VJ DAY

Today Friday 15th August 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), which signalled the end of the Second World War.

While VE Day (Victory in Europe) marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still engaged in fighting in the Far East. 

And after VE Day many thousands of Allied service personnel ( including some of my relatives and family friends ) were transferred to the Far East to join the ongoing  war against Japan.

Victory over Japan come at a heavy price, and VJ Day marks the day Japan surrendered on 15th August 1945, which effectively ended the Second World War.

 

Fighting in the across the Asia Pacific region took place from Hawaii to North East India. Britain and the Commonwealth’s principle fighting force, the Fourteenth Army, was one of the most diverse in history – more than 40 languages were spoken, and all the world’s major religions were represented.

 

The descendants of many of the Commonwealth veterans of that army are today part of communities around the world, a lasting legacy to the success and comradeship of those who fought in the Asia Pacific region.

 

VJ Day is of immense historical significance, and we believe it is crucial that this anniversary is honoured and remembered in a meaningful way as we remember the courage of those who fought tyranny across the globe.

5 THINGS A PLAID GOVERNMENT MEANS FOR WALES

Here are 5️⃣ things a Plaid Cymru government means for Wales.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿💚

1️⃣ A fresh start and new leadership for Wales.

After 26 years of Labour failure, Wales needs new leadership. Plaid Cymru is offering bold ideas and a new direction for our nation!

2️⃣ A stronger, fairer economy.

Plaid Cymru will build a Welsh economy that works for everyone - where money stays in our communities, wages are better, and small Welsh businesses can thrive.

3️⃣ An NHS that works for everyone.

Plaid Cymru will tackle the health and care crisis from day one - cutting waiting lists, investing in staff, and making care more local and accesible.

4️⃣ A fair start for every child.

Plaid Cymru will give every child the best start in life - by raising standards in our schools, backing teachers, and introducing Cynnal payments to help families with the cost of living.

5️⃣ A pro-Wales government that will always stand up to Westminster.

Plaid Cymru is the only credible, progressive choice - a party that puts Wales and our communities first, always.

While Labour refuse to challenge Keir Starmer, Plaid Cymru will always stand up for Wales and fight for the powers and funding we deserve.

✨ A fresh start and new leadership for Wales is possible - vote Plaid Cymru on 7 May 2026! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿✨

HOW TO REDEFINE SUCCESS

Plaid Cymru ON Wednesday 6th August 2025 criticised the First Minister’s ‘record of failure’ as she marks one year since becoming First Minister of Wales.

Despite making bringing down NHS waiting lists her government’s priority and previously introduced a target to eliminate two year treatment waits by March 2023, both referral to treatment patient pathways and two year waits have increased consecutively in the last two months.

Child poverty is also expected to increase to 34.4% by 2029 – the highest level in the UK.

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan said the First Minister has not only failed to improve public services, but has been stubborn to new ideas to tackle the challenges facing Wales and has failed to stand up to the UK Labour government over policies which disproportionately impact Wales.

Ms Fychan said that today’s anniversary makes it clear that “only Plaid Cymru can deliver the new leadership Wales needs.”

Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd, Heledd Fychan MS said:

“Eluned Morgan’s first year as First Minister is encapsulated by a record of failure: from missing her own target to eliminate two year NHS treatment waits, to faltering educational outcomes and rising levels of poverty in our communities. This is not how things should be.

“And yet, the First Minister has been stubborn to new ideas – such as Plaid Cymru’s calls to introduce a child payment proven instrumental in tackling child poverty levels in Scotland. It’s clear that this Labour government is out of ideas, out of time and Wales will only see change when Labour’s First Minister is out of office.

“Not only has she failed to deliver better public services, but she has failed to stand up to Starmer every time: on HS2, disability benefit cuts, winter fuel payments, the Crown Estate – I could go on.

“Today’s anniversary makes it clear that Wales needs a new government with fresh ideas and ambition to put Wales first, always. That’s what a Plaid Cymru government offers under Rhun ap Iorwerth's leadership – to fix the NHS, revive the economy, give our children the best start in life, and demand fairness from Westminster. Only Plaid Cymru can deliver the new leadership Wales needs.”

- ENDS - 

TWEAKING THE WELFARE BILL WON’T WORK

Plaid Cymru publish response to UK Government welfare consultation

Plaid Cymru has published its response to the UK Government’s Pathways to Work consultation, condemning Labour’s proposed welfare reforms as “a direct attack on some of the most vulnerable people in our society” and “an insult to the post-industrial Welsh communities Labour claims to represent.”

The party’s Work and Pensions spokesperson Ann Davies MP said the proposed Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill would cause “grave hardship” to disabled people, particularly young people with mental health conditions, and risks replicating the worst injustices of previous Conservative regimes.

Plaid Cymru has criticised the concessions announced on 26 June – including exemptions for existing PIP claimants and temporary protections for some UC recipients – as "inadequate sticking plasters on a fundamentally flawed agenda." The party warned that creating a two-tier system between existing and future claimants does not eliminate injustice, but delays and redistributes it.

Wales, where around 30% of the population is disabled and the poverty rate among disabled adults is among the highest in the UK, stands to suffer the most. Yet the Labour UK Government has refused to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment.

Ms Davies said that “if the Welsh Government have a backbone, they will oppose this terrible bill in its entirety.”

Ann Davies MP said:

“The current system already fails too many people. But instead of meaningful reform that helps the sick and disabled play the most active role possible in society, the Labour Government’s plan is to make it even harder for disabled people to access vital support. This is a direct attack on some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and an insult to the post-industrial Welsh communities Labour claims to represent.

“The so-called concessions announced this week are no more than sticking plasters on a fundamentally flawed bill. There is no fairness in protecting existing claimants while penalising those who become disabled in the future. People do not choose when to get sick or disabled, and so arbitrary cutoff dates make no sense.

“These proposals would cause grave hardship to disabled people and young people with mental health conditions, and they risk replicating the worst injustices of past Conservative welfare systems.

“The economic hit to Wales will be disproportionate, and the Labour UK Government’s refusal to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment is a slap in the face to the people of Wales. If the Welsh Government have a backbone, they will oppose this terrible bill in its entirety.

“The UK Government may have offered short-term concessions, but tweaks around the edges won’t fix a broken system. What we need is investment in inclusive employment, individualised support, and long-term savings through genuinely fair welfare – not cuts that push people further into hardship.

"Our response to the consultation outlines why Plaid Cymru MPs will be voting against this Bill at second reading next week."

- Ends - 

Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working - Plaid Cymru Consultation Response

D-Day 81st Anniversary

Friday was the 81st anniversary of the Normandy landings that re-opening the western front and ensured with the Russian drive from the east the destruction of the Nazi state within less than a year. 

We should remember all those who fought for freedom in Normandy on 6 June 1944, those who came back, and those who gave their lives and never returned. Along with all those who worked at home and overseas to secure the victory over fascism and the peace that followed.

MOVING THE GOALPOSTS

The latest NHS performance data shows Labour Government in Wales missing targets on countless measures despite having moved the goalposts on NHS waiting times. .

Latest NHS activity and performance summary released today (Thursday, 22 May 2025) for March and April 2025 has shown the Labour Government in Wales have missed a vast series of targets aimed at reducing waits in the Welsh NHS.

One significant target missed is the First Minister’s target to reduce two year waits to 8,000 by the Spring of 2025, a target set after missing the Welsh Government’s initial target of eradicating two year waits by March 2023. The Welsh Government have been accused of “moving the goalposts and still missing” by Plaid Cymru’s health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor.

A series of other historical targets are still being missed by the Welsh government. These include:

• Target: No one waiting for longer than a year for their first outpatient appointment by the end of 2022 (a target established in the planned care recovery plan).
• Reality: the number of pathways waiting longer than one year for their first outpatient appointment was 71,000
• Target: maximum wait for access to specified diagnostic tests is 8 weeks, and maximum wait for access to specified therapy services is 14 weeks – to be achieved by Spring 2024.
• Reality: 35,200 patient pathways were waiting longer than the target time for diagnostics and 4,000 patient pathways waiting longer than the target time for therapies.
• Target: No patients waiting longer than one year in most specialities by Spring 2025
• Reality: Of the total pathways, 155,800 were waiting more than one year

The Government has also missed a series of rolling targets, including:

• Target: 65% of red calls (immediately life-threatening, someone is in imminent danger of death, such as a cardiac arrest) to have a response within 8 minutes.
• Reality: Only 50.9% of red calls arrived within 8 minutes
• Target: 95% of new patients should spend less than 4 hours in emergency departments from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge.
• Reality: Only 67.7% of patients spent less than 4 hours in emergency departments
• No patient waiting more than 12 hours in emergency departments from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge.
• In April, 10,186 patients waited 12 hours or more in emergency departments.
• Target: 95% of patients waiting less than 26 weeks from referral.
• Reality: Only 55.2% of patients have been waiting less than 26 weeks.
• Target: No patients waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment from referral.
• Reality: 268,400 patient pathways had been waiting more than 36 weeks (34.0%)
• Target: At least 75% of patients should start treatment within 62 days (without suspensions) of first being suspected of cancer.
• Reality: Only 63.5% of pathways started their first definitive treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer.

Plaid Cymru have criticised the Labour Government’s mismanagement of the NHS over the last 26 years of power, accusing them of running the Welsh NHS into ‘the ground’, by ‘constantly’ missing targets with ‘no real sign of change’.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson on Health, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said: 

"Hundreds of thousands of people on waiting lists, over 8,000 of those waiting over two years. The fact that any Government is trying to claim that as a win, is a sign of how far down the road of Labour mismanagement we are.

"A record of constant failure and missed targets - that is the record of this Labour Government when it comes to our NHS. A record of people waiting too long, not getting the service they deserve – a record of failure.

“Even after moving the goalposts from their original target of eradicating two-year waits in 2023, Labour have still managed to miss their targets. Not only that, but on every single performance indicator – Labour have missed their targets.

"An NHS run into the ground, and waiting lists as long as this simply isn’t as good as it gets for Wales, our NHS can be so much more than this. With a new government with a credible plan for our NHS, a plan to reduce waiting lists and reform our NHS for the future. That is what Plaid Cymru offers in 2026."

- ENDS - 

THE TRUTH ABOUT BEXIT

If Starmer Wants Growth, He Must Confront the Truth About Brexit – Plaid Cymru.

PM’s “refusal to face the economic reality of Brexit” risks continued harm to Wales, says Plaid Cymru leader following key UK-EU summit.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS has called on the UK Government to acknowledge the economic impact of Brexit on Wales and take steps to rebuild the UK’s relationship with the European Union by rejoining the Single Market and Customs Union.

He warned that without addressing the structural trade and investment barriers created by Brexit, the UK Government’s priority of driving economic growth will remain significantly constrained – with Wales among the hardest-hit parts of the UK.

His comments come after the UK and EU agreed to a new deal, including a 12-year agreement on EU fishing boats in UK waters. In return, the UK secured an agreement that reduces checks on food exports to the EU.

Mr ap Iorwerth has said that the UK Government has so far “failed to properly reset the relationship with the EU”, warning that without action “the damage will continue”.

By 2025, Brexit will have cost the Welsh economy up to £4 billion, reduced the value of Welsh exports by up to £1.1 billion, and led to a loss of £1 billion in European structural and rural development funding.

Post-Brexit trade agreements between the UK, Australia and New Zealand have also placed additional pressure on Welsh agriculture and manufacturing.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Today’s summit was a critical opportunity to begin repairing the UK’s broken relationship with Europe.

“If Keir Starmer is serious about his government’s priority of growing the economy, he must seize the opportunity to remove trade barriers with our largest neighbouring market by committing to re-join the Single Market and Customs Union.

“This is the most effective way to reverse the damage inflicted on Welsh communities by Brexit, and his government have thus far failed to use all the tools at their disposal to address this damage.

“If Starmer is serious about resetting the UK’s relationship with Europe, he must heed Plaid Cymru’s calls and grasp at the opportunity to join the Single Market and Customs Union to protect the Welsh economy.”

Plaid Cymru is also calling on the UK Government to create a Youth Mobility Scheme and re-join Erasmus+, to give Welsh young people new opportunities to live, learn and work across Europe.

Parts of the new deal are still subject to negotiation but expect ministers today to be talking up gains on "jobs, bills and the border".

Mr ap Iorwerth continued: “In Wales, Plaid Cymru has never shied away from the realities of Brexit.

“Removing trade barriers with one of the largest and most prosperous markets in the world to give our economy the boost it needs by facilitating the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour across the EU – benefitting both UK businesses and consumers.

“Next year, Wales has an opportunity to elect a government that will advocate for exactly that.

“Plaid Cymru are laying out a clear, positive vision for the future – one that includes reconnecting with Europe for the benefit of our people and economy.

“After 26 years of Labour rule in Wales, people are crying out for a government that sticks to its principles, listens to public opinion, and offers real solutions. While Labour panders to Reform voters and avoids the truth about Brexit, Plaid Cymru stands for hope – and for Wales working with Europe again.”

-ENDS -