SNP and Plaid Cymru begin talks for pro-independence alliance

Welsh castle with daffodils in front - Unsplash

By Iain McLean

First Minister John Swinney met with Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorweth on Thursday with an aim to create an alliance of independence parties.

The pair discussed creating a positive alternative to Westminster and the potential of Wales and Scotland having a similar approach to policies.

Iorweth, whose party secured a ground breaking victory in Caerphilly last week, stated that a Plaid Government would pilot a Welsh version of Scotland’s Child Payment scheme.

Welsh Government building - Getty Images

Swinney also stated that this alliance between the two governments would be able to resist the consuming of our politics by the far-right.

After the meeting, Swinney criticising Westminster said: “Westminster is not working for Scotland or Wales. Keir Starmer’s government has been an unmitigated disaster for both our nations.”

Iorweth followed this up and said: “By electing a Plaid Cymru government, able to forge a strong relationship with an SNP Scottish government, we can make our nations' voices heard in Westminster and demand that Wales gets parity of funding and powers with Scotland as the first step towards taking our future into our own hands."

First Minister John Swinney (right) with Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorweth (left) - Getty Images

There was opposition to this proposed alliance however with Reform UK’s Welsh Spokesperson who said: "Plaid Cymru are copying the SNP's homework, even though they have delivered the highest drug deaths in Europe, higher income tax than the rest of the UK and an obsession with breaking up the union to the detriment of our NHS."

Darren Millar, the Welsh Conservative leader, also criticised the proposed pact stating that the partnership of both parties was a “regressive alliance”. He went on to further criticise the pact and said: “There's nothing progressing about Plaid and the SNP's plans to tear apart the United Kingdom.

"These political parties pose a danger to our economic security that would cost every single family in Wales thousands of pounds each and every year, and put pensions, jobs and livelihoods at risk."

Rhun ap Iorweth will not have to wait long to see how the Welsh voters will react to his plans for the alliance or the piloting of new schemes as he faces his own Senedd elections, where he hopes to become Prime Minister in 2026.