Plaid Cymru conference: leader seeks new deal and defers independence vote
Plaid Cymru held its first conference since winning the Senedd in May, with First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth seeking a new deal for Wales and ruling out an independence referendum in this term.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Plaid Cymru held its party conference in Llandudno, its first since winning the Senedd elections in May. The result ended a century of Labour dominance in Wales and put Plaid Cymru into government. First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth used his first conference speech since taking office to set out a formal demand for a new deal for Wales.
He said he had written to the Prime Minister asking for a new deal to address what he called the historic unfairness of Wales's fiscal and constitutional settlement. The aim, he said, was to put Wales on an equal footing with Scotland as a bare minimum. He listed powers over policing and justice, rail infrastructure, the Crown Estate, fiscal fairness and welfare as priorities.
Ap Iorwerth also said the Senedd now officially supports the principle that the people of the nations of the UK should decide their own future. That principle, he said, has been rejected out of hand by the UK Prime Minister. He pointed to a memorandum of understanding signed with the SNP and Sinn Féin after hosting the nationalist First Ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland in Cardiff. The leaders jointly declared that Westminster's time is coming to an end.
On independence, Plaid Cymru figures said a referendum would not be held during the current term. Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan said independence had been in every Plaid Cymru manifesto, but there would be no referendum before 2030. She said the party wanted the power to call a referendum when the people of Wales felt the time was right, without setting a timetable. She also acknowledged there is not currently a majority in Wales for independence.
In a separate interview after his speech, ap Iorwerth was pressed on why he had not mentioned diesel prices. He said fuel costs were part of the cost of living crisis, especially for rural and off-grid households. He said car ownership is higher in Wales than in other parts of the UK and called for UK government action on fuel prices, energy caps and transport investment. He repeated that the UK government is sitting on five billion pounds owed to Wales over HS2 and said the money should be released to improve public transport.
Asked about Andy Burnham's speech defending the union and John Swinney's claim that Burnham would be the last Prime Minister of the UK, ap Iorwerth said he wanted a redesign of the union. He said he was not an isolationist and argued that the European Union shows independent states can work closely together. He also said he did not care what Moscow thought about Wales's future.
A latest MRP poll put Plaid Cymru with the largest number of seats in Wales and Labour on two seats. The conference showed Plaid Cymru trying to balance its new role in government with its long-standing support for independence, while saying any referendum is not imminent.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Plaid Cymru's leader wrote to the Prime Minister to argue for transferring more powers to Wales. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | ||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Plaid Cymru's conference was due to start the following day in Llandudno. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | ||
| The Senedd supported the principle that people of the nations decide their own future, but the UK Prime Minister rejected it. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Wales received only 1% of rail investment, the UK government owed Wales billions from HS2, and the Plaid Cymru leader demanded the funding be brought forward from the 2030s. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||||
| Heledd Fychan said independence has been in every Plaid Cymru manifesto. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Heledd Fychan said Plaid Cymru would not hold an independence referendum in its first term and wants the ability to call one when Welsh voters are ready. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Plaid Cymru won the most seats in the Senedd election and ended Labour's century-long rule in Wales. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Sky News |
| Rhun ap Iorwerth said fuel costs are making life very difficult and rural parts of Wales need assistance on fuel prices. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Sky News |
| Rhun ap Iorwerth said he does not care what Moscow thinks about Wales's future. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Rhun ap Iorwerth said he wants a redesign of the union. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The latest MRP poll projected Plaid Cymru with the most seats in Wales and Labour with two seats. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The programme focused on a studio interview with Plaid Cymru Cabinet Minister Heledd Fychan before the conference. It pressed her on whether independence is a priority, whether a referendum would be in the next manifesto and how Plaid Cymru views the new UK Prime Minister. The tone was persistent and sought to clarify apparent shifts in the party's position on a referendum timetable.
- “Well, Plaid Cymru has always supported Wales having the right tools to doing the jobs and that means being independent.”
- “What the First Minister said and what he said in opposition, and I said and others, that there wouldn't be an independence referendum during our first term in government.”
- “What we've asked for is for the right to call that referendum when the people of Wales feel the time is right for one.”
Sky News gave the conference a short bulletin treatment, placing it alongside other party conferences and framing it as a milestone after Plaid Cymru's Senedd election win. It highlighted polling and the party's constitutional demands, including the letter to the Prime Minister and cooperation with other nationalist leaders. The tone was factual and focused on political positioning.
- “Well elsewhere, Plaid Cymru's party conference also gets underway today and it's their first one since winning the Senedd elections in May, which of course ended 100 years of Labour dominance in Wales.”
- “Sky News's latest MRP poll puts Plaid Cymru with the largest number of seats in Wales and Labour on two seats.”
- “He's written to the Prime Minister, making the case for transferring more powers to Wales.”
This coverage carried a long section of the First Minister's conference speech, focusing on policy, fiscal pressure and constitutional demands. It gave detailed attention to the new deal for Wales, the list of powers sought and the Senedd's support for the principle that nations decide their own future. The tone was speech-led and gave more space to Plaid Cymru's own framing.
- “So today I can confirm that I have written to the Prime Minister with a formal ask, a new deal for Wales, a new deal to address the historic unfairness of our fiscal and constitutional settlements and to put Wales on an equal footing with Scotland as a bare minimum.”
- “powers over policing and justice, rail infrastructure, the Crown Estate, fiscal fairness, welfare.”
- “A fundamental democratic right and now one officially supported by the Senedd, but rejected out of hand by the UK Prime Minister.”
Newsnight interviewed Rhun ap Iorwerth after his speech and challenged him on fuel prices, cost of living and transport spending. It then moved to the constitutional debate, testing his arguments on the union, the EU and independence. The tone was combative and aimed at contradictions in his position.
- “Well I certainly talked about the cost of living we know how the cost of living is is biting so much and the cost of fuel is very much a part of that”
- “I'm as passionate in saying that we need a redesign of the union”
- “i will say this matt i don't care what moscow thinks about the future of of wales”
Broadcast Timeline
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