No ‘formal relationship’ possible between Plaid and Reform
There could be no “formal relationship” between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK following the next Welsh elections, the party leader has said.
Rhun ap Iorwerth ruled out a deal with Nigel Farage’s party 12 months out from the next Welsh general election.
Plaid and Reform are currently predicted to be the two biggest parties in Wales next year, according to a YouGov poll published on Tuesday.
However, neither is expected to have enough votes for an outright majority.
Mr ap Iorwerth said there would be areas that every party could work together on, with Plaid previously having had a cooperation agreement with Labour that collapsed last year.
“Clearly there’s not…”
Speaking to the PA news agency on Wednesday, Mr ap Iorwerth said: “Clearly there’s not going to be a formal relationship between Plaid and Reform, is there?
“I can’t see a formal relationship with the Conservatives, for example, after 14 years of destruction.”
“You have Labour and the Conservatives working in the Senedd now in informal ways,” he added.
Mr ap Iorwerth, who was speaking outside the Senedd following an event to mark a year until the election, said the Welsh electoral system meant it is unlikely that a single party will have a majority.
“That does mean that in many ways, you have to have elements of cooperation,” he said.
“But it’s important to stress to people, of course, that cooperation can take many, many forms. It can be informal. It can be issue by issue.
“And I remind people that when the SNP formed the government in 2007 with, I think, around exactly the same proportion of the seats as is projected in this poll yesterday, they governed with a minority and did so very successfully.”
He added the people of Wales would “decide which way the cards are dealt” in May next year.
“People are fed up”
YouGov’s poll showed his party is currently predicted to be the largest in Wales, with around 30% of the vote and around 35 seats.
Reform was second on 25% and Labour third on 18%.
Some 49 seats are required for an outright majority, with the Senedd being expanded to 96 members from 2026.
Labour has led every Welsh government since devolution began.
Mr ap Iorwerth accepted the party’s positive polling results were a “mix” of people being disaffected by Labour and Plaid’s policies being popular.
He said: “We have a Labour UK Government that came in with a whimper and clearly don’t care at all about Wales.
“We have a Labour government in Wales, who’ve shown week after week that they are not interested in standing up for Wales.
“They just want to keep things steady and not rock the boat for themselves within the Labour Party.
“So yes, people are fed up, and of course are still fed up after 14 years of destructive Conservative government.
“But it’s not just about that, it’s about us putting our house in order, making sure that there’s a clear policy agenda.”
On Tuesday, Eluned Morgan, the Labour First Minister of Wales, appeared to criticise Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for a “rethink” on stripping pensioners of winter fuel payments.
She added Welsh Labour would “call it out” when Westminster gets it wrong for Wales.
Referencing the TV show Gavin & Stacey, the First Minister said: “There will be times when what’s right for Essex is not right for Barry.”
Baroness Morgan insisted there was not a “split” between UK and Welsh Labour, but her first responsibility was to Wales and party was second.
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No surprise as reform despise wales as much as the Tories and labour.
How could there possibly be any working relationship with a private company which would regard any notion of our nations’ existence, its’ national identity, Welsh nationality, its’ national Parliament and its’ language and place names as ‘woke waste nonsense’ backed up with orders that only the Union Flag and St George Cross can be flown from our public buildings pushing its’ Dover to Shetland, Great Yarmouth to Aberystwyth, one nation, one colour, one language agenda and banning all three of our flags and any others WE choose to fly in solidarity with our fellow HUMAN beings?
To be fair, they were probably talking about St George’s Cross with regards to England specifically. It would not necessarily be the same in Wales.
There is nothing woke about having your own Parliament and it is possible to make a right-wing case for it.
This may not be popular but, with the way things currently stand in the polls, after the election I could just see a Plaid led arrangement/coalition with the Tories. With Reform it becomes difficult for Plaid to rule out anything with 2 parties while castigating the third – Labour. They will back themselves into a corner. If they truly want to break out from the shadow of Labour perhaps the may need to think the unthinkable.
It will be same old same old Plaid/Labour rather than Labour/Plaid and everything will be Westminster’s fault.
Deal with reform and you become the fascists in power. Doomed as a party.
farage has no interest in wales apart from how far he can grift.
some democracy.
https://www.desmog.com/2025/05/07/reform-chair-zia-yusuf-accused-power-grab-new-constitution/
There is still more than 11 months to go. Plaid Cymru will need to further step up its campaign for Wales. There is no other party currently in a position that can save Wales, its Senedd and Democracy in Wales. We could work with the Liberal Democrats. How many seats would they actually hold after the next election in 2026 ? Labour and Conservative parties are in deep crisis and are disintegrating, perhaps we can appeal to their voters. We should be persuading those thinking of voting reform that they do have associations with Trump and Musk’s view of the… Read more »
No Never not at all Plaid to the left of politics Reform FAR FAR RIGHT Fascists in other words under Reform Wales will not exist everything will be controlled from London we will have no say in our country
Trojans said beware of Greeks bearing gifts us Welsh should say BEWARE OF REFORM BEARING GIFTS they would destroy what little say we have running our country like the Greeks destroyed Troy
Reading the full Rhun ap Iorwerth interview on another site, he seems to be rowing back very strongly on Independence. “Do not frighten the horses”. When challenged several times he stresses it’s definitely not a campaigning issue next time in the election, “it’s not the time”, not before 2030, it’s now all about “bread and butter” issues which can presumably be “fixed” within the current devolved framework. Which is a large step back from the Adam Price campaigning stance and the belief often expressed here by Plaid supporters that Independence is the only salvation. Apparently the Welsh people “will let… Read more »
Minority Govt, case by case. Look for consensus. No need for formal arrangements.
That is what Alex Salmond did in Scotland.