Plaid Cymru pledges to hold independence referendum

Plaid Cymru has announced it will hold a referendum on Welsh Independence if the party wins a majority in this year’s Senedd Elections.

Party members approved the pledge, which was put forward by party leader Adam Price, at a virtual party conference on Saturday (February 13).

Mr Price said: “Something is happening in Wales. The last two polls on independence put it on its highest support in history.

“Thousands have now joined the grassroots movement for independence, YesCymru – and an argument once derided as a pipe dream or a fantasy has moved from the margins to the mainstream.”

During a visit to Caerphilly last year, Mr Price told Caerphilly Observer he was “convinced Wales will become an independent country this decade”.

Who is standing for Plaid Cymru in the upcoming election?

South Wales East Senedd Member Delyth Jewell will be standing in the Caerphilly constituency for Plaid Cymru in the upcoming elections.

Ms Jewell became a Senedd Member in 2019 following the death of Steffan Lewis, aged just 34, from bowel cancer.

Plaid Cymru’s candidate in the Islwyn constituency is Blackwood town councillor Rhys Mills, while Ian Gwynne will contest the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney seat.

The party’s four candidates for the South Wales East regional seat have also been confirmed.

Ms Jewell is first on the party’s regional list, while Cllr Peredur Owen Griffiths, who serves on Penyrheol, Trecenydd and Energlyn Community Council and is standing for election in Blaenau Gwent, is second on the list.

Long-serving councillor Lindsay Whittle, who has previously served as a Senedd Member, is third on the party’s list, with Cllr Mills in fourth.

As part of our coverage of the upcoming Senedd Election, Caerphilly Observer will be publishing articles about the candidates for all the main parties.