00:00Immigration is an issue that's been thrown around increasingly in the last few years
00:05and has come into the spotlight in a fairly significant way in the last week.
00:09The Prime Minister, Sukiya Starmer, went on the record to say that if immigration wasn't curtailed,
00:13then we risk becoming an island of strangers in the UK.
00:16It was controversial and very clearly colourful language,
00:19and the echoes have flown across into Wales where Tory leader Darren Miller
00:23wants to know the First Minister's thoughts on Starmer's words.
00:25Do you agree that immigration to the United Kingdom is too high
00:30and that we risk becoming an island of strangers?
00:33Wales is a welcoming nation.
00:35I think we're very proud to be associated with the values,
00:40the positive things that immigration can bring and contribute to our communities and our societies
00:47and the vast contribution that they make to our public services.
00:51Alina Edmorgan did her darndest to avoid comment improperly on Starmer's words,
00:56but clearly wants to show the benefits of immigration to Wales.
00:59Darren Miller, though, says that he agreed with the Prime Minister
01:02and pointed out issues on people from other countries integrating into British communities.
01:07We continue to see excessive numbers of people who come to settle in our country
01:11who can't speak English.
01:13They fail to integrate some of those people into their local communities.
01:16And I'm afraid that I agree with the Prime Minister,
01:20we will become an island of strangers if we don't deal with this issue.
01:24Look, I recognise that there are concerns in some of our communities,
01:28but I would point out that the levels of immigration in Wales are actually quite low.
01:33And one of the 7% across the country,
01:37and those people on the whole are making a huge contribution to our public services.
01:44You're more likely to be treated by a doctor from overseas
01:52than being stopped in the queue by somebody from overseas in Wales.
01:56Alina Edmorgan clearly argues that the NHS wouldn't be what it is now
01:59if it weren't for our international recruitment.
02:01The applied Cymru leader says it goes further,
02:03and the care industry in Wales will fall to its knees
02:05if it weren't for immigration into the country.
02:08Her party leader, the Prime Minister, wants to undermine that
02:12for political reasons, even adopting the language of division.
02:17And I ask her to distance herself from that language of division
02:20that has been repeated so comfortably today
02:23by the leader of the Conservatives.
02:26But what is her plan now to ensure those reliant on the care sector in Wales
02:31aren't punished by her party's latest dog whistle actions?
02:34I'm not going to use divisive language when it comes to immigration.
02:38That is not the value that we have in Welsh Labour.
02:43But what I can say is that we are committed to making sure
02:47that we do our very best to ensure that we can provide a care service in Wales.
02:53And that will be more difficult if it is not possible to recruit people from abroad.
02:59So, thank you.
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