Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth to Stand for First Minister on Tuesday

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has said he hopes to be elected first minister of Wales as early as Tuesday. The party won 43 seats in last week's Senedd election and intends to form a minority government on its own after falling six seats short of a majority in the 96-member parliament.

Ap Iorwerth told BBC Radio Wales: “We’re ready to go as quickly as we can. We hope for it to be Tuesday.

The Senedd's presiding officer must give 24 hours' notice before a confirmation vote can take place. Ap Iorwerth said he will seek support from members across the Senedd and has spoken to all party leaders except Nigel Farage. He has put a clear programme for government on the table.

Plaid Cymru outlined plans at its February conference for its first 100 days in office, including an independent review of NHS performance to tackle waiting lists. The party has ruled out holding an independence referendum in its first term but plans to fund a commission to build the case for it.

Labour was reduced to nine seats. Its interim leader Ken Skates said his party's members would meet on Monday to discuss their approach to the first minister vote. Skates described any cooperation with Reform UK to block ap Iorwerth as “deeply unpleasant” and said Welsh Labour would maintain a mature relationship with Plaid while serving the people of Wales.

Money is tight and Labour criticised Plaid's spending pledges during the campaign as unaffordable. Ap Iorwerth plans to make the case to the UK government for more financial support.

In Scotland, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he will “absolutely” stay on as leader despite the party recording its worst ever result at the Scottish Parliament election. Labour lost four seats and returned 17 of 129 available, tying with Reform UK.

The SNP secured 58 seats but fell short of the 65 needed for a majority. Sarwar took full responsibility for the campaign strategy that focused on constituencies rather than the list vote. He described the result as “disappointing and hurtful” and said the party had failed to cut through a national wave against Labour.

Sarwar declined to say whether he would lead the party into the next election in five years' time. He confirmed he is sticking by his February call for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign. Sarwar said he had tried to make the campaign about Scotland but there was clearly a national wave that the party failed to overcome.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the results open the possibility of three pro-independence first ministers across the islands for the first time. She confirmed contact with both ap Iorwerth and SNP leader John Swinney and said she looked forward to working closely with them.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald called it a landmark day for the future of the Union. Ap Iorwerth has suggested cooperation with nationalist parties in Scotland and Northern Ireland on shared policies including use of natural resources off coasts and reducing inequality.

After the confirmation vote ap Iorwerth will need to form a team of up to 17 ministers. Forming budgets and passing legislation will require deals with other parties in the minority government setup. Labour also suffered heavy losses in council elections across England, losing almost 1,500 councillors, and in Wales where it lost 35 seats.

In Wales the first minister was among those who lost their seats. Sarwar defended campaign co-chairs Jackie Baillie and Douglas Alexander, saying they did a good job. He added that the election did not come down to big ideas but a general vibe the party could not change.

A Labour MP, Catherine West, called for cabinet ministers to challenge Starmer's leadership or she would do it herself. She said she already has 10 MPs willing to back a challenge and would need support from at least 81 to trigger a formal contest.