Wales Presses Burnham on Devolution After Plaid Cymru's Historic Win

Wales's First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has told Prime Minister Andy Burnham to be serious about devolution and to understand that Wales is a nation and "not a region in England".

He set out his terms for working with the new UK government in an interview published on 13 September 2026. He said Burnham had assured him he would "not bypass devolution" The Guardian. The statement came before talks on powers, funding, and how the two governments deal with each other.

Ap Iorwerth is the first non-Labour leader of the Senedd since devolution started. Devolution is the transfer of powers from London to Cardiff, and the Senedd is Wales's parliament. He became first minister in May 2026 after leading Plaid Cymru to victory in the Senedd elections. That win ended 100 years of Labour dominance, including being the biggest party in every vote to the Welsh parliament since its creation in 1999.

Plaid Cymru holds 43 seats as the largest party in the expanded 96-member Senedd. It formed a minority government after the May 2026 election, which means it governs without a majority and must build support vote by vote The Guardian. Reform forms the opposition, rising from two Senedd members to 34 in the May 2026 elections.

Policing and justice are one central issue. Wales is the only UK nation without control over policing and the justice system. Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock said in July 2026 he was not "entirely convinced" about devolving powers such as policing to Wales. Ap Iorwerth had already called on Burnham to empower and not "bypass" Wales's parliament before his first meeting with the UK government, according to July reporting BBC.

Funding is a second issue. Burnham ruled out reform of the main funding system for the Welsh government in June 2026 BBC. His agenda focuses on passing more decision-making powers to regional leaders in England Reuters.

On 20 July 2026, ap Iorwerth issued a statement congratulating Burnham on his appointment as prime minister. They met in person to mark the new role on 23 July 2026. On 2 September 2026, ap Iorwerth said Wales and Westminster should "speak the same language" on devolution ITV.

Ap Iorwerth also said Plaid Cymru would cooperate with Labour in Cardiff or Westminster to keep Reform UK out of power.

The broader context here is a reordering of Welsh politics that London has yet to fully absorb. For a century, Labour could manage Cardiff-London tensions through internal party channels. That mechanism no longer holds. A Plaid-led government has reason to test the limits of the settlement, while a prime minister whose background is in English mayoral devolution tends to think of decentralisation through combined authorities and elected mayors rather than transfers to nations.

Looking at what this means for the next phase, three tests stand out. The first is process. "Not bypass devolution" will be judged on legislative consent, direct funding flows, and Whitehall consultation. The second is policing and justice, where Kinnock's scepticism points to no early transfer. The third is fiscal, where without reform of the main funding system Cardiff will press for flexibility within existing budgets and for assurance that English decentralisation does not weaken Welsh comparability. Cooperation against Reform gives both sides reason to avoid rupture, but it does not settle the underlying asymmetry.