# Rhun ap Iorwerth — Plaid Cymru Leader, First Minister of Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

# Rhun ap Iorwerth — Plaid Cymru Leader, First Minister of Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

| Detail | Info |
|--------|------|
| **Full name** | Rhun ap Iorwerth |
| **Role** | Leader of Plaid Cymru, First Minister of Wales (from May 2026), MS for Ynys Môn |
| **Born** | 1972 |
| **Education** | University of Wales, Cardiff |
| **Previous career** | Journalist (BBC Wales) |

## Celtic Alliance Position

**Proponent — active.** Rhun ap Iorwerth is the most current high-profile advocate of Celtic cooperation. He drove the **October 2025 "Progressive Alliance" talks** with SNP leader John Swinney at Bute House, Edinburgh, discussing election coordination and policy sharing.

Following the **May 2026 Senedd election**, Plaid Cymru won 43 of 96 seats (45%) and ap Iorwerth became **Plaid Cymru's first ever First Minister of Wales**, forming a minority government with Green Party confidence-and-supply.

Key actions:
- Met John Swinney at Bute House (30 Oct 2025) to discuss 2026 election coordination
- Proposed modelling Welsh social policy on Scotland's Scottish Child Payment
- Framed Plaid-SNP cooperation as a "progressive alliance" against Westminster
- Led Plaid Cymru to historic Senedd victory (May 2026)
- Has maintained regular contact with SNP leadership since
- Now leads Wales with a pro-independence, Celtic cooperation mandate

## Sources
- [BBC — SNP and Plaid Cymru to join forces (Oct 2025)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0gryd6k7ro)
- [Nation.Cymru — Plaid Cymru and SNP to join forces](https://nation.cymru/news/plaid-cymru-and-snp-to-join-forces/)
- [The National — SNP Plaid wins serve as wake-up call](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25583069.snp-plaid-cymru-wins-serve-wake-up-call/)
- [Nation.Cymru — Rhun ap Iorwerth set to become first premier (May 2026)](https://nation.cymru/news/rhun-ap-iorwerth-set-to-become-plaid-cymrus-first-premier-of-wales/)
- [Wikipedia — Rhun ap Iorwerth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhun_ap_Iorwerth)