Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has called for Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan to “reprimand” Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the fuel cuts. As the Senedd reconvenes after the summer break, Mr. ap Iorwerth outlined three demands for the First Minister. Mrs. Morgan will be facing her first First Minister’s Questions today, where she will have 60 minutes to explain her government’s priorities.
Criticism has been directed at Mrs. Morgan’s “listening exercise” by Plaid Cymru, with Mr. ap Iorwerth labelling it a PR stunt due to the lack of concrete outcomes. Plaid Cymru’s leader highlighted three key priorities for Mrs. Morgan to address, including issuing a public reprimand to the Prime Minister for cutting winter fuel payments and maintaining certain policies. Additionally, he urged her to address the impact of further austerity on public services and demand fair funding for Wales, as well as reforming the NHS to tackle waiting lists.
Mr. ap Iorwerth emphasised the need for action from the Labour Welsh Government following what he described as a period of high NHS waiting lists, declining educational standards, and below-average wages compared to the UK average. With the 2026 Senedd election in focus, discussions about budgets between Labour and Plaid Cymru are currently not taking place, as Labour will likely need support from other parties to pass a budget.
The possibility of Plaid Cymru taking overall control following polling results that showed they could be one seat behind Labour post-general election remains uncertain. As Wales awaits further political developments, the call for constructive action to address pressing issues seems to take centre stage in the ongoing political dialogue.