Everything we've learned from the Plaid Cymru conference in Cardiff

The conference in Cardiff focused on Plaid Cymru's new strategy plans for health, education and the economy ahead of the Senedd election in 2026

Plaid Cymru have held their autumn conference at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and the party faithful were in an expectant mood. And it's easy to see why - this year has been arguably one of the most successful years for the party.

Plaid achieved its best election results ever during the 2024 General Election, which saw the party doubling its number of MPs and securing its largest share of the vote in its history. They are now the second largest party in Wales in Westminster.

But there's no denying that a lot of work needs to be done to secure a victory for the next election in two years' time, and party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth noted in his speech on Friday that he was "under no illusion about the size of the task ahead". You can read about the key points from Rhun ap Iorwerth's speech here.

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WalesOnline attended the two-day conference at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, which took place from Friday, October 11 to Saturday, October 12, to get an insight into the party's current position. Here are the four key takeaways from the conference.

The party is feeling confident ahead of the next Senedd election

At the start of his speech on Friday, October 11, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said that the party was "more hopeful, more united, more determined and resolute than perhaps ever before". As mentioned, it's been a successful summer for the party following the general election.

They are now the second largest party in Wales in Westminster and are a point behind the Labour party in opinion polls for the Senedd 2026 election. This provides them a firm foundation to work on as they look ahead to the Senedd election in 2026. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

Historically, Plaid Cymru always gets more votes in Wales elections than in Westminster polls, while Labour, the Conservatives and Lib Dems usually get fewer. While the scale of those changes can vary significantly, on average over the last 25 years, Plaid has won nearly twice as high a share of the vote at Welsh elections than it has won at the UK election before (an increase of 92% to be exact).

Plaid's support has been fairly consistent at both Westminster and Welsh elections. The big question now is whether there will be a spike upwards in Plaid support at the Welsh election in May 2026 to follow the spike upwards at the 2024 general election.

In an interview with WalesOnline following his speech on Friday, Rhun ap Iorwerth explained how he felt about the party's current position and what success would look like in 2026 for the party. "We're in a very buoyant mood," he said. "We've just got off the back of our best UK general election results, our vision is clearly resonating with people from all parts of Wales, but now we are focused on the election in 2026.

"Building on the firm foundations set this year, my job quite simply is to make sure we are able to take our vision to be in all parts of Wales. Hopefully, get them excited about what a government under Plaid Cymru would look like, because we have a real opportunity for change.

"We've had 25 years of Labour leadership in Welsh Government - that is not inevitable. But if we are going to get that change, we'll have to make it a convincing argument and I'm confident that we can sell that to the people of Wales a vision of a different kind of government by us."

The focus is on south Wales Labour heartlands and the capital city

But how exactly does Plaid Cymru hope to attract new voters ahead of the election in two years' time? According to its leader, they will be looking at the south Wales valleys and Cardiff, areas that have traditionally been Labour heartlands.

In September, the party held its 'Valleys Conference' in Pontypridd, as an opportunity to build off the success of the recent general election as it aims to win seats across the valleys in 2026. In an interview with WalesOnline, Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "The main thing to me is making our message relevant.

"We've done a lot of work in recent months in the south Wales valleys to make sure that what we say, the way that we say it, the way we take our message out to people, resonates with people in that part of Wales, the people of the north of Wales that feel geographically distant from the seat of government in Parliament.

"We need to make sure we speak to them as we do with the people of the capital city. I want people to know that Plaid Cymru has a real plan and ambition for our capital city. But a lot of this is hard graft, and showing people, persuading people that change is genuinely possible.

"This feeling that Labour is inevitable to many people has been a barrier in itself. Now we have a new electoral system, we have a Senedd that is fit for the 21st century and change becomes more achievable. And as we saw in the polls this summer, Plaid was neck and neck with Labour, I think people are sensing that there's an opportunity to change. I'd argue that that opportunity is worth grasping."

The party backs calls for a boycott against Israel

A motion was passed during conference backing the calls to boycott Israel over the war in Gaza. The party's members have called for a cultural and economic boycott, which would see Welsh national sports teams boycotting Israel.

They have also called on the UK Government to "expel the Israeli ambassador" and for councils to divest from companies that "support the apartheid Israeli state". The 'Freedom for Palestine' motion was passed after the Palestinian Ambassador for the UK, Dr Husam Zomlot, gave a speech to Plaid Cymru members on Saturday.

During his speech, the ambassador thanked the people of Wales for their solidarity with the people of Palestine, but called on them now to "remind the UK Government of its obligation" and to call for an arms embargo, sanctions, accountability and an immediate recognition of the state of Palestine.

He said it was "heartbreaking that death in Gaza has become the best option, the best of option, the easiest option". He later added: "It is a genocide, and no amount of denying, of gaslighting, the deflecting or disassembling can hide this truth."

The motion, proposed by Plaid Cymru's Member of Parliament for Ceredigion Preseli Ben Lake and supported by his fellow Plaid MPs, condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the "murders of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including over 10,000 children, by the state of Israel".

The motion criticised the "violence perpetrated by Hamas against innocent people in Israel", but said the "increasingly oppressive apartheid regime maintained by the Israeli government makes a two-state solution less likely to bring about a just peace".

A focus on an economy plan that 'can and should serve the people of Wales'

While Rhun ap Iorwerth set out Plaid's health and education strategies, the party's economy spokesperson Luke Fletcher MS outlined their new economic strategy. During his speech, the politician focused on the "ownership gap", in which he said that Wales did not own enough of its own resources.

He said: "In simple terms, we do not currently own enough in Wales – enough of our own resources, institutions or businesses – to begin to turn the economic tide. And one way or another, everything in our new economic plan is geared to addressing this central problem in the Welsh political economy."

In his speech, he discussed the notion of devolving the Crown Estate - a "critical economic resource that is owned outside of Wales". He also noted that a Plaid Cymru government would deliver a national skills audit, where a full assessment would look at resources that "best support people to get ahead in the new economy".

He also noted that a new funding settlement for universities would focus on redirecting how much money the Welsh Government spends on student finances that then goes to subsidising universities in England in order to protect "those students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds".

He explained that their strategy would emphasise ensuring that "successful businesses stay here in Wales", combined with other measures to support the small and medium-sized businesses of the country. Their new economic plans would also introduce a community wealth building strategy, in which they would promote social, community-led and co-operative business models in communities across Wales.

He said: "The lesson from what has happened in Port Talbot is clear – if we don’t take decisive action now to address the ownership gap and change the structure of the Welsh economy, then we will remain at the whim of multinationals who have no investment in, and no loyalty to, our communities."

He then added: "The Welsh economy can and should serve the people of Wales – not the other way around. That central principle is, and always will be, at the heart of mine and of Plaid Cymru’s approach to economic development. In 2026, we will have an historic opportunity to put that principle at the heart of government in Wales."

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