Plaid Cymru rejects calls to do a deal with the Tories to keep Labour from power
Plaid Cymru has rejected calls from the Welsh Secretary for the party to do a deal with the Conservatives to keep Labour out of power.
David TC Davies’ suggestion that Plaid enter into an agreement with his party at the next Senedd election in 2026 has been dismissed.
A Plaid spokeswoman has branded Mr TC Davies’ suggestion that there was “no reason in principle” the two parties could not work together a “scramble for relevance”.
In a briefing last week, Mr Davies told Nation.Cymru there were two strands of Plaid, one that sees itself as socialist and another that is more “conservative with a small ‘c’.”
He said: “I don’t see why you couldn’t work with them.
“I don’t think the party in the Senedd should rule out a coalition.
“I would have no issue with that at all.”
‘Scramble’
In response, a Plaid Cymru spokeswoman said: “Ever since Vaughan Gething was confirmed as Wales’ First Minister, the Conservatives in Wales have been offering him their votes.
“This is the latest scramble for relevance in the face of impending electoral oblivion.”
When Mr Gething was selected as the leader of the Welsh government last month, Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd said he was willing to work with him to scrap Labour policies established under Mark Drakeford.
This included a 20mph speed limit for built-up areas and a proposed farming subsidy scheme.
Mr RT Davies ruled out working with Plaid during the 2021 election.
Labour has controlled the Senedd, formerly the National Assembly, since it was established in 1999.
However, the party has never had outright control of the government, relying on agreements with other parties, including one with Plaid which will expire at the end of 2024.
The Welsh Conservatives were contacted for comment.
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That’s desperation. Plaid are to the left of labour and the far right tories think they will team up. Plaid ain’t the lib demo after all
It’s reassuring for it to be confirmed by a Plaid Cymru (PC) spokeswoman that there is no way they will enter into a coalition with the tories.
Another very good reason why people should vote PC!
If the Tories were to revert back to the centre ground then it may be unwise for Plaid not to rule it out. Labour have been in power in Wales since the late 90s, that cannot be healthy for democracy. Furthermore the threat of Labour going into opposition might actually give Plaid some bargaining power.
Deal with the tory party means ARTD who rates Truss, thought she was great, Johnson, Braverman and 30p. Some one who would take us out of the ECHR. Someone who takes orders from No10. Graces GBeebies and Farage. And loves blankets. Deal with them and you remove any credibility for your own party for a decade.
DD and ARTD are all over the place – unfortunatly for us – its NOT Wales where they should be fighting for this place NOT their own futures.
It the Tories were to revert back to the way they were under Nick Bourne and David Melding (centre-right, pro-devolution, pro-Wales etc), then I would be okay with a Plaid-Tory coalition. It would provide voters with a real democratic alternative to Welsh Labour’s hegemony. Unfortunately though R2D2 Davies has no independence from his London masters, and since Boris purged all the moderates within his party the Conservatives are now more like UKIP than anything else. They are hostile to devolution, obsessed with Brexit and immigration, and are being driven further to the right by the likes of Reform UK. Even… Read more »
Unless something new springs up in the centre ground. Something broadly pro-Wales: pro Welsh farming, business, culture. And pro Welsh liberties: free speech, no cancelling bank accounts or careers. Dominion Status please. 90% Indy, get the Monarchy onside. Was OK for the rest of the British Empire when colonies like Wales got on their route to Indy. Only Wales stalled (pre-1914) the rest have now got Indy.
“Was OK for the rest of the British Empire when colonies like Wales got on their route to Indy. “ That’s not really correct. It might be sort of true for what were known as the White Dominions if you exclude Ireland and Newfoundland. For others they skipped Dominion status, or established Republics soon after. Dominion status seems like a way of giving something for monarchists to cling onto and of giving a fig leaf to the imperial power which can pretend that’s it’s role is not redundant. Both of which might be useful in Cymru’s route to independence. But Dominion… Read more »
Why the hell would Rhun ap Iorwerth & Plaid Cymru do a dirty deal with the Welsh Conservatives to keep our Welsh Labour when the treacherous Tories have at every opportunity repeatedly stabbed Wales in the back? It would be suicidal. Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives are lightyears apart politically. Both WS David TC Davies & LWC Andrew RT Davies are the tweedle dumb and dumber of Welsh politics who are stuck in the stone age. May I remind that fool David TC Davies of his remarks made about HS2, and I quote. “Wales should not get one penny… Read more »
I don’t necessarily disagree with your comments about the Tories. However, you say that it would be “suicide” for Plaid Cymru. This has already happened. Being Labour’s gophers (as one contributor has called them) has driven away many, many supporters who recognise something Rhun ap Iorwerth and his predecessors refuse to admit. It is Labour that is in power in Wales, it is Labour that has presided over a collapsing health service, it is Labour’s lack of economic direction that drives poverty. Labour is the enemy within, and will become even more so under another gopher – Starmer’s little helper,… Read more »
All Plaid Cymru care about is power and getting into government no matter what. Any party who backs a closed list system is clearly not acting for the benefit of Wales.
Talk of soul selling, would Plaid even have a soul to sell to the Conservatives? The soul has already been sold to the red Labour devil with the cost of long term pain for the party as a whole and the people of Wales.
I think you are spending too much time listening to the waves my friend. No one joins PC for “ power “ and while perhaps – indeed you have a point re the party hack list system – history and practice disproves your main point. if you want power – then join or support Labour for Ministerial office and leave Plaid – as Elystan Morgan, DET and Alun Davies did…..etc etc. Or pethaps the Tories like Guto Bebb. Our recent national history is full of these power seeking folk who used PC as a base before moving on to where… Read more »
Plaid have bought the illusion of power. Cushy option talking at top table and having some crumbs attributed to them. Yet our national economic performance, the thing that would really pay for some big improvements is languishing in the gutter. So SYM has a point but it’s the illusion and that’s a cheap deal for Labour who get to hang on to real power.
Ieuan Wyn Jones had the opportunity to become First Minister of Wales in 2007, but gave that up to be junior partners under Labour.
A touch of truth in your coment for sure but it was most think the mixture of fearing a party split via the likes of DET etc and the unreliable nature of the non labour grouping.
Who in their right minds would do deals with T. C. Davies!!!!
To imagine that Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives could govern Wales in coalition would be like expecting Sinn Fein and the DUP to form a joint administration to run Northern Ireland. What an absurd idea!
With the exception of Years when Stormont has been suspended,Sinn Fein and The DUP have been running the NI Assembly for over a decade.
Did you ever hear the term Chuckle Brother’s for Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness !
Is Blegwryd being a touch ironic and gone over most people’s heads ?
If David TC Davies loses his Monmouthshire seat which I believe he is currently projected to do so then he will probably look to stand in an expanded Senedd. If so he will probably challenge R2D2 Davies for Tory Senedd leader after the 2026 election.