Plaid Cymru has launched what it calls a "radical and responsible" election manifesto ahead of next month's Welsh Senedd elections, promising universal childcare from nine months old, up to 100 new GPs, and the establishment of a national commission to explore Welsh independence.
Party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth unveiled the plans in Wrexham on Thursday, describing the upcoming election as a "turning point" for Wales. The manifesto focuses on four key priorities: reducing NHS waiting times, supporting families with cost-of-living pressures, creating jobs, and raising education standards.
Among the most significant proposals is a commitment to provide 20 hours of weekly childcare for all children aged nine months to four years, phased in over the next Senedd term ending in 2030. The party also plans a £10 weekly child payment pilot for children up to six years old in low-income households receiving Universal Credit.
Healthcare reforms take center stage, with pledges to eliminate two-year NHS waiting lists within the first year of a Plaid government and return waiting times to pre-pandemic levels within four years. The party plans to create ten new surgical hubs and recruit up to 100 additional GPs to expand out-of-hours care.
Ap Iorwerth emphasized the plan's feasibility, stating: "The transformational programme set out in this manifesto is radical and responsible. Ambitious, yes, but rigorously costed and fully deliverable." He noted that economist Gerry Holtham, who previously reviewed Wales' funding arrangements, had assessed Plaid's plans as "detailed, careful and crucially achievable."
On constitutional matters, the manifesto outlines plans for a "national commission for Wales" that would engage citizens in discussions about Wales' constitutional future and lay groundwork for potential independence. However, the party has explicitly ruled out holding an independence referendum during its first term in government.
Ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales: "Our pledge is to govern with hope - to govern with humility, to govern with a kind of urgency and impatience which gets things done. No more bending to Westminster's will. No more toeing the London party line."
Other notable proposals include:
- Establishing a business-led National Development Agency to secure investment and maintain Welsh ownership of companies
- Implementing a "foundational literacy and numeracy plan" to improve educational standards
- Ending no-fault evictions and limiting annual rent increases to wage growth or inflation
- Devolving control of the Crown Estate, rail services, and justice systems from UK to Welsh authorities
When questioned about the cost of the independence commission, ap Iorwerth estimated it would require "a few hundred thousand, half a million pounds in the budget for the year after next."
With opinion polls suggesting Plaid Cymru is competing with Reform UK for first place in the May 7 election, the party hopes to form a minority government with support from other Senedd members. Ap Iorwerth expressed willingness to collaborate, stating: "I've been explicit that a Plaid Cymru government would want to be co-operative... where you have minority governments, you need to find those elements of common ground."
Plaid Cymru has never won a Welsh election outright but has previously supported Labour-led governments in Cardiff Bay.