Families in Wales will get free childcare for children aged nine months to four years if Plaid Cymru wins the next Senedd election, party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has said.
Speaking at the party conference in Swansea, Ap Iorwerth said Plaid would provide at least 20 hours of childcare per week for 48 weeks a year by 2031. He described it as a “helping hand with the things that matter the most.”
“Labour’s time is up,” he told delegates. “We are ready to lead Wales right now.” Labour has governed Wales since 1999, and the next Senedd election is in May 2026.
Ap Iorwerth also criticised Reform UK, accusing its leader Nigel Farage of stirring a summer of “simmering hatred” and treating the Senedd as a “plaything” for political gain. He urged voters who want to stop Reform to back Plaid.
While Plaid is not planning an independence referendum in 2026, Ap Iorwerth said the election would start the debate on whether Wales should go it alone.
How the plan would work
Currently, childcare help is limited to families where parents are working, training, or studying, or to very young children in specific areas under the Flying Start programme.
Plaid’s plan would:
- Keep the existing 30-hour offer for three- and four-year-olds in eligible families.
- Expand the 12.5-hour weekly entitlement for some two-year-olds.
- Provide 20 hours a week for three- and four-year-olds in families not currently eligible.
- Gradually increase hours for children under two, aiming for full rollout by 2031.
The party says the policy could be worth £32,500 to families over the first four years of a child’s life and would be the most generous childcare offer in the UK. Ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales: “This can make a huge difference. It’s universal, which marks it out from the system in England.”
Plaid estimates the plan would cost an extra £500 million a year by the end of the rollout, bringing total childcare spending to £800 million. Ap Iorwerth said the money could be found within the Welsh Government’s budget.
Plaid Cymru: Ready to govern
Ap Iorwerth said Plaid was ready to lead and bring “new leadership” to Wales. He promised an “immediate cash injection” for the NHS to tackle the longest waiting times and said he would keep the service free at the point of need.
He received cheers and a standing ovation, urging first-time Plaid voters: “The time is now to stop Reform and elect a government more radical, more ambitious, more impatient to bring about positive change.”
Plaid would support “young and old, urban and rural, north and south, Welsh speaker, non Welsh-speaker,” reflecting its traditional strength in north and west Wales.
Looking ahead
While Plaid will not hold an independence referendum in 2026, it plans to “kick-start” the debate on Wales’ constitutional future through a permanent commission.
Analysts say Plaid has its best chance yet to lead Wales, but challenges remain. No party has ever won a majority in the Senedd, meaning coalition arrangements may be needed. The party must also convince new voters to support it while competing with Labour, the Greens, the Liberal Democrats, and the well-funded Reform UK.
