Westminster must deliver ‘A New Deal for Wales’ with the necessary tools to improve outcomes for people – that will be First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth’s message to the UK Prime Minister as he addresses Plaid Cymru’s Annual Conference this afternoon for the first time since the party’s historic election win in May.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth is seeking a ‘New Deal for Wales’ from Westminster, stating that “Wales should be able to benefit from the same constitutional and fiscal tools already available to Scotland.”

In a letter to the UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth says: “The recent Senedd election delivered a clear mandate from the people of Wales for positive change that makes a tangible difference to their lives.

“This mandate includes extending devolution to enable the Senedd and the Welsh Government to have the necessary tools — powers, funding and financial flexibilities — to drive the maximum improvement in outcomes for the people of Wales by integrating and improving public services and growing the economy.

“As an underpinning principle to support these reforms, Wales should be able to benefit from the same constitutional and fiscal tools already available in Scotland.”

He further states: “The case for devolving policing and justice is compelling and urgent. The current separation between devolved public services and a reserved justice system creates a recognised "jagged edge" in the devolution settlement, making it harder to design and deliver coherent, citizen-centred services.”

The First Minister also sets out the case for the devolution of powers including over Rail Infrastructure, The Crown Estate, Funding Flexibilities, and Welfare.

Addressing the Plaid Cymru Annual Conference, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth will say: “Since entering politics, I have always vowed to give Wales a strong voice.

“Not a script passed on from the Westminster whips’ office or ‘lines to take’ from a leader in another parliament – but a voice of our own.

“And since becoming First Minister, it is that voice I have used in every conversation with every UK Government representative I have met.

“The UK Government speaks of rewiring the state, but with so little of that constitutional current flowing from Westminster, Wales can so often feel off grid.

“So today I can confirm that I have written to the Prime Minister with a formal ask - A New Deal for Wales.

“A New Deal to redress the historic unfairness of our fiscal and constitutional settlement and to put Wales on an equal footing with Scotland as a bare minimum.

“A New Deal - the first of its kind – whereby a Welsh First Minister invites the UK Government to genuinely treat Wales not as a region of England but as a nation in its own right.

“A New Deal to secure powers for a purpose. Not as an end in themselves but as a means of growing our economy and improving outcomes for everyone.

“It remains my hope that the Prime Minister will listen in a shared spirit that the respect agenda between the Welsh and UK Governments must work both ways.”