Rhun ap Iorwerth sworn in as First Minister of Wales

Mr ap Iorwerth was elected as leader of the country by Members of the Senedd on Tuesday.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said there are “no limits” on his ambition for Wales after being sworn in as First Minister.

Mr ap Iorwerth was elected as leader of the country by Members of the Senedd (MSs) on Tuesday, making him the first politician not from Labour to hold the office.

He succeeds Baroness Eluned Morgan, who lost her seat in the Senedd election last week and subsequently resigned as Welsh Labour leader after a devastating set of results for the party.

After the vote in the Senedd, the Plaid Cymru leader was sworn in at the Welsh Government’s HQ in Cathays Park.

Speaking to reporters outside, Mr ap Iorwerth said his Government will be “determined” in “seeking the best deal for Wales”.

He said: “My loyalty in all my time as First Minister of Wales will be to the people of Wales and I will endeavour in all I do in working constructively with the UK Government to get the best deal for Wales.

“Standing up for Wales was one of our core messages in this election, as well as, of course, getting to grips with those issues on health and education, on job creation, on childcare.”

Despite being the largest party, Plaid Cymru fell short of a majority in the Welsh Parliament election, with 43 Members of the Senedd (MSs) out of a total 96.

“I made it known that my wish was to be in a position where we could form a minority government,” he said.

“We are in that position because of the very, very strong result that Plaid Cymru had in this election.

“I believe that, through that spirit of co-operation that I have spoken so regularly about, we can bring about that stability.”

In the Senedd on Tuesday, Dan Thomas, leader of Reform Wales, said there was still a “pro-union majority” in the Welsh Parliament.

Mr ap Iorwerth, who previously said he would seek to make the case for Welsh independence while in Government, told reporters: “We have a pro-Wales message that I think has come through clearly in this election.

“People voted in greater numbers than ever before for a party that believes in the future of our nation, and yes, we have aspirations to genuinely unlock our potential.

“I don’t have limits on my ambition for Wales, as do other parties.”

Mr ap Iorwerth said speaking to Sir Keir Starmer would be a “priority” and added that he wanted a conversation to “happen as early as possible”.

Asked if the Prime Minister should resign, after Labour suffered a disastrous election result in Wales, Mr ap Iorwerth said: “That’s not a matter for me”.

He added: “My job now is to get to work immediately as the First Minister of Wales to build a better future for our nation.”