Darren Millar accuses Plaid of putting independence before public services

Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon, Mr Millar will challenge the First Minister over his election pledge to focus on the NHS, schools and the economy.

“He told voters in May that the Senedd election was not about independence,” he will say.

“Well, either he didn’t get his own memo… or he deliberately chose to deceive people.”

Mr Millar will call the First Minister the “Plaid Piper of Anglesey” and accuse him of trying to “hoodwink people”.

“He promised to focus on fixing things… but his real plan, a plan to draw a slate curtain between Wales and the rest of the UK, will cause more harm than good for our children and future generations,” he will say.

He will also claim waiting lists have risen, school standards have fallen and Welsh businesses continue to struggle since Plaid took office in May.

The speech attacks September’s meeting in Cardiff between Mr ap Iorwerth, Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill.

The three leaders declared that “Westminster’s time is coming to an end” and reaffirmed their constitutional ambitions.

Mr Millar will accuse the First Minister of choosing to “cosy up to the SNP and Sinn Fein” rather than concentrating on public services.

“So my message to Rhun ap Iorwerth today is this… Get on with the day job!” he will say.

“Wales needs a government focused on fixing our public services. Not one that’s focused on ripping the United Kingdom apart!”

Union

Addressing the conference’s Union session before a speech by Kemi Badenoch, Mr Millar will declare that “Britain needs Badenoch”.

He will also defend the ties between the UK’s four nations, saying: “The United Kingdom is more than a political arrangement. We are a shared family of nations.”

At Plaid’s conference in Llandudno on Friday, Mr ap Iorwerth said Wales’ wings had been “clipped for far too long” and called for further powers to correct what he described as “historic unfairness”.

He said the relationship with Scotland and Northern Ireland would include cooperation on public services and other shared concerns.

“We’ll seek practical ways of working together on issues that matter to the people that we serve, finding common ground where we can,” he said.

“But that shared principle between us is a rather simple one – to ensure that it is the people of our nations who decide their own future.”

The First Minister said he had written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham seeking further devolved powers, including responsibility for policing and justice.

Public priorities

A More in Common poll released at Plaid’s conference found that living costs and NHS waiting lists were the main tests voters would use to judge the Welsh Government.

Reducing the cost of living was identified by 59%, while 55% selected cutting waiting lists. Just 9% chose progress towards independence, rising to 15% among Plaid voters.

Several government policies received favourable responses. Its pledge for up to ten NHS surgical hubs was viewed positively by 60%, although only 36% had heard of it.

Plaid remained ahead in Senedd voting intentions on 32%, followed by Reform UK on 27%, Labour on 18% and the Conservatives on 12%.

The survey of 919 Welsh adults aged 16 and over was conducted between September 24 and 30 and sponsored by Cavendish Cymru and Senedd Sources.

Luke Tryl, UK director at More in Common, said: “Its policies are popular — particularly its interventions on the cost of living — but they are struggling to cut through.

“The best-known moments of this government have been on constitutional issues, above all the independence pact with Scotland and Northern Ireland, and those split voters.”