Plaid Cymru Takes Helm in Wales, Ending Century of Labour Rule
Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth is new First Minister in Wales, ending 100 years of Labour rule. New cabinet announced. Find out what changes.
#PlaidCymru, #WalesPolitics, #FirstMinister, #LabourParty, #WelshGovernment
https://newsletter.tf/plaid-cymru-leads-wales-government-after-labour/
Plaid Cymru has taken over the Welsh Government, ending 100 years of Labour leadership. This is a major change for Wales.
#PlaidCymru, #WalesPolitics, #FirstMinister, #LabourParty, #WelshGovernment
https://newsletter.tf/plaid-cymru-leads-wales-government-after-labour/
Rhun ap Iorwerth sworn in as Wales' first non-Labour first minister
📰 Original title: Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth to unveil ministers for new Welsh government
🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅
Thought I'd let you in on a little secret, I've just signed up for email newsletters from the Welsh Government. Don't tell anyone cos they'll all want one, and then we might have an involved citizenship, and then we'd have a democracy to be proud of... Where will it all end! 😊🏴
What's next? For those who need a reminder, here's what Plaid Cymru have already told us Welsh Government will do in the first 100 days of their brand new first term in office. They clearly have a plan to hit the ground running. New Leadership for Wales. Arwain Cymru O'r Newydd. 🏴
https://www.partyof.wales/100days
#PlaidCymru #WelshGovernment #Senedd #NewLeadershipForWales #ArwainCymruOrNewydd #CymruAmByth
SENEDD ELECTION: Rhun ap Iorwerth to lead Plaid minority government after historic victory ends 27 years of Labour rule
Rhun ap Iorwerth will lead a minority Plaid Cymru government after the party’s historic victory in the Senedd election brought 27 years of Labour rule to an end.
Plaid won 43 seats in the expanded Senedd — six short of the 49 needed for a majority — with Labour reduced to just nine seats after a catastrophic night for the party.
Speaking outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, ap Iorwerth confirmed he would not seek a formal coalition, instead working with other parties on a case-by-case basis to pass legislation and budgets, saying he had spoken with other party leaders and would focus on building stability.
He told reporters he had always believed cooperation would be necessary to “make a reliable difference to the people of Wales,” adding that Plaid would seek what was right for Wales and act with “determination, ambition, and humility.”
“Plaid Cymru is ready to form the next government of Wales,” he told jubilant supporters gathered on the Senedd steps. “We are here as representatives of all of Wales — every community from Môn to Monmouth, from Flint to Tenby, from rural Powys to our bustling cities.”
While a minority government is a first for Plaid, it is not without precedent in Cardiff Bay — Labour itself never won more than half the seats at any Senedd election during its 27 years in power, and regularly governed without a majority.
The party hopes to hold a vote to formally install ap Iorwerth as First Minister on Tuesday, though the process is not entirely straightforward. Before that vote can take place, the Senedd must hold a secret ballot to elect a new presiding officer to replace Elin Jones, who held the post for the outgoing Labour administration.
No formal list of candidates for presiding officer has been confirmed, though Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies and the Conservatives’ Paul Davies have been among those discussed.
Ken Skates, Member of the Senedd for Fflint Wrecsam, was confirmed on Saturday afternoon as interim leader of Welsh Labour as the party begins to assess its position following its dramatic collapse at the polls. First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat and resigned as Welsh Labour leader on election night.
Ap Iorwerth described the election result as “a momentous piece of Welsh history,” telling the gathered crowd it had been built on a century of belief in Wales’s future. “Throughout our nation people have put their faith in Plaid Cymru in numbers never seen before,” he said.
He said the scale of the victory would change Wales’s relationship with Westminster, adding that no UK Prime Minister would now be able to ignore Wales’s needs. “No UK government, no UK minister, now or in the future, can cast Wales aside or turn a blind eye to our needs and our aspirations as a nation,” he said.
Jubilant scenes greeted ap Iorwerth and the new Plaid Senedd members as they arrived on the Senedd steps to cheers and whistles from hundreds of supporters waving red dragon and Owain Glyndŵr flags — scenes one reporter described as more reminiscent of a returning sports team than a political party.
Among those to greet him was former Plaid leader Leanne Wood, whom he stopped to embrace before addressing the crowd.
He ended his speech by inviting all parties to join Plaid in “an alliance” to pursue the mission on behalf of Wales, pledging the new government would bring “the competence that is needed, the compassion that is needed, the hope that is needed.”
“We will do everything we can to repay the faith that people have put in us,” he said. “We will build this nation every single day.”
Senedd Election 2026 — our coverage
Plaid Cymru largest party, Reform UK make historic breakthrough — the new political map of Wales
Full results and analysis from the night that changed Welsh politics.
Ken Skates appointed interim Welsh Labour leader after historic Senedd defeat
Labour picks up the pieces after being reduced to nine seats.
First Minister Eluned Morgan loses seat and resigns as Welsh Labour leader
A dramatic end to Labour’s era in government.
Gŵyr/Abertawe: Plaid top the poll as Reform UK and Labour also take seats
How Swansea voted in the Senedd election.
Brycheiniog, Tawe a Nedd: Reform UK tops the poll as Lib Dems hold and Labour wiped out
Results from the constituency covering the Swansea valleys.
Sir Gaerfyrddin: Reform UK and Plaid take three seats each as Adam Price returns
Labour wiped out in Carmarthenshire as Plaid and Reform dominate.
Welsh leader loses seat with Labour facing end of 104-year winning streak
Maps show who is winning in 2026 Scottish, Welsh and local elections
Tomorrow’s elections are about far more than Keir Starmer’s future
PORT TALBOT: Tata Steel sets out demands for next Welsh Government — as thousands of steelworkers live with the consequences of its £1.25bn transformation
Tata Steel has set out what it wants from whoever forms the next Welsh Government – publishing a list of demands on the eve of the Senedd election that could shape the future of one of Wales’s most important industries.
But the backdrop to those demands is stark.
The company’s £1.25 billion transformation of Port Talbot – backed by £500 million from the UK Government – has already led to thousands of job losses to date – a transformation that is still ongoing.
Both of Port Talbot’s blast furnaces were closed as part of the transition, with workers facing significant redundancies and, at one point, the threat of catastrophic Christmas pay cuts as Tata restructured its operations.
Production at both Port Talbot and the Trostre plant in Llanelli was also halted over the Christmas period amid weak demand – a move that added to anxiety among workers and communities already reeling from the scale of the changes.
EU steel tariffs have added further pressure, sparking fears for jobs at both Port Talbot and Llanelli.
The new Electric Arc Furnace at Port Talbot – the centrepiece of Tata’s investment – is due to come online in late 2027.
The company says it will cut the site’s carbon emissions by 90% and secure long-term steelmaking in Wales.
But questions remain about the long-term job picture – with EAF steelmaking requiring significantly fewer workers than the blast furnace operations it replaces.
Of the 10 to 11 million tonnes of scrap steel generated annually in the UK, approximately 80% is currently exported. Tata Steel says redirecting some of that domestic scrap toward the new EAF at Port Talbot will reduce reliance on imported coal and iron ore and strengthen economic resilience.
Against that backdrop, Tata Steel has published a five-point manifesto setting out what it needs from the next Welsh Government to make the transformation a success.
On skills, the company is calling for a full audit of the workforce needs across Wales’s steel and advanced manufacturing supply chain – warning that Wales already faces shortages in engineering roles that will intensify as major decarbonisation projects come online.
On research and innovation, Tata Steel already works with Swansea University, the University of Warwick and the University of Cambridge, and has committed £20 million to two new Centres of Innovation. But it says R&D funding levels in Wales are significantly below those available in comparable countries and is calling for better pilot facilities and less bureaucracy.
On energy costs, Tata Steel argues that high energy prices remain one of the biggest competitive disadvantages facing UK steel manufacturers compared to European rivals, and is calling on the Welsh Government to support a more favourable energy cost environment for energy-intensive industries.
On public procurement, Tata is asking the next Welsh Government to use its buying power to support domestic steel – pointing out that the UK steel sector now supplies only one third of the country’s overall demand.
The company also points to UK Government data estimating that 7.7 million tonnes of steel will be required for major public infrastructure projects over the next decade – an opportunity it says Welsh steel is well placed to serve, if the right conditions are in place.
The UK’s offshore wind pipeline alone could require up to 25 million tonnes of steel by 2050, representing a potential value of £21 billion to the UK steel market over the coming decades.
Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel UK, said the company was ready to invest if the policy conditions were right. “A stronger Britain depends on a strong British industrial base and Wales can be at the heart of that,” he said.
Tata’s transformation has been politically contentious throughout the Senedd election campaign, with parties divided on whether the UK Government’s £500 million support package was sufficient and what further backing Welsh steel communities deserve.
The company’s full manifesto – Creating a Secure Future for Welsh Steel – is available at tatasteeluk.com.
Polls open across Wales at 7am on Thursday and close at 10pm. The count and results are expected on Friday.
Our Tata Steel coverage
Steel plan sparks cautious hope — but big questions remain for Welsh jobs
Our report on the long-term employment picture as the EAF transition gets underway.
Government vows to ‘do whatever it takes’ — but critics warn over end of traditional steelmaking
The political reaction to the £1.25bn deal and what it means for Port Talbot.
Steelworkers face ‘catastrophic’ Christmas pay cuts as Tata plans extended shutdown
The human cost of the transition for workers and families.
EU’s 50% steel tariffs spark fears for Tata jobs in Port Talbot and Llanelli
How international trade pressures are adding to the pressure on Welsh steel.
Port Talbot steel gets new role in green energy future
Research into wind turbine towers made with local steel — the opportunity ahead.
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