Plaid Cymru's Senedd election manifesto launch saw leader Rhun ap Iorwerth say the party offered "a different path" offering to "govern with hope" with "no more bending to Westminster's will".

At the event in Wexham, we also heard:

• The party plans to give "transformative" offer for childcare worth £30,000
• Ap Iorwerth said the party would "review the effectiveness" of the rules on second homes and tourism lets

• The party wants to explore the possibility of a "Welsh child payment" of £10 a week for children under six
• He also promoted 10 surgical hubs to help reduce waiting lists

Our live coverage is coming to a close shortly but you can read more about today's events here.

Image source, Matthew Horwood

Plans to review higher educationpublished at 12:09 BST

12:09 BST

Bethan Lewis
Wales family and education correspondent

On universities, Plaid Cymru says a review of higher education and how it’s funded would be a priority with the sector currently facing huge funding pressures.

It says a key issue would be making sure more of the money spent by the Welsh government on higher education stays in Wales.

But there's no specific mention here of a plan previously discussed to cut the £1,000 living costs grant for students studying outside Wales.

It's long opposed the aims of the Seren programme which it views as supporting the most able young people to go to leading universities across the border in England - taking precious funding with them.

It says the programme would be refocused on applications to Welsh universities and on boosting the numbers of students from more disadvantaged areas.

But critics have accused their plan of limiting aspirations.

'Missing targets?'published at 12:03 BST

12:03 BST

Tom Edgington, BBC Verify

Rhun ap Iorwerth claimed that "every single target by this government having been missed", referring to the Welsh Labour government's targets for the Welsh NHS.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said last month, external that NHS Wales is performing worse than pre-pandemic and "almost" every recovery target has been missed - but there have been recent improvements in elective waiting times.

"Performance in the Welsh NHS remains worse than pre-pandemic and recovery has taken far longer than expected," it said in its report on public spending and performance in Wales.

"Almost every recovery target has been missed, and waiting times for many services remain far higher than they were pre-pandemic.

"There has been some recent improvement in elective waiting times, but concerningly A&E waiting times have worsened.

"Other nations in the UK have also faced similar challenges, but comparable waiting times remain higher in Wales than in England or Scotland."

The institute added: "There are also worrying signs that hospital productivity may have fallen, given large increases in staffing and funding that have not fully translated into higher activity."

'Far more' talk about Reform than Labourpublished at 12:01 BST

12:01 BST

BBC News' Wales correspondent Tomos Morgan told the channel that ap Iorwerth "talked far more about Reform than Labour today".

He noted that the Plaid leader has previously been "unhappy" with the level of coverage given to other parties.

Morgan explained that over the past 27 years of Labour leadership in Wales, Plaid Cymru has often worked with the party to help pass key policies.

He added that in previous elections Labour has faced much stronger criticism than it has in this campaign.

David Deans
Wales politics reporter

It was not a surprise, but Rhun ap Iorwerth did not mention independence at all in his speech.

It's not fair to say his party won't talk about it - it will, if asked - but it clearly does not want to make the subject a big part of its campaign.

Plaid is trying to appeal to people beyond its base, voters that might think Wales is better off in the United Kingdom.

But the manifesto he launched today does discuss independence.

The party says it would not try to hold a referendum in a first term of a Plaid government, but it would set up a "national commission for Wales" which would, among other things, lay "the foundations for a future White Paper on Welsh independence".

Image source, Matthew Horwood

'Achievable' doesn't mean no cuts to spendingpublished at 11:44 BST

11:44 BST

Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

Rhun ap Iorwerth said that the respected economist Gerry Holtham has looked at Plaid’s commitments and found them "detailed, careful and achievable".

But achievability does not mean there will be no cuts to existing spending.

With a challenging fiscal landscape on the horizon, big new spending commitments may well require cuts to existing services.

The manifesto hints at this by saying "rather than spreading resources too thinly... we will concentrate them on our key priorities".

So the question is, what loses out?

'Confident performance' from Plaid leaderpublished at 11:43 BST

11:43 BST

The BBC's Wales correspondent Tomos Morgan says it was a "confident performance" by Rhun ap Iorwerth.

He explains how lots of the party's pledges - which ap Iorwerth says have been fully costed by an Swansea University economist - are things we have already heard.

Morgan says the party's main focus is on cutting waiting times in NHS, explaining the detail is about moving money around.

"But the NHS already swallows up half of Welsh government budget, so is it enough to improve the system?," he asks.

The manifesto launch event is now over, but stay with us as we bring you more analysis from our team of specialists on the set of promises outlined by the party.

Plan to review controversial second homes rulepublished at 11:33 BST

11:33 BST

Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

Plaid is promising to “review the effectiveness” of the rules on second homes and tourism lets.

One of the most controversial ones has been that a self-catering holiday let must be rented for at least 182 days a year or be classified as a second home and subject to council tax, in some cases at a premium rate.

This rule was part of a series of measures designed to address the shortage of affordable of homes for local people in tourist hotspots.

But it is intensely unpopular with tourism operators who say it is driving many of them out of business.

Cyngor Gwynedd, one of the councils most affected by the housing crisis, has also called for the 182 threshold to be reduced.

Rhun ap Iorwerth finishes delivering his party's manifesto.

The audience rises and he has lots of praise.

Image source, Matthew Horwood

Reform's plans are "unserious, uncosted and unkind", says Ap Iorwerth.

Plaid offers a "different path", he says, offering to "govern with hope" and "impatience that gets things done".

"No more bending to Westminster's will," he says. "No more saying no to Wales."

"Hope will be the current that powers our future," says Ap Iorwerth.

He says the manifesto's programme is "radical and responsible".

Ap Iorwerth says it has been costed and "appraised" by the economist Gerry Holtham.

'Fair rent-setting'published at 11:25 BST

11:25 BST

Gareth Lewis
Wales political editor

Plaid Cymru is pledging a form of rent control, without using those actual words.

The party wants "fair rent-setting" which would limit annual rent increases to the lower of wage growth, the Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation or a "clearly defined" equivalent.

Earlier in the week the Greens pledged a rent freeze followed by rent controls, and suggested it would be a red line in any discussions around a deal after the election.

Opponents of rent controls warn that they can have the unintended consequence of decreasing rental property supply.

Ap Iorwerth says Plaid will legislate to ensure everyone has the right to a safe and decent home.

He says they will continue with £1 bus fares for young people and bus passes for people over 60.

Ap Iorwerth promotes 10 surgical hubs to help reduce waiting lists - and on education he says a Plaid Cymru government cannot allow the failure of poor PISA scores to continue.

He says that is why a Plaid Cymru government will put in place a plan for numeracy and literacy, which he says will introduce a transparent method for monitoring progress.

"By improving skills we will raise standards and unlock [pupils'] imagination," he says.

Question marks over £10 a week child payment planpublished at 11:22 BST

11:22 BST

Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

Plaid wants to explore the possibility of a "Welsh child payment" of £10 a week for children under six years old in families who receive Universal Credit to try to address the persistent problem of child poverty in Wales.

It’s similar to a payment provided by the Scottish government, but Scotland has greater powers over the benefits system than the Welsh government does here, so there are question marks over the feasibility of a such a plan in Wales.

Plaid is proposing a pilot scheme to explore the workability of the plan, but it might require support from the UK government in order to be delivered effectively and such support is not guaranteed.

Ap Iorwerth says voters have told them "the cost of living crisis continues to bite".

He says his "transformative" offer for childcare is worth £30,000.

He says Plaid would pilot for a payments to help reduce child poverty - £10 a week for children up to six years old in households claiming universal credit.

The Plaid manifesto is an "ambitious and credible plan", says Rhun ap Iorwerth.

"Ours is a land brimming with potential," says the party leader.

"This manifesto is the products of the hopes and the fears, the ambitions and the frustrations."

It is 74 pages long in English, with Welsh on the back.

It sets out a series of priorities at the start. They include:

• Cut waiting lists
• Help families with the cost of childcare with universal childcare for children from the age of nine months to four years old
• A new business-led National Development Agency for Wales
• A new foundational literacy and numeracy plan for schools

Image source, Matthew Horwood

We're about to hear from Rhun ap Iorwerth