The choice between the two futures facing Wales a week today “could not be starker”, Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has said.

He was speaking ahead of a Plaid Cymru campaign event to mark a week to go until the Senedd election on 7 May.

Plaid Cymru is currently neck and neck in the polls with Reform UK with Labour a distant third.

Mr ap Iorwerth, who recently visited Monmouth and Abergavenny, said only Plaid Cymru offered “hope”, a “clear vision” and a “credible plan” to put Wales “nation on a new path towards fairness and prosperity”.

He appealed to anyone who ‘believed in Wales’, ‘values the NHS’, and wants to keep the country “free from Trumpian politics” to back Plaid Cymru.

The Plaid Cymru leader added that if elected First Minister he would always work to find “common ground” with others who value decency, credibility, and compassion and would fight any injustice facing Wales.

Speaking ahead of a campaign event, Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said, “We have one week left to change Wales for good.

“Labour have had their day. The sun is setting on twenty-seven years of missed opportunities and managed decline.

“And the spectre of Reform is causing anxiety and unease among communities already wrangling with those rising totals at the supermarket till and the petrol pump. A party ruled from London and backed by billionaires and those seeking to profit, marred by the same-old malaise of chaos, self-interest, and scandal.

“Only Plaid Cymru offers new hope to Wales. Only Plaid Cymru has a clear vision and a credible plan to put our nation on a new path towards fairness and prosperity.

“A detailed plan to cut waiting times. The most generous childcare offer in the UK. A strategy to grow the economy and create jobs through National Development Agency. A Numeracy and Literacy Plan to give every child the best start in life.

“And, for the first time, a commitment from the Welsh Government to challenge Westminster every step of the way on HS2, justice, energy and the Crown Estate.

“The choice between the two futures facing Wales a week today could not be starker. It is a straight fight between Plaid Cymru and Reform.

“So, if you believe in Wales, if you care about our communities, if you value our NHS and want to keep our country free from Trumpian politics, there is only one option.

“Whether you’re a life-long member or a first-time Plaid Cymru voter, my promise to you is simple. As your First Minister, if there is common ground to be found with others who value decency, credibility, and compassion, I will seek it out.

“If there is an injustice facing Wales, I will fight it with every fibre of my being.

“And if there is an opportunity to make our nation a fairer, more prosperous, more tolerant place for everyone who lives here, I will seize it.”

Lead Plaid Cymru candidate for Sir Fynwy Torfaen, Matthew Jones, added:

“Over the next week, people all communities across Sir Fynwy Torfaen face a clear choice about Wales’s future: a positive Welsh Government with Plaid Cymru, standing up for everyone who calls Monmouthshire or Torfaen home, or the chaos and division of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Reform UK seeks to divide our communities, cosy up to Donald Trump, and is backed by billionaires who want to privatise our NHS and roll back environmental protections. But Plaid Cymru won’t let this happen.

The Plaid Cymru team in Sir Fynwy Torfaen is ready to represent you every day in the Senedd – working to make our communities healthier, wealthier, and fairer, to create opportunities for our young people, and to ensure dignity and care for those who need it most.

So vote Plaid Cymru on May 7.”