A POSITIVE outcome from the Senedd Election is conversation around Welsh independence has come to the forefront, said South Wales East MS Delyth Jewell.

The Plaid Cymru regional member spoke to the South Wales Argus following her re-election, where she said that creating opportunities for young people in Wales outside of its main cities should be a priority for this next Senedd.

“It has to be seen as a positive and a necessity that we are having those conversations,” said Ms Jewell.

READ MORE:

“I think that that’s going to become even more urgent in the coming weeks and months because of what could potentially happen in Scotland and even maybe further regional devolution in England, and what’s happening in Ireland.

“I don’t want Wales’ fate to be determined by what happens elsewhere. I want us to be having these conversations now to help make sure that the citizens of Wales shape our future.

“We need to find ways of normalising having this conversation, so it’s not something remote, it’s something where everyone feels it’s something they have a stake in and it’s a national conversation about how we want to improve people’s lives, what tools we want to have to do that, what improvements people want to see in their lives.”

Ms Jewell said the election results showed the people of Wales supported the Welsh Government gaining further powers.

“If there’s one analysis that you could make of the entire result nationally, it is that it has been an overwhelming mandate for devolution and for further powers,” she said.

“There had been so much talk of Abolish (the Welsh Assembly Party), but they failed to get any seats – including the regional seats which are more proportional – and they didn’t really get very close to getting them.

“I think that the people of Wales have given their overall support for the idea of further powers because the Labour party as well as Plaid Cymru were openly seeking further devolution in terms of the manifestos we put forward.

“We have a government in Westminster who actually want to roll back devolution and they want to undermine the powers of the Welsh Government.

“I think it’s going to be really important for the Welsh Government to be emboldened and to make sure that they are fighting for the rights of devolution and for the rights of the people of Wales.

“That’s what I see my role, as representing my constituents but also scrutinising the Welsh Government and making sure that they deliver on the promises that they have made.”