Plaid Cymru’s approach to Welsh independence has come under renewed scrutiny at the Senedd, with opposition parties questioning whether the Welsh Government has a sufficient public mandate to advance Wales further along the road towards constitutional separation.
The row follows a high-profile meeting in Cardiff involving Plaid Cymru leader and First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill, alongside Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald.
The nationalist leaders signed a memorandum calling on Westminster to prepare for and facilitate possible constitutional change and asserting the right of people in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to determine their constitutional futures.
However, the development has prompted criticism from both Reform Wales and the Welsh Conservatives, who argue that the Welsh Government should concentrate on public services and the economy rather than independence.
Reform: “Get On With The Day Job”
During First Minister’s Questions, Reform Wales Deputy Leader Helen Jenner MS challenged the First Minister over the constitutional agenda, arguing that the Welsh Government does not have a mandate to take Wales towards independence.
Reform pointed to pressures facing the NHS, schools and the Welsh economy and argued that these should take precedence over debates about Wales’s future within the United Kingdom.
Commenting, Helen Jenner MS said:
“Plaid Cymru have absolutely no mandate to push for this dangerous pet project.
“The people of Wales voted for pro-union parties in the Senedd election. They do not want independence.
“The Welsh Government should focus on driving waiting lists down and educational outcomes up rather than ripping our country apart.”
The intervention adds to a wider political debate over what exactly voters endorsed at the May 2026 Senedd election.
Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party, winning 43 of the Senedd’s 96 seats and approximately 35.4% of votes cast nationally.
Its manifesto made clear that the party ultimately supports an independent Wales. It also proposed formally requesting that powers over the timing, question and process of a future independence referendum should be devolved to Wales.
However, Plaid also made an important commitment: there would be no referendum on Welsh independence during the current Senedd term.
That distinction is central to the dispute over whether the Government has a mandate for its present actions.
Plaid can point to the fact that its constitutional ambitions were contained in the manifesto on which it fought and won the largest number of seats at the election. Its opponents can equally point out that winning an election on a manifesto containing numerous policies is not the same thing as obtaining majority public support specifically for independence.
Welsh Conservatives: “Stop Obsessing About Independence, sort out Healthcare & Education”
The Welsh Conservatives have also criticised the First Minister’s involvement in the constitutional discussions.
Ahead of the Cardiff meeting, Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar MS strongly accused the First Minister of focusing on independence when attention should instead be directed towards health and education.
Mr Millar said:
“Instead of obsessing about independence, the First Minister should be focused on dealing with the crisis engulfing the Welsh NHS and the declining standards in Welsh schools.
“Grandstanding about referendums will do nothing to improve our emergency departments for vulnerable patients or improve numeracy and literacy for pupils.”
The Welsh Conservative statement can be read here in full:
https://www.conservatives.wales/news/stop-obsessing-about-independence-first-minister-told
A video relating to the debate has also been shared on Facebook:
https://facebook.com/reel/1080583777690083/
What Did Plaid Cymru Actually Agree To?
The Cardiff meeting does not, in itself, trigger a referendum or make Wales independent.
Instead, the memorandum signed by nationalist leaders establishes a common position that Westminster should not prevent people in the UK’s constituent nations from determining their constitutional future.
The leaders called on the UK Government to “prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change” where there is democratic demand for it.
The political significance is nevertheless considerable. For the first time, pro-independence parties are simultaneously leading the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, although the political and constitutional circumstances in each nation are very different.
Plaid Cymru’s position is also notably more cautious than that of some of its counterparts.
The party has said there will be no Welsh independence referendum during this Senedd term, while the First Minister has argued that his Government’s immediate priorities include the economy, healthcare, education, childcare and tackling poverty.
Plaid nevertheless intends to continue making the case for independence while seeking additional powers for Wales.
Does Plaid Have A Mandate For Independence?
This is where the political argument becomes more complicated.
Plaid Cymru undoubtedly has an electoral mandate to govern and can reasonably argue that voters were aware it was an explicitly pro-independence party when they went to the polls.
Its 2026 manifesto was also explicit about seeking greater constitutional powers, including asking for control over the process governing a future independence referendum.
But that should not be confused with evidence that a majority of Welsh voters currently support independence itself.
Plaid received around 35% of the vote at the Senedd election rather than an outright majority of votes, while polling reported around the time of the Cardiff summit put support for Welsh independence at approximately 32%.
There is therefore a distinction between a mandate to govern on a manifesto that includes constitutional reform and a specific democratic mandate to take Wales out of the United Kingdom.
Plaid itself appears to recognise that distinction through its commitment not to hold an independence referendum during this parliamentary term.
A Debate Likely To Grow
The disagreement is ultimately about where the Welsh Government should draw the line between making the political case for independence and actively pursuing constitutional change.
Supporters of independence argue that Wales should have the right to decide its own future and that Westminster should not be able to prevent a referendum if sufficient public demand develops.
Unionist opponents argue that the current level of public support does not justify making independence a government priority and say resources and political attention should instead be concentrated on the NHS, schools, economic growth and the cost of living.
The Cardiff agreement does not mean Wales is about to become independent, nor does it commit the Welsh Government to holding an independence referendum during this Senedd term.
What it does demonstrate is that constitutional change has moved higher up the political agenda following Plaid Cymru’s election victory.
For Welsh voters, the crucial question may therefore be less whether Wales is about to become independent — it isn’t — and more about how much time and political capital the Welsh Government should devote to preparing the ground for a debate that the majority of voters, according to current polling, have yet to endorse.