Reform UK leader in Wales Dan Thomas has said that Plaid Cymru's first 100 days in government show "more of the same failure". Writing for WalesOnline, he said the people of Wales need problems fixed, not just another committee.
NHS and Betsi Cadwaladr
Mr Thomas said the NHS is the clearest example of this failure. He claimed that despite Plaid Cymru holding ministerial responsibility, there has been no tangible improvement, with waiting lists growing since Plaid took office and nurses leaving training unable to find work in parts of Wales.
He also pointed to problems at North Wales' Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, saying proposals to allow the UK Department of Health and Social Care to provide additional expertise and assistance were rejected by Plaid Cymru. He said the impression is that constitutional considerations have taken precedence over finding practical ways to improve the health service.
Failed budget and M4
Mr Thomas highlighted Plaid's failed supplementary budget, which he said was their first time asking the Senedd for approval to spend money, and they lost the vote. He said a government that cannot secure agreement for its own budget has to ask itself serious questions about its ability to govern effectively.
He also referenced the M4 Relief Road, saying Plaid Cymru indicated before the election that it would consider revisiting the issue, only for the proposal to be scrapped again, leaving commuters and businesses stuck in gridlock.
Sanctuary, grooming gangs and women
Mr Thomas said Plaid Cymru is keeping Wales as a "Nation of Sanctuary" and that millions of pounds a year are spent abroad. He said polling has shown that the people of Wales oppose the scheme, which Reform argues is a pull-factor encouraging people to make the dangerous journey across the channel into the UK.
He also said there is doubt surrounding Plaid Cymru's commitment to tackling violence against women, noting that Plaid's 100-day plan said it aimed to address violence against women, yet the party has been unwilling to provide a clear legal definition of what a woman is.
Mr Thomas said Reform has given a voice to the voiceless over the last 100 days, with people in left-behind communities hearing people speak in the Senedd chamber who sound like them. He said Reform has secured cross-party support on TB in Welsh farms and transparency in politics.
He concluded that Plaid Cymru have failed to improve NHS waiting times, failed to deliver the infrastructure needed to grow the economy, and failed to put the Welsh people first. He said Reform, as the largest opposition in the history of the Senedd, will continue to push for Plaid to put Welsh people first and deliver the real change people voted for in May.
