Plaid Cymru has confirmed that it has ended its cooperation agreement with the Welsh Government.
This news comes only a matter of weeks after a similar agreement was ended by the Scottish Green Party, eventually leading to the resignation of the now former Scottish First Minister.
Ending with immediate effect at the end of last week, a statement from the third-largest party in the Senedd outlined how important the agreement has been in achieving a number of positive outcomes, including the rolling out of free school meals for all primary school pupils, and the expansion of the free childcare offer. The statement also spoke about how the collaboration between Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour was central to other important aspects, such as the responses to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking about these successes, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, said:
“I am proud of the way in which the agreement demonstrated a new way of doing politics which focused on areas of policy which impact people’s everyday lives.
“These include rolling out free school meals for all primary school pupils, expanding the free childcare offer for thousands more families, taking radical action to address the housing crisis, steps to safeguard the Welsh language, the creation of a national energy company Ynni Cymru and more. Working collaboratively was a constructive response to the chaos and uncertainty of Brexit and the Covid pandemic and the harm caused by the UK Conservative Government. We will continue to try to secure the delivery of policies agreed as part of the Co-operation Agreement.”
The agreement has been ended due to concerns about how the Welsh Government is being held to account, touching on specific examples such as the donation of money to the leadership campaign of the First Minister by a company that was found to have committed ‘environmental offences.’ The sacking of a member of the government has also worried the Plaid Cymru leader.
Touching on other concerns, as well as what the future holds, Iorwerth continued:
“I am also concerned by the emerging approach of the Government in relation to some elements of the Co-operation Agreement, including the decision to delay action in supporting the poorest families in our communities, as evidenced most recently by the decision to delay Council Tax Reform.
“Plaid Cymru will move onwards with a clear and continued commitment to scrutinising Labour’s record, and with a renewed determination to put forward bold ideas which match the people of Wales's ambitions for our country.”
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