On a brisk October morning in Edinburgh, the leaders of two of Britain’s most prominent pro-independence parties—Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth and the Scottish National Party’s John Swinney—met to chart a new political course. Their goal? To forge a “progressive alliance” that would challenge what they see as the stifling grip of Westminster politics and offer Scotland and Wales a hopeful, alternative future. The meeting, held at Bute House, came just days after Plaid Cymru’s dramatic by-election victory in Caerphilly, a result that sent shockwaves through the Welsh political landscape and signaled a growing appetite for change.
The idea of a progressive alliance isn’t entirely new, but the urgency behind it has reached a fever pitch. According to BBC News, both leaders are determined to work together to “show their respective nations there is a positive alternative to Westminster’s despair and decline.” John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, didn’t mince words: “Westminster is not working for Scotland or Wales. Keir Starmer’s government has been an unmitigated disaster for both our nations.” Swinney’s criticism was sharp, targeting not only Labour but also what he described as the “hateful, extreme politics of Nigel Farage,” which he vowed would never be allowed to take root in Scotland or Wales.
For Rhun ap Iorwerth, the stakes are clear. With the next Welsh elections looming, he hopes to become Wales’ First Minister and sees this alliance as a genuine opportunity to “show the power of progressive politics.” As reported by WalesOnline, ap Iorwerth believes that by electing a Plaid Cymru government in Wales and an SNP government in Scotland, the two nations would create “a powerful bloc—one that would serve as a wake-up call for the UK Labour Government that they would ignore at their peril.” The recent by-election win in Caerphilly, where Plaid Cymru ended decades of Labour dominance, has emboldened the party and lent real momentum to their cause.
The core of their shared platform is a commitment to tackling child poverty and supporting families struggling with the cost of living. Plaid Cymru has pledged to pilot a version of the Scottish Child Payment if it forms the next Welsh government, a move inspired by Scotland’s own efforts to reduce child poverty. “The Scottish Child Payment is a radical and exciting policy which we are committed to introducing as a Welsh pilot should Plaid Cymru form the next government in May,” ap Iorwerth told North Wales Live. He added, “Thanks to measures like this, Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty rates are set to drop in the coming years. I want that to be the case in Wales too.”
But the alliance is about more than social policy. Both leaders see it as a bulwark against what they describe as the “race to the right” in British politics—a trend they argue is exemplified by the rise of Reform UK and the influence of Nigel Farage. Swinney warned, “The far-right politics of Reform are consuming the Labour and the Conservative parties, as Plaid Cymru demonstrated in the Caerphilly by-election.” In that contest, Reform UK surged into second place, with Labour falling to third—a result that underscored the shifting political sands in both Wales and the wider UK.
The leaders were also keen to highlight what they perceive as the failures of the current Labour government in Westminster. Swinney was scathing: “After only a year and a half in office Keir Starmer’s government is already hanging by a thread. Next year we have the opportunity to cut that thread—and bring an end to Starmer’s disastrous time as Prime Minister.” For Plaid Cymru, the criticism is even more pointed. Ap Iorwerth lamented that after 26 years of Labour rule, Wales still lacks control over justice, policing, and its own natural resources. “The Labour Welsh Government’s unwillingness to stand up to Westminster and Labour’s Welsh MPs’ refusal to countenance further devolution” has left Wales, in his view, short-changed and voiceless.
Not everyone is convinced by the alliance’s promise. The Welsh Conservative leader, Darren Millar, dismissed the pact as a “regressive alliance,” warning that the plans to “tear apart the United Kingdom” would threaten economic security and cost Welsh families dearly. “These political parties pose a danger to our economic security that would cost every single family in Wales thousands of pounds each and every year, and put pensions, jobs and livelihoods at risk,” Millar told BBC News.
Reform UK Wales was no less critical, accusing Plaid Cymru of “copying the SNP’s homework” despite what they described as Scotland’s “highest drug deaths in Europe, higher income tax than the rest of the UK and an obsession with breaking up the union to the detriment of our NHS.” The Scottish Conservatives, too, accused Swinney of focusing on independence at the expense of pressing domestic issues, such as the NHS and education. “Scots are sick and tired of the SNP continuing to obsess over independence at the expense of everything else,” said Deputy Leader Rachael Hamilton.
Despite these criticisms, the progressive alliance remains undeterred. Swinney and ap Iorwerth argue that their cooperation is not about division, but about giving their nations a stronger voice and a better deal. “With an SNP Government in Scotland and a Plaid Cymru Government in Wales next May, our nations will have the strongest voices possible that Westminster can simply no longer ignore,” ap Iorwerth said. The two leaders envision a future where Wales and Scotland have parity of funding and powers, and where independence offers a “fresh start” away from what they see as the broken Westminster system.
The alliance is also drawing inspiration from history. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton suggested that Scotland and Wales should be “inspired by our shared history,” hinting at a broader sense of solidarity among the UK’s devolved nations. Whether this alliance will translate into tangible electoral gains remains to be seen, but the mood among SNP and Plaid Cymru supporters is one of cautious optimism.
As the next round of elections approaches, the stakes for both parties—and for the future of the United Kingdom—could hardly be higher. The progressive alliance between Plaid Cymru and the SNP is not just a political maneuver; it’s a statement of intent, a challenge to the status quo, and, for its leaders, a chance to offer Scotland and Wales a new path forward.
