Rhun ap Iorwerth asks Andy Burnham for a ‘New Deal for Wales’

Wales’s first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has written to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham seeking a ‘New Deal for Wales’, Plaid Cymru said on 1 October. The request calls for more powers and financial flexibility for the Welsh Government. It puts a specific proposal before Burnham after the two leaders expressed different views on how far Welsh devolution should go.

Ap Iorwerth argues that Wales should have access to the constitutional and fiscal tools already available to Scotland. His letter presents those tools as a way to improve public services and grow the economy. The published material establishes a request to the UK government; it does not establish that Burnham has agreed to transfer any powers or change Wales’s funding arrangements.

Which powers is Rhun ap Iorwerth seeking?

The areas identified in the letter include policing and justice, rail infrastructure, the Crown Estate and welfare, according to Nation.Cymru’s account. Ap Iorwerth also wants greater flexibility over funding. These are distinct parts of the proposed deal, so agreement on one area would not by itself settle the others. The available accounts do not set out an agreed timetable or terms for any transfer.

Ap Iorwerth makes policing and justice a central part of his case. In the extract published by Plaid Cymru, he calls the case for devolving them ‘compelling and urgent’. He argues that the division between devolved public services and a justice system reserved to Westminster makes it harder to plan and deliver services together. The letter describes that division as a ‘jagged edge’ in the devolution settlement.

What has Andy Burnham said about Welsh devolution?

The letter follows Burnham’s rejection of giving the Welsh Government the power to call an independence referendum. Reporting Burnham’s 25 September interview with BBC Wales, Nation.Cymru said he wanted a referendum decision made jointly with Westminster. It quoted him saying he did not ‘think we can create a different arrangement for Wales’ and that the UK Parliament should have a say on an issue of that magnitude.

Burnham’s position on a referendum does not amount to a rejection of every request for further devolution. Nation.Cymru reported that he promised proposals a ‘fair hearing’ and had said he would examine the case for devolving policing. Those remarks preceded the new letter. The cited reporting does not establish a response from Burnham to its specific requests.

Ap Iorwerth has said he will seek referendum powers, but has ruled out holding a vote before the next Senedd election in May 2030, Nation.Cymru reported. The referendum disagreement therefore concerns who could authorise a future vote, while the new letter also asks for powers and funding changes that would affect how the Welsh Government operates now. Neither question is resolved by the letter itself.

How the request fits the wider devolution dispute

In a Guardian interview published on 13 September, ap Iorwerth said Burnham needed to understand that Wales is a nation, ‘not a region of England’. He welcomed their initial discussions but warned against treating Welsh devolution like devolution within England. He also expressed concern that people around Burnham might resist transferring policing and justice powers. Those comments preceded the formal ‘New Deal for Wales’ request.

The letter turns that broader argument into a demand for particular responsibilities and fiscal tools. Ap Iorwerth says matching tools available to Scotland is an underpinning principle of the changes he seeks. Whether the UK government accepts that principle, and what it might agree in each policy area, remains open. Burnham’s earlier promise of a fair hearing is the clearest position attributed to him in the available reporting on further devolution.

Nation.Cymru reported on 1 October that ap Iorwerth was due to present the proposals at Plaid Cymru’s annual conference in Llandudno the following afternoon. Its quotations from the planned speech were published in advance, so they do not confirm the words he delivered. The established development is the letter and its requests; a government answer, any negotiated terms and any transfer of powers remain to be seen.