Latest news with #RhunApIorwerth
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘We're the party of ambition': Plaid Cymru sets out to topple Labour
It is fair to say that Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, was on safe ground at the national Eisteddfod in Wrexham this week. More than once, festivalgoers interrupted his interview with the Guardian to shake his hand or take a selfie. Ap Iorwerth has just embarked on a nationwide 'listening tour' during which he will visit every Welsh constituency, beginning in Wrexham, before the Senedd elections next May. On Tuesday, the Welsh nationalist party celebrates its 100th anniversary, and ap Iorwerth believes he is on the verge of delivering the best present the party could ever ask for: ending Labour's long reign to win power in Wales for the first time. 'Wales gave Keir Starmer his big majority but I don't think [voters] expected this barrage of bad policy, passing on the cost of the failures of successive governments to the most vulnerable,' the 52-year-old said of the UK Labour government's refusal to lift the two-child benefit cap and attempts to cut the winter fuel payment and disability benefits. 'There is an appetite for breaking that cycle like never before and Plaid Cymru is ready to deliver.' Plaid Cymru recorded its highest ever vote share in last summer's general election, returning four MPs and eating into Labour's support in heartlands such as the south Wales valleys and Cardiff. Recent polls suggest that after 102 years of straight election wins in Wales, Labour's base has collapsed, and the party will come third next May under a new proportional voting system and an increase in the size of the parliament. Plaid Cymru and Reform UK are neck and neck – but since Labour and Plaid have said they will not go into coalition with Nigel Farage's outfit, it is only the Welsh nationalist party that has a shot at forming a government. Plaid Cymru has finished its candidate selection process, and ap Iorwerth is already out knocking on doors; Labour and Reform UK have barely begun putting together their lists. A century after its founding, ap Iorwerth said Plaid Cymru had a proven track record at the local level, and was ready to step up. He said the first minister, Eluned Morgan, was 'encouraging people to continue voting Labour because they're the only party with experience of being in government. That is profoundly undemocratic … They consider themselves the ruling class.' 'Twenty-six years of Labour ever since devolution is an unusual and unhealthy situation. We use the words 'fresh start' for a reason.' Ap Iorwerth said he was not concerned about the rapid growth of support for Reform UK in Wales, or why his own party had not pulled ahead in the polls. 'We asked strategists how to attract hardcore Reform voters, and the answer, basically, was 'Don't be Plaid Cymru,'' he said. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'I'm quite sure Reform will fizzle out, but Plaid Cymru won't. We are here to stay, and Wales is our focus. Reform has made it clear Wales is important to them, but only because it is a stepping stone to the next general election.' Instead, Plaid Cymru is attracting disillusioned Labour voters – including a trickle of defecting Labour councillors – and is overwhelmingly popular with younger people. YouGov polling from May suggested Plaid holds the support of 46% of 16- to 24-year-old voters, far ahead of the Greens on 21% and Labour on 16%, and a clear lead among 25- to 49-year-olds, with 36% of the vote. Under the new voting system, every single seat in Wales will be newly competitive, including a three-way battle between Labour, Plaid and Reform for the Welsh valleys. The stakes are high. Like the Scottish National party before its 2007 breakthrough, Plaid Cymru must overcome the perception that it is a party of grievance; and the prospect of Reform becoming the biggest party in the next Senedd would be a humiliating setback for Plaid, the party that promises to put Wales first. Although independence is his party's raison d'etre, ap Iorwerth has already ruled out holding a Welsh independence referendum even if the party enters government in the next four-year Senedd term – in part to sway more cautious traditionally Labour voters. 'We have to get to grips with the issues first and make the most of the powers that we already do have in Wales. But every day I'll be making the case for our potential, which I think won't be realised until we're an independent nation. It's my job to persuade people to come with us on that journey,' he said. 'Ultimately it's about giving people hope that what we have now is not as good as it gets for Wales. We are the party of ambition.'
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Show 'courage' to sanction Israel, Plaid Cymru tells Starmer
Leading Plaid Cymru politicians have called on the prime minister to sanction the Israeli government "without delay" over the conflict in ap Iorwerth and Liz Saville Roberts said "moral courage" was needed by Sir Keir Starmer's United Nations has warned mass starvation across Gaza is causing a "dire situation". The Israeli government rejected a statement from the UK and 27 other countries earlier this week that called for an immediate end to the war. The UK government has been asked to respond. The letter, addressed to Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, said "history will judge" politicians who did not do everything in their power to stop the unfolding situation in Gaza. Ap Iorwerth, Plaid's leader, and Saville Roberts, the party's Westminster leader, said sanctions must include a complete arms embargo, and said they were deeply frustrated the "UK government's deeds are not following its rhetoric".Earlier this week the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, called the situation in Gaza "grotesque" and pledged to take further action if a change in behaviour was not seen from Plaid leaders urged the UK government to put pressure on other foreign powers so the UN takes "urgent and robust action", and called for the recognition of Palestine as a week, more than 100 international aid organisations warned of mass starvation in Gaza, blaming an Israeli "siege" on food trucks carrying at least 1,054 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while seeking food since 27 May, according to the said 150 food trucks were collected by the UN and other agencies in Gaza on Wednesday with a further 800 waiting collection – but aid workers have said Israel has obstructed them from doing and the US say the system is necessary to stop Hamas from stealing aid, something the UN has not Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr Labour MP Steve Witherden, alongside Plaid Cymru MPs, were among 56 politicians who have written to cabinet politicians calling for an arms embargo on Israel and more transparency around what military parts were being exported abroad.
Sky News
04-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Welsh independence will unleash 'full potential' as nationalists serious contenders to form next government
Wales should "learn" from the SNP's successes in Scotland, according to the man who could well be the next first minister of Wales. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told Sky News: "I believe that we will not be able to fully release our potential until we're an independent nation." He admitted "not everybody agrees" but believes there should be a discussion about how to "edge things forwards" on independence. The party leader has ruled out a referendum in his first term but says support for Welsh independence is growing among young voters. Mr ap Iorwerth, whose party is neck and neck with Reform UK and Labour in the polls to lead the Welsh Parliament next year, says his party takes "very, very seriously the positive impact" the SNP has had in Scotland. It comes as a government minister admitted there are "major" questions about how fairly Wales is funded compared with Scotland. Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP for Aberafan Maesteg, told Sky News he and other Welsh MPs are looking for a reassessment of the funding formula. He said the Barnett formula, which decides the allocation of much of the funding from the treasury to devolved nations, works "much better" for Scotland and the industrial heritage and age demographics in Wales mean the nation has been historically underserved. Since Mr Kinnock spoke to Sky News, Wales was awarded £5bn in revenue and capital over three years, largely for rail infrastructure, in the spending review. However, some Welsh Labour MPs fear the growing nationalist tide could mirror Scotland's 2007 shift. Lessons "have not been learned" from Scotland, Labour Member of the Welsh Parliament Lee Waters said. Speaking to the Labour List website, he warned: "The control of the party machinery by London HQ, and the disdain of Westminster MPs towards their devolved counterparts were features now and then." Mr Waters sounded the alarm for Welsh Labour, adding: "Scottish Labour paid the price for it in 2007. The SNP seized on its chance to form a minority government and used it to build a generation of dominance. Plaid Cymru aim to do the same." Does Wales get treated unfairly? It's a question that could propel Reform UK or Plaid Cymru to power in Wales this time next year - a seismic political shift in a nation dominated by Welsh Labour since devolution began. The closure of the blast furnaces at Port Talbot, the end of virgin steelmaking in this country, drew comparisons with the government's intervention at Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire. Why was an English steelmaking site saved and not a Welsh one? The answer, as Wales MP and government minister Stephen Kinnock tells me, is not straightforward. The owners of Scunthorpe were "actively sabotaging the blast furnaces", and Labour were not in power in Westminster when decisions about Port Talbot were being made. "You have to set the bar really high when you're going to, as a government, go in and seize the assets of a private company," he said. But Port Talbot has become symbolic of something bigger, and it's not just about steel. Last month, a new railway line between Oxford and Cambridge was classed as an England and Wales project, meaning Wales does not get a share of funding, and earlier this year Wales' first minister said the allocation of HS2 funding was "unfair" for Wales. But Welsh Labour's Eluned Morgan may not have done enough to distance herself from the national party. Jac Larner from Wales' Governance Centre at Cardiff University says her emphasis on the close relationship between Welsh and UK Labour echoes the message from Scottish Labour before their vote collapsed. It makes it "easier for voters to punish both" he said. Launching his party's so-called contract with voters in Merthyr Tydfil, Nigel Farage said Wales has been "let down". The Reform UK leaders' progress in Wales has been notable, but as has that of a lesser known party leader, Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth. Can Wales' nationalist party echo the SNP's success in Scotland? Both parties are fishing in the same waters for disillusioned Labour voters. Both have a real shot at power in Wales. Reform UK are also tapping into a mood of discontent in Wales. Leader Nigel Farage has put re-industrialisation at the centre of his pitch and even pledged to reopen Port Talbot's steel blast furnaces. In last year's general election, Reform UK came second in 13 of the 32 Welsh constituencies. 1:37 Those close to Mr Farage suggest he sees the Welsh elections next year as an important stepping stone in his ambitions to get to 10 Downing Street. Asked about Reform UK, the Plaid Cymru leader said he sees it as his "duty" to keep the party out of power in Wales. Mr ap Iorwerth said Mr Farage's party "have no particular interest in developing policy for Wales".
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Business support package on table after Holyhead port closure
The Welsh government is considering a package of support for businesses affected by the closure of Holyhead port was closed for more than a month in December after two ferries made contact with one of the berthing chair of the Senedd's economy committee, Andrew RT Davies, told Members of the Senedd (MSs) the incident involved two Irish port still has not fully reopened - with a further delay to the opening until at least 15 July - and concerns have been raised about the effect on local businesses. Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru leader and MS for Ynys Mon, called for an "urgent support package" and told members some businesses had reported a "90 percent drop in trade" with "one hotel operator alone losing out on almost £15,000 worth of bookings overnight".Ken Skates, secretary for transport and north Wales, said the local authority had submitted a funding request last week "for a package of support for Holyhead".He said this was "being appraised as swiftly as possible by the cabinet secretary for economy, who is considering the proposals and will respond very soon".Skates added the package contained two elements; "the potential of the cruise sector to benefit Holyhead" as well as "business support".He said it would involve "partnering with Business Wales, expanding the Smart Towns Cymru initiative, various initiatives around marketing, communications, place-making and capacity funding for the council".A committee report into the incident described the initial government response as "highly sluggish".During a Senedd debate, economy committee chairman Andrew RT Davies said the road haulage association had told them "the first contact they had had with Welsh government was an email on Christmas Eve", nearly two weeks after the he said was in "sharp contrast" to the response from the Scottish government, who contacted the road haulage association on 11 December "to inform them that Holyhead was shut". 'Concerns around accountability' In response, ap Iorwerth said "businesses and travellers were hearing from the Welsh government that the port would be back in operation in days, and, then, from the Irish government, who warned that the port wouldn't reopen before Christmas".Despite reports of the closure being due to bad weather, the damage that led to the closure occurred before Storm Darragh peaked, according to the port's owners, and Hannah Blythyn MS was critical of Irish Ferries for not engaging with the said the committee heard that two of the firm's vessels were involved in incidents at berth three of the port on 6 and 7 December, but "Irish Ferries did not provide evidence to the committee, nor did they actually respond to any correspondence from the chair"."This is, if I put it diplomatically, a matter of regret. I think, for me, that reluctance to engage raises concerns around accountability," she to the debate on behalf of the Welsh government, Skates said that "the actions that we took throughout the closure allowed for continuity as we worked together to find collective solutions".He added: "We got vessels diverted into different Welsh ports, we worked alongside the UK government departments to open additional routes, we ensured that no roadworks were taking place around the key Welsh roads leading up to the ports, and we ensured that there was plenty of train capacity into our port towns."
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Calls for national data centre strategy after Newport visit
Plaid Cymru is calling for a national data centre strategy to support growth in the digital sector. Party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and South Wales East MS Peredur Owen Griffiths made the call following a visit to Vantage Data Centers' Newport facility, where they met Justin Jenkins, chief operating officer for EMEA. The meeting focused on industry challenges, future expansion in Wales, and the need for reliable grid power. Mr ap Iorwerth said: "I'm grateful to Justin and the Vantage team for the warm welcome during our recent visit to their data centre campus. "It's important that businesses like Vantage feel supported by government to expand their operations in Wales, so they can continue to create good-quality jobs for local people and meet the increasing demand for services." Mr ap Iorwerth said a Plaid Cymru government would develop a national strategy for data centres to help maximise their economic potential. Mr Owen Griffiths said: "It was great to be back at Vantage and meeting with Justin once again. "The attention to detail and the contingency planning at this company never ceases to amaze me. "It is no wonder that they have some of the biggest tech companies in the world as their customers."
