Plaid now a ‘threat’ to Westminster, says Liz Saville Roberts

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts has said her party now represents a political “threat” to the establishment, and that Westminster’s changing attitude towards Plaid is “a badge of honour”.

Addressing delegates at Plaid Cymru’s Spring Conference in Newport, Ms Saville Roberts argued that the party’s growing influence at UK level is evident in the tone of attacks from Labour ministers, particularly the Secretary of State for Wales.

“For over a decade I have observed how Westminster puts Wales in a box, and how its governments view Plaid Cymru,” she said.

“In the last year, something has shifted. The Westminster establishment no longer sees Plaid Cymru as a quaint, regional quirk of local politics, country mice who’ve landed in the big city. We are a threat.”

She pointed to repeated criticism from Jo Stevens, who has described Plaid as “separatists”, as evidence that Labour recognises the party’s rising profile.

“When the Secretary of State rolls out the same tired old clichéd attacks on Plaid Cymru as ‘separatists’, I say: bring it on. We are doing something right.

“We have earned that position as a threat. It’s a badge of honour.”

Following the 2024 general election, Plaid declared itself the official Welsh opposition in Westminster — a move Ms Saville Roberts acknowledged was “bold, possibly shameless”.

“But events have proven us correct,” she said, arguing that Plaid MPs Ann Davies and Llinos Medi were “by a country mile” the most active of the newly elected Welsh MPs in 2025.

The speech also placed significant emphasis on Plaid Cymru’s international ambitions.

Ms Saville Roberts said diplomats from the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Ireland had attended the conference, reflecting what she described as growing global interest in Wales.

“Our team in Westminster, led by Ben Lake as our International Affairs spokesperson, is ensuring that those we meet know our name and the name of our nation,” she said.

“When we meet international representatives in London, we tell them clearly: the next Welsh Government will be the most internationally-minded in our history.”

Brexit

She said such a government would work to “undo the curses of Brexit” and would “speak up when principle is at stake without waiting for permission from a UK Prime Minister”.

Ms Saville Roberts also warned of what she called “strong-arm politics” taking root in Wales, directly targeting Nigel Farage and Reform UK.

“Nigel Farage wants to copy and paste Trump’s playbook in Wales,” she said, accusing him of spreading misinformation and undermining Welsh institutions.

“In May, only Plaid Cymru can defeat the politics of bullying and intimidation. Hatred must not be allowed to take root here.

“We are proud that Wales is a Nation of Sanctuary. We can and must stop Reform. This is existential.”