challenge from Ceredigion Preseli MP Ben Lake, who urged Burnham to discuss membership of the customs union, the single market and “possibly the European Union” as part of Britain’s future relationship with Europe.
In a Commons statement, Burnham welcomed the Plaid Cymru MP’s “open‑minded approach” but stopped short of pledging a full EU re‑entry.
“I am not going to turn away from questions just because they might be awkward or difficult.” That is what has got us into this position,” Burnham said.
A UK‑EU summit is scheduled for 20 November in Brussels, after being delayed by the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer.
Negotiators from both sides will focus on food and drink trade, youth mobility and emissions trading, with Burnham saying any deal could add more than £10 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040.
He also pledged to raise concerns over proposed “Made in Europe” trade rules that businesses fear could exclude British manufacturers from key markets.
At Plaid Cymru’s conference on 3 October, Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts called for Britain to rejoin the EU, arguing it was essential for “our economy, for jobs, for opportunities”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Burnham of “unpicking” the Brexit deal and weakening the UK’s negotiating position by announcing objectives in advance.
“He is not going to get a better deal,” Badenoch told MPs. “The EU are tough negotiators, and it’s not just that the EU are tough negotiators, he has already revealed his entire negotiating hand.”
Burnham reiterated that securing agreements at the November summit remains his immediate priority, underscoring the political pressure to deliver tangible economic benefits after years of post‑Brexit disruption.
Welsh businesses and trade bodies have long warned that the added cost of £149 per shipment threatens the competitiveness of Welsh products in European markets.
Skates’ stark assessment adds a new voice from the Welsh Labour frontbench to the growing chorus demanding a reassessment of the United Kingdom’s post‑Brexit trade strategy.