Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth Presses Andy Burnham for Sweeping New Powers for Wales

Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has formally requested a "new deal for Wales" from the prime minister, setting out an ambitious agenda for constitutional change just days before he addresses his party's annual conference for the first time since taking office.

In a letter sent to Andy Burnham on Thursday and obtained by BBC Wales, the Plaid Cymru leader called for a substantial transfer of powers from Westminster to Cardiff. The correspondence, described as roughly 2,000 words in length, lays out a detailed case for devolving responsibilities over policing and justice, rail infrastructure, and the Crown Estate to the Welsh government.

The timing of the letter is significant. Ap Iorwerth is scheduled to speak to party members in Llandudno on Friday, five months after Plaid Cymru's historic breakthrough at May's Senedd election. That vote saw the party seize power for the first time, bringing to an end Labour's 27-year grip on government in Wales since devolution was established in 1999.

Despite the scale of that electoral achievement, ap Iorwerth governs without a majority in Cardiff Bay. His minority administration depends on cooperation from opposition Members of the Senedd to pass legislation and approve budgets. The fragility of that arrangement was exposed in July, when the government lost a key vote on its spending plans, underlining the practical difficulties of governing in a hung parliament.

In his conference speech, the first minister is expected to argue that the election result conferred a clear democratic mandate. According to advance extracts, he will say voters backed "positive change that makes a tangible difference to their lives" and that this mandate encompasses extending devolution so the Senedd and Welsh government possess what he describes as the necessary tools — powers, funding and financial flexibilities.

Ap Iorwerth will contend that these levers are needed to drive the maximum improvement in outcomes for people in Wales by integrating and improving public services while growing the economy. As a foundational principle, he argues that Wales should enjoy access to the same constitutional and fiscal tools already available to Scotland.

The first minister's push for parity with Scotland is likely to be a central theme of his conference address. Scotland has long held control over policing, justice and significant tax-raising powers under the current devolution settlement, while Wales has operated with a markedly narrower set of responsibilities. Ap Iorwerth's argument rests on the premise that Wales's constitutional arrangements should continue to evolve in order to improve democratic accountability, stimulate growth, strengthen public services and deliver better results for communities.

Beyond individual powers, the letter also presses for a revised financial framework. Ap Iorwerth is calling for funding arrangements that are "fair, needs-based and reflect Wales' demographic and economic realities" — a longstanding grievance among Welsh politicians, who argue that the Barnett formula and related mechanisms fail to account adequately for Wales's ageing population and the costs of delivering services in dispersed rural communities.

The letter lands amid a period of heightened activity in the first minister's diplomatic efforts. Last month, ap Iorwerth hosted the nationalist first ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland in Cardiff, where the three leaders jointly declared that Westminster's time was coming to an end. The image of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein leaders standing together underscored a coordinated push for greater autonomy across the devolved nations.

Ap Iorwerth's relationship with the prime minister will be tested directly before the month is out. He is expected to meet Burnham alongside the first ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland at a gathering of the UK's devolved leaders, giving the Welsh leader an early opportunity to press his case in person.

So far, Burnham's public position has been cautiously open. He has previously said he would give a fair hearing to anything put to him by the Welsh first minister, and he has also indicated he is open to the idea of handing the Welsh government control over policing. Speaking more broadly about the UK's constitutional landscape, the prime minister said he has to respect the governments in the nations of the UK and will do so.

The question of what Wales can realistically secure remains open. A separate report has suggested it is "too early" to know whether Burnham will ultimately back further Welsh powers, while the prime minister has already ruled out granting Wales the ability to hold an independence referendum — a position that places a clear boundary around how far devolution might extend under the current UK government.

For ap Iorwerth, the conference speech represents a pivotal moment. Five months into his tenure, he must demonstrate that Plaid Cymru's election victory is translating into concrete progress, even as his minority administration faces the constant challenge of assembling majorities in the Senedd. The letter to Burnham serves both as a substantive policy demand and as a signal to party members that their leader is using his platform to pursue a transformative agenda rather than merely managing the status quo.

Whether the request for policing, justice, rail and Crown Estate powers becomes the basis of genuine negotiation or remains a statement of aspiration will depend largely on the response from Downing Street in the weeks ahead. For now, ap Iorwerth has staked out a clear position: that Wales's constitutional settlement is unfinished business, and that the mandate won in May should be the foundation for a significant expansion of Welsh self-government.