Rhun ap Iorwerth spoke to Novara Media as he stands on the cusp of potentially becoming Wales’ first pro-independence first minister as Labour face disaster in their heartlands.
Plaid Cymru have led the way in several Senedd polls just ahead of Reform UK and, given that the new voting system is entirely proportional and Nigel Farage‘s party do not have many allies to turn to, it seems likely ap Iorwerth will become first minister.
Speaking about Welsh independence, he told the podcast about how his country does not have the right to hold a referendum, pointing to how his party are looking to the SNP‘s example in 2007 where they gradually made the case for holding a vote, which eventually happened seven years later.
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“What the SNP did in 2007 was to say that we will, from 2011, make the case to have the right to have a referendum, because as it stands we [Wales] don’t have that right,” ap Iorwerth said.
“I mean, so unequal is this United Kingdom that we don’t even have the powers to call a vote on our own future.”
He went on to speak about how there has been a major sea change in Wales with more people accustomed to the idea of independence, or at least curious about it.
“We don’t even have power to call a vote on our own future.”
Plaid Cymru leader @RhunapIorwerth joined @AaronBastani and @MichaelJSWalker on Novara Live to ask why Wales lacks the right to hold an independence referendum.
Ap Iorwerth said Welsh independence is no longer a… pic.twitter.com/jFvw1gY6ae
— Novara Media (@novaramedia) April 3, 2026
He went on: “There’s been massive change in the last few years in the number of people who not only have said we are really confident in our ability to become an independent nation now, but more important the people who are curious about it and say ‘we’d like it, I’m not entirely convinced yet, so convince us’.
“Independence means different things to different people as well, so we have to show what it is and what it isn’t.
“I’m not an isolationist. I have no interest whatsoever in Wales closing itself off away from the world. It’s redesigning the relationship between the nations in these islands so we can work better together, all of us, you know?”
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Ap Iorwerth has previously said his party would use time in government if they are elected to make the case for Welsh independence but has stressed it would not argue for one in this parliament.
The party is looking to build on the success it had in the Caerphilly by-election where candidate Lindsay Whittle secured the Senedd seat for the first time in Plaid’s history, defeating much-fancied Reform in the process.
A Senedd YouGov poll at the end of last month showed Plaid were on course to be the largest party on 33%. A seat projection predicted they could win 43 seats, which would be six short of forming an overall majority.
Reform UK, meanwhile, polled at 27% which would translate to 30 members of the Senedd.
Labour were third on just 13% which would only get them 12 seats, a loss of 32.
This would be a disaster for the party and Prime Minister Keir Starmer , with Labour having won every devolved election in Wales so far and topped at every Westminster election since 1922.