EVERY vote including those cast in Gwent where Labour has long dominated will count at May’s Senedd election a senior Plaid Cymru politician has said.
The party has been holding its spring conference in Newport with just less than ten weeks to go until the Thursday, May 7 vote for the new enlarged Welsh Parliament.
During his conference speech leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told delegates, at the ICC conference centre, the election is a straight choice between the self-described Party of Wales and the new challengers from the right, Reform UK, a view opinion polls appear to support.
Delyth Jewell, who is already one of two Plaid Cymru Members of Senedd representing Gwent, repeated that assessment and sort to draw on Plaid’s success in October’s Caerphilly by-election when it took what had been a Labour stronghold against a challenge from Reform who did beat the traditionally dominant party of Welsh politics into third place.
“Because of the Caerphilly effect I hope very much that feeling can be replicated across Wales, because like in Caerphilly, May will be a straight fight between Reform and Plaid Cymru over who will lead Wales,” said Ms Jewell speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the end of the first day of the two day conference, on Friday, February 27.
‘Different visions’
She said both parties have “different visions” for Wales and criticised Reform for a lack of policies, unlike Plaid, who she said had unveiled “exciting Wales changing policies” in the leader’s speech which mentioned improving health, social care, education and free childcare.
Reform has said it will announce its policies, and candidates in March though Ms Jewell claimed they will have to meet the approval of Nigel Farage: “It should not be about the ambition of one vain man, it should be about the future of our nation.”
Mr Farage told his own party’s rally at the ICC a fortnight earlier Welsh policy decisions will be a matter for his appointed leader in Wales Dan Thomas.
While Plaid and Reform are both talking up their chances of forming the next government voters in Gwent may also tempted by the Green Party if they are looking for an alternative to Labour.
While Caerphilly has long been Plaid’s stronghold in Gwent, having enjoyed success in council elections and achieved second-place finishes at Westminster and Senedd elections, it has struggled to break through elsewhere.
Plaid has no councillors in Newport, Monmouthshire, Torfaen or Blaenau Gwent leaving it behind the Green Party which in 2022 won seats in Newport and Monmouthshire.
Ms Jewell said she was “delighted” with the Green Party’s victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, which was billed as a straight fight between the Greens and Reform in what had been a safe Labour seat.
But despite a new electoral system, intended to allocate six seats in each new super constituency based on the percentage of votes parties receive, Ms Jewell said Gwent voters will face a different choice in May.
‘Green party’
“I hope the Green Party do well in these elections but they will not be in a position to be leading the next Welsh government.
“It will be a straight fight between us and Reform and people will need to think carefully about how they vote. It can come down to those sixth seats and it will be incredibly tight and every vote will mater and Plaid Cymru is the only progressive party that can be the next Welsh Government, and we will only do that if people go out and vote for us.”