Plaid Cymru leader rules out deals with ‘parties of the right’ as Senedd election looms
Rhun ap Iorwerth has ruled out entering any post-election deals with the Conservatives or Reform UK, insisting his party will instead lead efforts to build a “progressive alliance” to keep the far right out of government after next May’s Senedd election.
Speaking to PoliticsHome, the leader of Plaid Cymru said he had made it “abundantly clear that there won’t be formal deals with the parties of the right”, describing his views as “diametrically opposed” to Reform and warning the Conservatives face an “existential wipeout” in Wales.
Polls suggest next year’s contest—held under a new voting system that will expand the Senedd from 60 to 96 members—will be dominated by Plaid Cymru and Reform, with neither likely to secure a majority.
Six Members of the Senedd will be elected from each of 16 new constituencies, making coalitions or agreements all but inevitable.
Ap Iorwerth said Plaid will make the case that it represents “positive change, especially in contrast with the divisiveness that would inevitably follow the prospect of a Reform government.”
He added: “Labour will have to recognise that surely that is a better option for Wales than the Reform option.”
Mr Ap Iorwerth said he wanted to see a “firewall”-style agreement—similar to the pact used in Germany to block the far right—develop ahead of the election.
“We have a stark choice facing Wales next year,” he said. “Polls for over a year have pointed to two parties out in front: Plaid Cymru topping the polls; Reform on a significant proportion of the vote.
People are looking for a way of showing that they want to reject that divisive political right. And that’s got to be Plaid.”
Kemi Badenoch
His comments come as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch signalled her party could consider a post-election deal with Reform in Cardiff Bay.
While ruling out any pact at Westminster, she told BBC Wales last week that local-level coalitions are possible where there is “no clear winner”, leaving the question open for Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar.
A Reform UK Wales spokesperson claimed the Senedd election would be a “two-horse race between Reform and Plaid Cymru,” arguing Conservative voters were turning to Reform out of frustration.
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Good decision. He doesn’t need to share a bed with despicable and hate.
I doubt there’ll be any formal agreements way things are going. The only one left really that will both make up the numbers and be politically possible is Lab-PC. Yet it’s hard to imagine what benefit Labour in wales would think they might get from it as the smaller party. Plaids whole (quite successful) political strategy centres largely on a relentless hostility to the Labour government in Westminster. There wouldn’t be a week that would go by where the group in Wales wouldn’t be placed in the middle of some argument. With the constant question begging as to who do… Read more »
It’s a good short term strategy. Not sure how this works in government when have to deliver! Rhun is an ex journalist and clearly a good communicator -and a good person to boot – but they will have a honey moon period and then questions will asked on what they’re doing NHS waiting times, 3rd crossing etc etc. The only major politician in the UK to be a journalist since Churchill’s time was BoJo!
Corbyn worked for his local rag during his very brief time in the real world, left after a disagreement over wanting only his own way!
Ah Bojo the vaccinator.
“what benefit Labour in wales would think they might get from it”
They will do it if that’s what the voting public ask them to do. Elected representatives are public servants, not a private members club. Other than Conservatives of course.
Plaid would be very unwise to enter into a formal coalition with what’s left of Welsh Labour for the reasons you state; but also because they would be quickly tarnished by it providing an open goal for the Reform opposition. A confidence and supply deal would be far more beneficial, possibly involving the Libs and Greens too. Straight out of the SNP playbook and it worked for them.
The risks of that approach is losing the benefit of having Labour members with experience of government in the cabinet, and a Labour deputy FM to act as a conduit with London Labour. There’s no point making governance more difficult than it needs to be.
Will Rhun shut down the Senedd Crypt Cult in view of a likely tenth Crusade coming out of the USA and the Senedd having its own Church of Twmp representatives in place already…
A secular safe space in the headquarters of the Nation of Sanctuary for the sake of Democracy…
Pretty obvious really. The choices are between a labour/plaid (maybe a lib dem in numbers needed) ‘coalition’ or a tory/reform ‘coalition’. Suspect tories, labour and plaid would prefer to provide votes on a confidence and supply basis.
Normally parties try to become more moderate before elections, to be accepted by the masses, But in difficult times it’s all about polarity to the extremes, which gets worse after the election, whoever wins.
Labour/Plaid/RedGreens/LibDems/FriutnNut will split their vote as they all lurch to the left, offering everything to everyone.
Meanwhile on the nasty right: Kemi Badenoch doesn’t rule out post-Senedd election Tory-Reform deal – BBC News
So after an election where Reform and Plaid are the biggest parties and Tories are third and the only party Plaid could go into a Plaid lead coalition with to make a majority are the Conservatives (little or no chance Greens or Lib Dems will get enough seats) Plaid would say no to the Tories and give them their blessing to run Wales with the far-right Reform?
With Farage under mass media scrutiny for electoral overspending and racist, antisemitic behaviour in the past which he can neither condemn or apologise for, it says much for those who choose to vote for him and his ideals.
Ah, do they who back him really care how much of a dodgy geezer he might be? Boris attracted huge support for a while despite ample evidence that he was a bad’un. A thick seam of deviance and/or corruption runs through politics today so be very careful who you support and never be surprised when they too turn out to be bent.
The problem is that if you do deals with parties that have extreme views – Your Party and The Greens are certainly in this category – then their more extreme policies are used as a stick to beat you with. They can also be political kryptonite, pushing away moderate voters who really want to give you a chance but can’t stomach the lunatics. PC should be bold and confident enough to win power on its own and should develop the policies that will encourage a broad segment of people to vote for it. New Labour in the 90s was the… Read more »
I would like to educate the ignorant Westminster Tory leader that ours is not a ‘local level’ election but a NATIONAL election to our NATIONAL Parliament. Happy to help.
A fairly safe commitment given the only party of the right is likely to be Reform. However there’s an outside chance that all Welsh Con candidates jump to Reform, forcing the Cons to hastily recruit from the pool of centre right moderates they purged in 2019. In that unlikely situation a deal might be possible as it nearly was in 2007.
I think he’s fully aware that once parties associate with extreme right criminal groups, that no one with any sense of decency would support them ever again.