LAST week in Parliament we debated the crucial issue of climate change, and I praised the Welsh Labour Government for taking substantial steps in this area, including leading the way on declaring a ‘climate emergency’ which we subsequently voted for - thanks to a Labour motion - in Westminster too. Wales leading the way as usual!

In keeping with the theme of the day it was a genuine pleasure to meet the fantastic Chris Packham, of Springwatch and the Really Wild Show, to talk conservation, climate change and protecting our natural environment.

These are crucial issues that everyone should be concerned about, and it’s particularly pleasing that so many young people locally and right around the world are leading the way on this - like the remarkable Greta Thurnberg. I also had the pleasure of meeting campaigners from across the UK as part of the Extinction Rebellion protests in Parliament.

And I recently bumped into some students from Stanwell School who have been taking part in the climate strike movement and standing up for action on climate change and the climate emergency. I was glad to help get their and other constituents’ voices heard on this in Parliament, because it’s not being debated enough - it’s getting lost behind other things.

So whether it’s local action we can take on recycling and packaging, or global action on climate change and carbon emissions, we all need to do more to deal with an emergency that’s going to affect us all for generations to come.

I was out and about again in Penarth this weekend, along with a team of our fantastic Labour town and Vale councillors, talking to people about the forthcoming European elections. There was a lot of support for our clear Welsh Labour position backing a final say in a people’s vote for the public on any Brexit deal.

Following the mixed results in the local elections in England and Northern Ireland last week, there was much talk about Labour ‘bailing out’ the government. Let me be crystal clear on this – I will never ‘bail out’ the disastrous Tories on Brexit, and neither will the overwhelming majority of Labour MPs.

We can resolve the situation, but not by any backroom stitch-up that would risk letting down both those who voted Leave and Remain. The only way forward out of this mess is to let the people have the final say on any deal.