A PLAID Cymru-led Welsh Government would put the wheels in motion to hold a Welsh independence referendum "at the earliest possible opportunity" newly-elected party leader Adam Price has said.

Speaking at the first day of the party's autumn conference today, just one week after being elected as the party's new leader, Mr Price said the current course of Brexit would lead to the break-up of the nations of the United Kingdom.

The first day of the conference in Cardigan also saw the party approve a motion calling for all drugs to be made legal - which will now become the party's official policy.

Saying "we are living in the dying days of the British state", Mr Price called on party members and supporters to "do everything within our power to safeguard Welsh nationhood".

“If the Brexiteers in Westminster have their way we will be out of the single market and customs union and with a hard border on the island of Ireland," he said.

“The appetite for Scottish independence and Irish unity will become insatiable. Meanwhile, Wales under this lacklustre Labour government faces being starved of the options and opportunities it requires to survive.

“That is why Welsh independence must be on the table. Only by taking our future into our own hands can we ensure that our country isn’t swallowed into an ‘EnglandandWales’ entity where we are at the mercy of Westminster."

He continued, if elected to power in the Assembly in 2021, Plaid Cymru would introduce a Welsh Independence Referendum Act "at the earliest possible opportunity" allowing them to call a referendum "by the end of the decade at the latest, or earlier should there be a material change in the UK's constitutional landscape".

“In these turbulent political times when history seems to be speeding up, Wales cannot be left playing catch up," he said.

“People in Wales from all parties and none are welcome to join us on this journey to ensure a stable and prosperous future for our country. The work of creating a New Wales starts now.”