Plaid may not finish its term, Reform leader claims

Reform's Welsh leader has said Plaid Cymru is at risk of not being able to complete its first four years in power.

The party could not get its mid-year spending plans through the Senedd in the summer, with no major opposition group offering support.

Despite First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth saying he has learned lessons and Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates indicating he wanted a budget deal with Plaid, Dan Thomas said it was "hard to see how this Welsh government will last the duration of the term".

Thomas claimed his party had showed itself to be a credible alternative dubbing Reform a "strong voice for the left-behind communities".

Reform won 34 of the 96 Senedd seats in May's election, making them the official opposition to Plaid Cymru's government in Cardiff Bay.

Thomas criticised the Welsh government for failing to get support for its extra spending plans in the Senedd.

Reform voted against them for failing to meet its "red lines" on issues like cutting overseas spending.

Thomas said his party had showed it could build consensus in the Senedd and "give a voice to the voiceless".

He said: "Plaid Cymru have been unable to secure support for their financial measures in Cardiff Bay.

"If that trend continues, it's hard to see how this Welsh government will last the duration of the term."

A government may not complete a term if, for example, it lost a vote of no confidence which triggered an election it then lost.

Reform, he said, would be "prepared to take the reins" and govern in Wales' interests.

Thomas is expected to use his speech at Reform's Birmingham conference on Friday to point to his own party's record since May.

It has won support for Senedd motions on bovine TB, legal protection for care leavers and for a lobbyist register for Wales.

He will also say the party will push for a greater representation for Wales in the UK inquiry into grooming gangs, and will call on other parties to "support our call for action" on grooming gangs.

A call for a Wales-specific inquiry into grooming gangs from Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar in 2025 led to cross-party agreement that one should be considered by Welsh government.