#firstministerofwales — Public Fediverse posts

SENEDD ELECTION: Rhun ap Iorwerth to lead Plaid minority government after historic victory ends 27 years of Labour rule

Rhun ap Iorwerth will lead a minority Plaid Cymru government after the party’s historic victory in the Senedd election brought 27 years of Labour rule to an end.

Plaid won 43 seats in the expanded Senedd — six short of the 49 needed for a majority — with Labour reduced to just nine seats after a catastrophic night for the party.

Speaking outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, ap Iorwerth confirmed he would not seek a formal coalition, instead working with other parties on a case-by-case basis to pass legislation and budgets, saying he had spoken with other party leaders and would focus on building stability.

He told reporters he had always believed cooperation would be necessary to “make a reliable difference to the people of Wales,” adding that Plaid would seek what was right for Wales and act with “determination, ambition, and humility.”

“Plaid Cymru is ready to form the next government of Wales,” he told jubilant supporters gathered on the Senedd steps. “We are here as representatives of all of Wales — every community from Môn to Monmouth, from Flint to Tenby, from rural Powys to our bustling cities.”

While a minority government is a first for Plaid, it is not without precedent in Cardiff Bay — Labour itself never won more than half the seats at any Senedd election during its 27 years in power, and regularly governed without a majority.

The party hopes to hold a vote to formally install ap Iorwerth as First Minister on Tuesday, though the process is not entirely straightforward. Before that vote can take place, the Senedd must hold a secret ballot to elect a new presiding officer to replace Elin Jones, who held the post for the outgoing Labour administration.

No formal list of candidates for presiding officer has been confirmed, though Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies and the Conservatives’ Paul Davies have been among those discussed.

Ken Skates, Member of the Senedd for Fflint Wrecsam, was confirmed on Saturday afternoon as interim leader of Welsh Labour as the party begins to assess its position following its dramatic collapse at the polls. First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat and resigned as Welsh Labour leader on election night.

Ap Iorwerth described the election result as “a momentous piece of Welsh history,” telling the gathered crowd it had been built on a century of belief in Wales’s future. “Throughout our nation people have put their faith in Plaid Cymru in numbers never seen before,” he said.

He said the scale of the victory would change Wales’s relationship with Westminster, adding that no UK Prime Minister would now be able to ignore Wales’s needs. “No UK government, no UK minister, now or in the future, can cast Wales aside or turn a blind eye to our needs and our aspirations as a nation,” he said.

Jubilant scenes greeted ap Iorwerth and the new Plaid Senedd members as they arrived on the Senedd steps to cheers and whistles from hundreds of supporters waving red dragon and Owain Glyndŵr flags — scenes one reporter described as more reminiscent of a returning sports team than a political party.

Among those to greet him was former Plaid leader Leanne Wood, whom he stopped to embrace before addressing the crowd.

He ended his speech by inviting all parties to join Plaid in “an alliance” to pursue the mission on behalf of Wales, pledging the new government would bring “the competence that is needed, the compassion that is needed, the hope that is needed.”

“We will do everything we can to repay the faith that people have put in us,” he said. “We will build this nation every single day.”

Senedd Election 2026 — our coverage

Plaid Cymru largest party, Reform UK make historic breakthrough — the new political map of Wales
Full results and analysis from the night that changed Welsh politics.

Ken Skates appointed interim Welsh Labour leader after historic Senedd defeat
Labour picks up the pieces after being reduced to nine seats.

First Minister Eluned Morgan loses seat and resigns as Welsh Labour leader
A dramatic end to Labour’s era in government.

Gŵyr/Abertawe: Plaid top the poll as Reform UK and Labour also take seats
How Swansea voted in the Senedd election.

Brycheiniog, Tawe a Nedd: Reform UK tops the poll as Lib Dems hold and Labour wiped out
Results from the constituency covering the Swansea valleys.

Sir Gaerfyrddin: Reform UK and Plaid take three seats each as Adam Price returns
Labour wiped out in Carmarthenshire as Plaid and Reform dominate.

#FirstMinister #FirstMinisterOfWales #PlaidCymru #RhunApIorwerthMS #SeneddElection2026 #WelshGovernment

Welsh Government demands urgent UK action as Port Talbot steel transition faces trade threat

The First Minister revealed she pressed the Prime Minister on the issue during a meeting last week, describing the need for UK Government action as “urgent” as the sector faces challenges including high energy costs, global overcapacity and growing trade barriers.

In a written statement published yesterday, Ms Morgan said the Welsh Government is calling for the UK Steel Strategy to be published “as a matter of utmost urgency” to provide clarity and confidence for workers and industry.

The intervention comes as Tata Steel UK’s transition to electric arc furnace steelmaking is firmly underway at Port Talbot, with the new 3.2 million tonne per annum facility due to be commissioned in late 2027 or early 2028.

Ms Morgan said EU trade measures have the potential to have “drastic consequences” for the Welsh steel sector at a time when it is already under immense trading pressure due to US tariffs and global overcapacity.

“The EU is our closest and strongest trading partner on steel, and we have been very clear with the UK Government that we urgently need to see it make a strong case for the EU to preserve our existing arrangements, especially at a time when our sector is transitioning to net zero,” the First Minister said.

The Welsh Government has also pressed the critical need for the UK to have robust steel measures to replace the UK steel safeguards, which are due to expire in June 2026.

“We have been clear that Wales and the UK cannot be left in a situation where all our major partners are implementing solutions to protect their steel sector, only to leave us open to potential dumping,” Ms Morgan said.

First Minister Eluned Morgan speaks with Tata Steel UK CEO Rajesh Nair at a recent Transition Board meeting in Port Talbot
(Image: Tata Steel UK)

She said Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans heard firsthand from steel unions last week about their concerns for the sector.

The Welsh Government said robust steel measures are vital to the preservation of the steel industry in Wales and the UK, especially when considering the global overcapacity of steel and increased steel tariffs driven primarily by US tariffs on the sector.

Despite the challenges, the US continues to be an important market for Welsh steel, according to the Welsh Government, which said it continues to work with the UK Government to find a solution with the US that supports the steel sector.

The Welsh Government said it understands that the recent US Supreme Court ruling has no bearing on steel and therefore the UK Government needs to agree and implement the tariff-free quota for UK steel into the US as agreed under the UK-US economic prosperity deal, whilst considering the unique transitioning needs of the Welsh steel sector.

More broadly, the Welsh Government said the sector wants to see a truly competitive electricity pricing structure, greater leverage for using UK steel through public procurement, robust trade remedies and protection against carbon leakage.

Ms Morgan said the proposed UK Government Steel Strategy is an important piece of work investigating the policy issues the domestic steel sector continues to face, as well as researching the best opportunities for capital investment.

“The Welsh Government is calling for the strategy to be afforded the absolute top priority that it deserves, and that publication is made as a matter of utmost urgency,” she said.

“Industry needs clarity, and our steel workforce needs transparency and confidence.”

The Welsh Government said it understands the UK Steel Strategy is now due to be published in March.

Tata Steel’s Morfa Coke Ovens at its Port Talbot steelworks (Image: Tata Steel)

Tim Rutter, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Tata Steel UK, welcomed the First Minister’s statement.

“It’s encouraging to see the Welsh Government continuing to champion the needs of the steel sector at such a critical time,” Mr Rutter said.

“Their call for urgent clarity on trade measures and the UK Steel Strategy echoes what our workforce and communities need – stability, certainty and a policy framework that supports a sustainable future for steelmaking in Wales.

“We look forward to continued constructive engagement as the sector navigates this period of transition.”

Tata Steel ceased ironmaking at its Port Talbot site in October 2024 and temporarily paused steelmaking pending the construction of the electric arc furnace. During that period, the business is importing slab and hot rolled coil to support manufacturing and distribution operations at sites across Wales, England and Northern Ireland.

The company has been undergoing a restructuring that will reduce the size of its workforce to around 5,000 direct employees, who it says will supply high-quality steel products to demanding markets including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering.

Tata Steel UK says its ambition is to produce net-zero steel by 2045 at the latest, and to have reduced 30 per cent of its CO2 emissions by 2030.

#ElunedMorganMS #EUTrade #FirstMinisterOfWales #industry #PortTalbot #PortTalbotSteelworks #RajeshNair #TataSteel #TataSteelTransitionBoard #TataSteelworks #USSteelTariff #USTariffs #WelshGovernment #WelshSteel