Brexit: Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood to reveal Wales' plan

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Carwyn Jones and Leanne WoodImage source, BBC/Getty

A plan of Wales' needs from Brexit talks is "not a list of demands", Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood have said.

The first minister and Plaid Cymru leader will reveal their plan for exiting the European Union on Monday.

In a joint letter in the Sunday Times, external, the pair said they would work together to "secure the best deal for Wales".

Welsh Conservatives leader, Andrew RT Davies, said Brexit was a chance for the UK and Wales to become "global leaders in trade".

The UK government previously warned the Welsh Government must not undermine Brexit talks.

Writing in the newspaper, Mr Jones and Ms Wood said: "The challenge we all face now is ensuring that as we prepare to leave the EU we secure the best possible deal for Wales. Together, we intend to rise to that challenge."

They said their Brexit plan for Wales would form a "sensible starting point for negotiations" for all parts of the UK.

The white paper - to be published on Monday - centres around Wales' continued access to the single market once the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Davies said: "What Wales needs is leadership and optimism. Carwyn Jones and his government's reaction to Brexit has careered from doom-mongering and denial to dithering and confusion."

The document, which sets out Wales' immigration needs and demands over funding, follows an agreement from Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats.

Welsh Labour and Plaid previously clashed over access to the single market following the Leave vote on 23 June.

Plaid agreed a limited deal after May's assembly election to allow Mr Jones, whose party won 29 of 60 seats in the May election, to be re-installed as first minister.

Image caption,

Theresa May met Carwyn Jones shortly after becoming prime minister last summer

The pair criticised Theresa May, saying her speech earlier this week had done little to "inspire confidence" in the UK's exit strategy after the prime minister said the UK had to leave the single market.

But Mr Jones and Ms Wood wrote that remaining in the single market was "so important for the future prosperity of Wales and all of us who live here".

"People voted to leave but they didn't vote to undermine thousands of jobs, two thirds of Welsh exports or foreign direct investment into Wales."

The letter follows the first meeting of the joint ministerial committee, set up by the UK government to give devolved administrations a platform to voice their views on Brexit.

Mr Davies said the Welsh economy had become "too reliant" on the EU, but there was an opportunity to "take advantage of the new US president's willingness to cut a trade deal with the UK".

Mr Jones and Ms Wood repeated calls that the UK government should listen to the devolved nations' needs ahead of triggering Article 50, which will start the two-year formal process of leaving the EU.

"This white paper is not just a shopping list of demands from Wales but a sensible starting point for negotiations that should deliver for all parts of the United Kingdom," they wrote.

The pair also stressed a need for a "fair and clearly understandable" immigration system and said funding received by Wales from Brussels for industries including agriculture must continue.

"We were told during the referendum that Wales would not lose a penny of its current funding as a result of leaving the EU and we intend to ensure that the UK government fulfils this promise," they wrote.

"We won't stand for Wales to be weakened as a result of Brexit, and believe that our plan is the best route to securing a good deal for our country."