I am grateful to Darren Millar for asking me to be the new Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary responsible for Infrastructure, Transport and Rural Affairs. I am proud to be part of a new strong official opposition.
The next 17 months ahead of the Senedd elections are going to be busy as my party comes forward with the policies and actions that we believe can address the huge challenges the country is facing.
It's clear that Wales is broken thanks to 26 years of successive Labour Governments.
I relish my new role standing up for rural communities. Our farmers are facing unprecedented threats hence them coming together in protest. They don't want to be doing this, but it's clear that the two Labour Governments on either end of the M4 do not seem understand the issues, or don't want to.
Ever increasing bureaucracy, unworkable regulations, the scourge of TB and the lack of clarity on future support are taking their toll. The Chancellor's budget announcement on Agricultural Inheritance Tax and its threat to family farms is the last straw.
As a farmer myself and now having the Shadow Cabinet Secretary role I will be able advocate more strongly for our rural communities across Wales, ensuring they have a strong and knowledgeable voice in the Senedd.
Infrastructure and Transport are the two other areas I will be focusing on. Whilst intrinsically linked they have their own challenges that need to be dealt with, be this the infrastructure itself or lack of it, or the challenges that people and businesses face as a result.
We need to improve our public transport and access to it, but also our road infrastructure which will always be important and will need continued investment and improvement to keep Wales' moving and to enable the growing economy we hope to see.
I look forward to getting my teeth into these areas and developing a robust plan to improve things ensuring that both people and businesses have what's needed in place to thrive.
As I have said, the next 17 months are going to be key in building a brighter future for Wales. I will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account but relish the opportunity to be part of a strong team that will bring forward solutions and policies that will deliver on the priorities of the people of Wales.
Peter Fox MS - Monmouth
