Uniquely for the parties Welsh voters have to choose from, Plaid Cymru only stands candidates within the borders of Wales. The party was founded in 1925 with the long-term objective of creating a Wales independent of the United Kingdom. It won its first Westminster seat in 1966.

Brilliantly, Plaid Cymru’s manifesto has been made available in an “easy read” format. As someone with neurodivergent needs, this is a most welcome addition.

Transport

• Get the £4bn owned to Wales from the HS2 rail project
• Introduce a Wales-wide transport plan which considers how the country links walking, cycling, bus, train and private vehicles to our cities and villages, Plaid Cymru believes this can only be achieved through nationalising Wales’ public transport
• Give young people in Wales a bus pass
• Improve driver behaviour in Wales and reduce the number of accidents and deaths on Welsh roads

Natural Resources

• All natural resources in Wales - water, wind, sunshine - to be in the hands of the people of Wales. Plaid Cymru wants to stop sending the Crown Estate profits to the Treasury in London, keeping that cash in Wales

Money and Tax

• Plaid Cymru wants the Welsh government to decide the taxes people in Wales pay, not the government in Westminster
• It would, raise windfall taxes paid by multinational companies, such as the oil and gas and social media giants
• Increase taxes paid by wealthy people and large companies
• These points would be dealt with by a new bill, ‘Economic Fairness Bill’

Europe and the World

• Plaid Cymru believes that the United Kingdom should rejoin the Single Market and Customs Union. Longterm, Plaid Cymru wants the UK to rejoin the European Union
• Plaid Cymru believes that the Senedd must be consulted before any military action is taken by the Westminster parliament in the name of the United Kingdom
• Opposed to the Trident nuclear weapons system and its renewal, the £200bn is better spent, according to Plaid Cymru, on conventional defence and support for our veterans. Wales and the UK must support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
• Return the UK to its commitment of 0.7% GNI on international aid
• Build international relations so that Wales has a greater reach and more recognition throughout the world

Industry

• Plaid Cymru believes that it is important that steel continues to be made in Wales. Plaid Cymru supports the continuation of steel making at the Port Talbot site
• Because steel is so important to industry in Wales, Plaid Cymru wants Wales’ steelmaking to be owned by the people of Wales - a nationalised steel company

Business

• Plaid Cymru will promote community-owned services and support co-operatives between businesses and government
• Introduce high-speed internet throughout Wales through a Welsh Broadband Infrastructure Company
• Giving more apprenticeships to help bring skills into Welsh business

Employees

• Ensure a living wage for all workers, this will make sure that those who work have enough to live on and can pay for their daily utility bills, mortgages, rent and food
• Wales must have its own employment laws, separate from those of England, to protect workers’ right, giving people time off to deal with personal matters, such as the death of a loved one, when required

Climate Change

• Plaid Cymru, will establish ‘Ynni Cymru’. Having this Welsh national energy company will give the Welsh people the ability to expand community led and owned renewable energy projects
• Preserving Wales’ natural landscape to ensure that as Wales builds more energy infrastructure those new sites are not damaging to the beautiful landscape of Wales
• Introduce a Social Tariff for Energy, ensuring energy prices are maintained at a price which everyone can afford
• Plaid Cymru supports the 2022 Kunming-Montréal agreement to ensure Wales holts the loss of the country’s biodiversity and ensure substantive recovery by 2050

Poverty and Support

• Increase Child Benefit by £20 a week
• Guaranteeing essentials are met through a legal minimum in Universal Credit of £120 for an individual and £200 for a couple
• Plaid Cymru will keep the triple-lock on pensions, making sure that pensions continue to increase in line with the cost of living
• A Welsh benefits system. Devolving all policy areas from Westminster to Wales for health and housing benefits
• Improving benefits take-up. Many people are entitled to benefits but are not claiming them, this lack of take-up means that £23bn each year is going unclaimed by the most needy in Welsh society
• Introducing a cold weather payment to support the most vulnerable to heat their homes through the winter
• Maintain the Local Housing Rate Allowance (LHA) in the 30th percentile of market rents in an area
• Statutory sick pay to be in line with statutory maternity pay
• Pilot universal basic income (UBI) with care leavers

Farming and Food

• Plaid Cymru is opposed to Labour’s Sustainable Farming Scheme proposing 10% tree cover on all farms
• Reform and remove the NVZ (nitrate vulnerable zones) regulations
• Control bovine TB
• Strengthen disease surveillance networks
• Make it easier to track food supply and label food so that consumers can choose to buy Welsh products
• Make it easier for food producers to add value to their products through having local abattoirs and packaging for all community and small businesses

Healthcare and Communities

• Plaid Cymru recognises that rural communities are often many minutes or hours away from GPs or hospital services, they will increase the number of rural GPs
• Invest in local high streets to keep small businesses going and communities alive

Immigration and Refugees

• Plaid Cymru would repeal the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the illegal Migration Act 2023
• Plaid Cymru believes that those who are in need should have recourse to public funds and help to find employment
• The UK and Wales must remain a member of the European Court of Human Rights
• Wales must have powers over its own migration numbers - including the ability to determine its own Shortage Occupation List and the ability to manage its own visa schemes

Arts and our Welsh Heritage

• Plaid Cymru would introduce St David’s Day as a Bank Holiday, make all international sporting events of importance to Wales free-to-air on television, devolve broadcasting and media regulation to Wales from London, Wales to be represented in its own right in Eurovision and other cultural events
• Provide free access to cultural and heritage events for those on low incomes
• Introduce a Basic Income for the Arts scheme so that Welsh artists can afford to pursue their creative talents
• Support Sport Wales to promote participating in community sport up to elite and international level
• Plaid Cymru would seek to find ways for Wales to benefit from the Creative Europe programme
• Plaid Cymru believes that a continued commitment is needed to raising the use of the Welsh language in everyday lives, Plaid Cymru would commit additional funding to Prosiect 2050, creating one million Welsh speakers by 2050 and, introducing a Welsh Language Education Act

Progressive in Society

• Plaid Cymru will end conversion therapy practices related to sexuality and gender identity and, introduce a demedicalised gender self-identification system in Wales
• Plaid Cymru will adopt the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People

Justice and Policing

• Plaid Cymru will repeal the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023
• Plaid Cymru believes that people with ADHD need support through the prison system and propose helping those with neurodiversity return to society with the mental health and self-understanding required to contribute to our communities
• Rid Wales of the Police and Crime Commissioners and give those powers they hold to the Minister for Justice
• Create a Victims Commissioner for Wales to represent those affected by crimes. This commissioner would head up a Domestic Abuse Register to protect women and strengthen restraining orders to keep women safe
• Plaid Cymru wants to unify the databases of the police, CPS, Home Office, Ministry of Justice and National Probation Service to ensure women and victims of stalking and harassment are kept safe through the criminal justice system
• When women need to serve custodial sentences, Plaid Cymru will ensure that these sentences take place within Wales
• Extend legal aid so that everyone has access to justice, not just the wealthy

Full Plaid Cymru manifesto - https://www.partyof.wales/manifesto