Rhun ap Iorwerth’s party says plan is radical and fully costed as it bids to lead next Welsh government

PLAID CYMRU has launched its manifesto for the 2026 Senedd election, setting out a programme focused on childcare, health, education and tackling child poverty as the party seeks to convince voters it is ready for government.

With opinion polls suggesting Plaid could be in contention for its strongest ever Senedd result, the party is presenting itself as a serious alternative administration under leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Rather than putting major constitutional change at the centre of the campaign, Plaid’s manifesto concentrates heavily on public services and living standards. While the party continues to support Welsh independence, it is not proposing an independence referendum during a first term in government.

Instead, Plaid says it would establish a national commission for Wales, with a budget of £500,000, to examine future constitutional options including further devolution and the foundations for a future white paper on independence.

On education, Plaid is promising to widen access to free school meals. The party says it would extend free meals to year seven to 11 pupils in households receiving Universal Credit, with no income cap. It is also pledging new incentives to attract teachers and says it wants to strengthen Welsh-medium education.

However, questions remain over whether enough Welsh-speaking staff could be recruited to support the scale of expansion Plaid is proposing across childcare and education.

The party is also promising a review of the Curriculum for Wales, alongside clearer guidance for teachers, in what appears to be an acknowledgement of continuing concern about how the reforms are working in practice.

In health, Plaid says it wants to cut waiting times, although the manifesto itself does not contain a detailed overall target. Rhun ap Iorwerth has said that under a Plaid-led government no-one would be waiting two years for treatment within the first year, with wider waiting lists brought back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of a Senedd term.

The manifesto also says Plaid would consider “all options” for reforming Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in north Wales, leaving open the possibility of structural change at Wales’ largest health board.

On higher education, Plaid says it would prioritise a review of universities and their funding amid growing financial pressure in the sector. The party says it wants to ensure more Welsh government spending on higher education remains in Wales.

The manifesto also proposes refocusing the Seren programme towards Welsh universities and boosting participation from disadvantaged communities. Critics, however, may argue that such a move risks narrowing options for the most academically able students.

Housing and tourism policy also feature prominently. Plaid says it will review the effectiveness of current second homes and self-catering holiday let rules, including the controversial requirement for holiday lets to be rented out for at least 182 days a year to avoid being treated as second homes for council tax purposes.

That rule has been defended by those concerned about housing shortages in tourism hotspots, but it has come under strong criticism from tourism operators who say it is harming local businesses.

Plaid is also proposing to explore a Welsh child payment of £10 a week for children under six in families receiving Universal Credit. The idea would begin as a pilot scheme aimed at addressing child poverty.

But there are doubts over how easily such a scheme could be delivered, given that Wales does not have the same benefits powers as Scotland, where a similar payment already exists. Any full rollout could depend on cooperation from the UK government.

Taken together, the manifesto suggests Plaid Cymru is trying to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional base, offering a platform centred less on constitutional change and more on bread-and-butter issues such as health, schools, housing and family finances.

Whether that approach is enough to persuade voters Plaid is ready to run Wales may prove one of the defining questions of the 2026 election campaign.

FINAL-YEAR student nurses training in west Wales say they are facing the “very real possibility” of unemployment after being told a key recruitment process has been delayed because of a shortage of available posts.

Members of the S23 Adult Nursing cohort based in Carmarthen have written to The Herald describing growing alarm and frustration after being informed that streamlining, the process used to match newly qualified nurses to jobs, had been postponed for a second time.

The cohort said the delay had left students fearing they could complete three years of demanding training only to find there were no jobs waiting for them in the NHS in Wales.

In a letter sent to The Herald, the students said: “We are not writing this letter out of anger, but out of deep desperation and disappointment. After all our hard work, we are now being faced with the very real possibility of unemployment.”

The students said they had spent the past three years training and working across hospital and community settings, carrying out the full range of duties expected of nursing staff while completing the 2,300 hours required to qualify.

They said that had meant working days, nights, weekends and holidays, missing important family events, and taking on emotionally and physically demanding duties without pay.

The cohort wrote: “We have cleaned bodily fluids, administered medication, witnessed and assisted in surgical procedures, dressed wounds, rehabilitated patients and performed CPR. We have supported patients and families across all stages of life, from supporting new mothers to holding a patient’s hand as they take their last breaths.”

They added: “We have done all this, without salaries, driven by the belief in our NHS, our desire to serve our wider community, and our understanding that we, as nurses, are in high demand.”

However, students say that confidence has now been shaken.

They told The Herald that on Monday, April 7, many were preparing to enter streamlining the following day when they received an email stating that the planned date of April 8 would no longer go ahead.

Instead, the process has been pushed back until May 11 because the number of available roles is said to be significantly lower than the number of graduating students.

Students say they have been warned that even with the delay, the problem is not expected to be resolved.

There are 23 student nurses in the Carmarthen adult nursing cohort alone. One student told The Herald the issue is likely to affect far more people across Wales, including students on adult, paediatric, mental health and learning disability pathways.

She said there are an estimated 130 adult nursing students across Carmarthen and Swansea campuses, although the full number affected across all courses and universities is not yet known.

The students said they are now facing uncertainty over how they will support themselves once student funding comes to an end.

They wrote: “We have spent three years being unable to take on regular work, in order to prioritise our studies. When our student funding ends, how will we survive? How will we support our families?

“How have we been able to train for jobs that don’t exist?”

The cohort said they had been led to believe that training as nurses would provide a clear path into employment, particularly as those receiving NHS bursary support are expected to work in Wales for two years after qualifying.

Although the Royal College of Nursing has reportedly indicated that students who fail to secure a role would not be required to repay their funding, the cohort says this does not address the wider problem.

They stressed that they do not blame their university, which they said had been “honest, transparent and supportive” throughout the course, but said urgent action was now needed.

The students are calling for answers on why there was so little warning, whether newly qualified nurses will be allowed to seek work outside Wales if no posts are available, and why so many students continue to be recruited into nursing courses if there are not enough jobs at the end of training.

One student told The Herald she was willing to speak publicly about the issue. She said the cohort has already sent its letter to members of Hywel Dda University Health Board and is in the process of sending it to others across Wales, including the university, the Welsh Government and the RCN.

So far, she said, only the RCN has responded.

The Herald has approached Hywel Dda University Health Board, Health Education and Improvement Wales, the Welsh Government and the Royal College of Nursing for comment.

First Minister Eluned Morgan says renewables, apprenticeships and retraining will drive growth, while warning that rival parties risk business confidence

WELSH LABOUR has set out a fresh pitch to voters on jobs, apprenticeships and green industry ahead of the Senedd election, with First Minister Eluned Morgan claiming her party offers the stability needed to attract future investment to Wales.

During a visit to electrical firm Dec Elec in Aberdare on Thursday (Apr 9), the Welsh Labour leader met staff and apprentices to discuss expansion opportunities linked to renewable energy infrastructure and skills development.

The visit formed part of Labour’s wider economic message for the election campaign, with the party promising a new industrial strategy for Wales, more apprenticeships and a long-term retraining scheme for workers whose industries are changing.

Speaking during the visit, Baroness Morgan said Welsh Labour wanted to “move into the next chapter of the Welsh economy” by investing in what she described as “the jobs of the future”.

She said the party’s plans would include a new industrial strategy, further apprenticeship opportunities in areas such as renewables and planning, and a “Lifelong Retraining Guarantee” aimed at helping workers adapt at any stage of their careers.

Labour has also pledged to create a National Jobs Council chaired by the First Minister, deliver 100,000 all-age apprenticeships over the next Senedd term, and speed up the planning system to support economic development.

Other promises include a new strategy for vocational education and training, targeted support for the South Wales Valleys, backing for Welsh steel through public procurement, and work to unlock major projects in north Wales including Wylfa and the proposed AI Growth Zone.

At the Aberdare visit, third-year apprentice Jordan said his apprenticeship had helped him gain practical skills that would have been difficult to learn in the classroom alone. He said expanding apprenticeships would help more young people gain hands-on experience and improve their chances of finding work.

Labour also used the visit to draw political dividing lines with its opponents. Baroness Morgan claimed Reform UK’s opposition to net-zero projects would put jobs at risk, while also arguing that Plaid Cymru’s support for independence and its approach to renewable energy could deter business investment.

Those claims are likely to be strongly contested during the campaign, with opposition parties expected to argue that their own policies would provide a better route to economic growth, energy security and stronger public services.

The row underlines how jobs, industrial policy and the future of green investment are set to become major battlegrounds in the run-up to polling day.

Welsh Labour is seeking to present itself as the party of economic continuity and managed transition, while opponents are likely to question whether its record in government matches the scale of the promises now being made.