PLAID CYMRU leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has signalled he is ready for confrontation with Prime Minister Keir Starmer after the biggest political earthquake in Welsh devolution history.
Following Plaid’s dramatic Senedd election victory, which saw the party emerge as the largest force in the Welsh Parliament for the first time, ap Iorwerth has made it clear he intends to push aggressively for more powers and funding for Wales — including reopening rows over HS2 funding, policing, justice, and control of natural resources.
Speaking during a series of high-profile interviews on Sunday, the likely next First Minister said the UK Labour government now faced a choice: work with Wales or risk being seen as punishing Welsh voters for rejecting Labour dominance.
The comments are likely to raise tensions between Cardiff Bay and Westminster just days after Welsh Labour suffered a historic collapse at the polls.
Plaid plans minority government
Plaid Cymru won 43 seats in the expanded 96-member Senedd, leaving the party short of an outright majority but comfortably ahead of rivals.
With support expected from the two Green MSs, and the Liberal Democrats indicating they will abstain rather than oppose him, ap Iorwerth now appears on course to become Wales’ next First Minister as early as Tuesday.
The result marks the end of more than a century of Labour electoral dominance in Wales and the first time Labour has failed to emerge as the largest party since devolution began in 1999.
Ap Iorwerth has insisted he wants Plaid to govern alone rather than form a coalition, although he acknowledged cross-party cooperation would be necessary.
Fresh pressure over HS2 and funding
One of the clearest signals from the Plaid leader was his intention to revive demands over the HS2 rail project.
Welsh politicians have long argued Wales was unfairly denied billions of pounds in consequential funding after HS2 was classified as an England-and-Wales project despite no track entering Wales.
Ap Iorwerth suggested a future “Wales Bill” at Westminster could include demands on fairer funding, policing and criminal justice powers, and greater Welsh control over natural resources.
The remarks are likely to concern Labour strategists in London already facing growing pressure after heavy losses in Wales.
Labour admits “catastrophic defeat”
Interim Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates described the election result as a “catastrophic defeat” and confirmed the party would carry out what he called a “forensic” review into what went wrong.
Skates is also expected to enter the race to become permanent Welsh Labour leader following the shock loss of former First Minister Eluned Morgan, who lost her own seat during the election.
Meanwhile, Reform UK, which surged to 34 seats, said it intended to become an aggressive opposition force inside the Senedd.
Tensions with Reform
Ap Iorwerth also appeared to take a swipe at Reform leader Dan Thomas after claiming he had been unable to arrange a courtesy call following the election.
Reform denied the allegation, insisting contact details had been provided and that Plaid had been told to communicate through Thomas’s staff.
Despite the row, Reform MS Llŷr Powell suggested the party would not simply oppose everything brought forward by Plaid, saying Reform would judge proposals individually and focus heavily on government spending and scrutiny.
“A new era” for Wales
The weekend celebrations outside the Senedd increasingly resembled the atmosphere of a government-in-waiting, with Plaid supporters openly speaking of a “new era” in Welsh politics.
For the first time since the Senedd was created, Wales now faces the prospect of a nationalist-led government prepared to challenge Westminster far more openly than previous Labour administrations.
Whether that leads to meaningful constitutional change, or confrontation with London, could define the next chapter of Welsh politics.
