Only a credible threat of independence will give Wales greater leverage in London – Adam Price

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price has today argued that “only a credible threat of independence” will give Wales the “leverage” it needs to take on Westminster.

He said that a Welsh government under his party’s leadership will “strengthen Wales’s hand” when it comes to dealing with the UK Government due to Plaid’s commitment to an independence referendum.

Adam Price said that if Wales’s voice is to be listened to by the UK Government, then it needed “new ideas and new energy for a new Wales” to ensure that the nation’s leadership was in tune with rising public support for Welsh independence.

In a direct appeal to all independence supports in Wales from the indy-curious to the indy-confident, Adam Price urged voters to “catch the turning tide” and ensure that the prospect of independence grows even stronger after May 6th.

“The most powerful thing in politics is momentum,” he said. “What Wales needs now is new ideas and new energy for a new Wales to enable a change of gear and ensure that our nation’s leadership is in tune with rising public support for independence.

“Scotland’s experience has taught us that the prospect of independence forces Westminster to listen. Only by electing a Plaid Cymru Government on May 6th will Wales’s hand be strengthened in challenging the Tory UK Government.

“A Plaid Cymru government will mean a stronger Wales – feared and respected by Westminster not neglected and ignored.  This will mean more investment and more powers,” he said.

“Only a credible threat of independence gives Wales greater leverage in London.”

‘Calamities’

The Plaid Cymru Leader added that Wales had benefitted from a “devolution dividend” during the pandemic but that independence was essential if Wales is to realise its full potential and be free from Westminster calamities.

“Success, where Wales has charted its own course during the pandemic, is a good argument for devolution but an even better argument for independence,” he said.

“We have seen a devolution dividend in the form of the NHS track and trace system for example, but Wales needs full independence if we’re to be free from Westminster calamities such as the failings of the Lighthouse Labs testing network, the cronyism of PPE contracts, and the flaws in the furlough system.”

Meanwhile, he said, HS2 was a “perfect example” of the difference in how Scotland and Wales were treated thanks to the latter’s credible threat of independence.

“Welsh taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for a multi-billion-pound project built entirely outside Wales whilst Scotland will receive consequential funding,” he said.

“Wales has never had a First Minister willing to stand up to Westminster and fight for better for our nation. What we have now is a First Minister arguing for powers over welfare to remain in Tory hands at Westminster, yet again putting his unionism before his socialism.

“It’s time to replace timidity with audacity and demand the respect that Wales deserves.

“That is why I urge everyone who is either curious about independence or confident in what we could achieve by putting Wales’s future in Wales’s hands to catch the turning tide by voting for Plaid Cymru to ensure that the prospect of independence grows even stronger after May 6th.”