The full Plaid Cymru manifesto can be found here.
International Law
Plaid Cymru supports upholding of international law and organisations that maintain international law such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Governments and countries cannot pick and choose which international rules to follow based on their own self-interest.
Conflict in Gaza
Plaid Cymru has been consistent in calling for a peaceful ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages and a negotiated end to the conflict.
Our motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in November 2023 was passed by our Senedd.
We recognise the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards peace in the region.
Plaid Cymru condemns in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th, the murder of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in the region, and the horrific genocide committed by the Israeli Government against the people of Gaza. Amnesty International classifies the State of Israel as an apartheid state, which has received the direct and indirect support of Western governments, including the United Kingdom.
Plaid Cymru further believes that Israeli Government Ministers responsible for war crimes, including genocide, should be held accountable by international courts for their actions. We will demand that the UK Government enforces all decisions made by the International Criminal Court, including acting on all arresting warrants
it issues. We further call on the UK Government to expel the Israeli ambassador until such time as the Israeli Government ends its apartheid and illegal actions. We will also demand a ban on all arms sales to the state of Israel.
Plaid Cymru opposed and voted against the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill which was aimed at preventing public authorities from participating in boycotts, divestment and sanctions campaigns.
Plaid Cymru supports all campaigns against oppressive states using any peaceful methods including boycotts, divestment and sanctions, and commit to protecting the human right to protest free of hindrance, crackdown or unfair restriction.
Defence
Plaid Cymru supports peaceful and negotiated outcomes to all conflict.
We believe that our Senedd should be consulted before decisions are made by the UK Government to engage in military action.
We believe that the UK should withhold licenses to sell arms to countries which have poor human rights records, or where there is credible evidence to suggest that they will be used for repression of their own populations, or in violation of international law.
There should be a review of the arms export control system, and a clear statement of intent to withdraw from the international arms supply trade.
Plaid Cymru opposes the Trident nuclear weapons system and its renewal, which is estimated to cost more than £200bn, and supports the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. We oppose increasing defence spending, and believe that, if defence spending is required, then it would be better used on conventional defence and to peaceful ends, rather than weapons of mass destruction.
Veterans require substantially improved support upon leaving armed service and returning to civilian life. Plaid Cymru calls for an independent review of the medical discharge process and introducing an income disregard for the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme so that they aren’t considered as income for the purposes of benefits and pensions.
International Aid
Plaid Cymru supports the United Nations target for countries to spend 0.7% on international aid and calls on the next UK Government to reinstate that commitment as a matter of urgency. This funding should be used for internationally recognised aid purposes.
International Links, Diplomacy and Diaspora
Wales has an international identity and international recognition, despite being poorly supported by the UK’s representation in other countries.
Wales is also home to citizens with birthplaces throughout the world, so we welcome international government opening Consulates-General and Consulates in Cardiff or elsewhere in Wales.
Welsh citizens and those of Welsh descent continue to have a global impact. Plaid Cymru would invest in developing and improving links with the Welsh diaspora internationally, and in nurturing relationships with others who have built links with Wales through education, culture or business.
Plaid Cymru strongly oppose the Conservative UK Government’s proposals and attitudes towards asylum seekers and refugees, including deportation to Rwanda and the general hostile environment created. We believe that the UK should uphold the commitments made when it signed up to the Refugee Treaty in 1951.
The creation of an online programme which shows an indicator of a likely outcome for an asylum application would also help to manage this process.
We recognise that there has been an increase in major conflicts during the past decade, including those in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Gaza, which have globally increased the number of displaced peoples.
We believe that those people affected by conflict, or through persecution in their home country, are deserving of our help and support.
Once here, we believe that responsibility for asylum seekers and dispersal should be proportionate across the UK.
We support a family reunification scheme for those caught up within the conflict in Gaza, with a clear right to return to their homeland when possible to do so.
Safe Routes
We believe that the UK Government has undermined that commitment through their failure to provide safe routes for asylum seekers and by deliberately failing to process claims quickly, effectively and humanely, leading to deaths at sea and un-necessary misery amongst already vulnerable people seeking safety.
Effective management of the asylum process would allow processing to take place prior to reaching the UK, in a third country such as France or at British embassies or consulates abroad.
Wales: A Nation of Sanctuary
Wales should have the powers and resources to make good on our pledge to become a Nation of Sanctuary. We were disappointed by Labour’s recent removal of the Welcome Ticket in Wales which allowed free transport for refugees on public transport.
We oppose Conservative proposals to increase the skilled worker and family visa threshold and fee increases.
We support the Migration Advisory Committees’ recommendation that the graduate route visa be retained. We are concerned that current proposals will detrimentally affect universities, including those in Bangor and Aberystwyth, with a knock-on effect upon local communities where universities are major employers.
We would support the repeal of previous punitive legislation which is part of the hostile environment, including the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023.
We believe that there should be changes within the system, including the ending of the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ clause and restrictions on employment while awaiting decisions, both of which un-necessarily force people into poverty rather than providing support.
Plaid Cymru supports the UK remaining a member of the European Court of Human Rights and we support maintaining the human rights which we, collectively, hold.
We believe that, similar to Quebec in Canada, Wales should have greater powers over migration–including the ability to determine our own Shortage Occupation List and granting the Welsh Government the ability to manage its own visa schemes.
Migrants play an important role within our society, contributing to many occupations including social care and healthcare in particular. Their contribution should be welcomed, rather than criticised.
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic People
Plaid Cymru abhors racism in all its forms. We recognise that people from the global majority are structurally disadvantaged, and proactive steps need to be taken to tackle and dismantle this structural racism. In fields such as criminal justice, youth justice, recruitment, progression through education, health care and mental health, minority ethnic groups continue to face unacceptable direct and indirect discrimination.
We support research into the barriers that communities face in accessing healthcare and how to combat these, addressing structural and institutional racial discrimination and Islamophobia where present.
Diversity makes for a richer Wales and can enable communities to be represented and understood. All public
facing organisations should consider their recruitment practices to remove these barriers and ensure that they represent various communities and understand their issues and concerns.
We support the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP) and will work to ensure it is implemented effectively and measurably.