Wales has been held back by ‘poverty of ambition,’ Plaid leader says

Wales is being held backmost by a “poverty of ambition”, the person of Plaid Cymru has said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth has said his enactment could beryllium the biggest successful Wales astatine the adjacent Senedd predetermination successful 2026, but it indispensable springiness the state a caller commencement and “build trust”.

Speaking astatine the party’s yearly league successful Cardiff connected Friday, helium said: “More than ever, poorness of ambition and paucity of ideas are holding Wales back.

“We tin proceed arsenic we are, oregon we tin alteration people – and successful 2026 the question facing the radical of Wales is this: judge 2nd champion and springiness Labour a 2nd chance, oregon instrumentality that archetypal measurement towards becoming the federation we cognize we tin beryllium by electing Plaid Cymru into authorities to pb Wales.”

No much sticking plaster, nary much blaming the individual, nary much passing the buck. This is grown-up authorities – taking responsibility, empowering radical and protecting the NHS

Rhun ap Iorwerth

The enactment won 4 seats successful the caller wide election, its champion effect ever.

While Plaid has ne'er won a Senedd election, the enactment has worked with Labour, astir precocious arsenic portion of a co-operation statement which Mr ap Iorwerth brought to an abrupt extremity successful May.

He utilized his league code to pledge to tackle issues successful the NHS successful Wales, with the state presently suffering the longest waiting lists connected record.

Mr ap Iorwerth vowed to put successful preventative wellness measures, to halt radical from needing to usage the NHS successful the archetypal place.

He said: “For excessively long, Labour’s precedence has been managing people’s symptom but I privation to support radical healthy.

“I tin denote that successful the archetypal 100 days of a Plaid Cymru authorities we volition bring guardant a caller budget, based connected the principles of a healthier, wealthier Wales, with a committedness that spending connected preventative wellness measures volition summation each year.

“No much sticking plaster, nary much blaming the individual, nary much passing the buck.

“This is grown-up authorities – taking responsibility, empowering radical and protecting the NHS.”

While helium stressed his party could not hole Wales’s issues overnight, helium insisted they could bash amended than the existent leadership.

He besides pledged to present a caller curate for nationalist wellness and committed to clearing the exigency attraction backlogs astatine Welsh hospitals earlier 2030.

This follows a captious incidental having been declared astatine Bridgend’s Princess of Wales Hospital earlier this week, aft harm was recovered to its roof.

He said: “Whilst this Government lurches from 1 sticking-plaster solution to the next, we look astatine the large representation and that request to alteration for the agelong term, moving crossed each of Government to execute it.

“We cognize that deprivation is hugely consequential for wellness – truthful our choler astatine Labour dropping kid poorness targets erstwhile the NHS needs each the assistance it tin get is nary surprise.”

Speaking to the PA quality agency, Mr ap Iorwerth said a nationalist wellness curate would differentiate itself from the wellness curate by focusing connected preventative issues, which helium said was needed to physique a sustainable NHS.

Asked wherever the wealth was coming from, helium argued the Welsh authorities needs to enactment with wellness boards to marque the NHS tally much effectively, insisting that concern successful preventative measures could prevention wealth down the line.