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Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth will hold talks with Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney on Thursday, October 30, to develop a "progressive alliance" between the two countries and end the "race to the right" seen in Westminster politics. Mr ap Iorwerth said he was looking forward to meeting Mr Swinney to discuss how they would ensure the voices of Wales and Scotland were heard in Westminster. The Ynys Mon MS, whose party brought an end to centuries of Labour domination in Caerphilly last week with a historic by-election win, added that Plaid Cymru and the SNP had a “genuine opportunity to show the power of progressive politics”. Ahead of the meeting, Mr Swinney pledged to work with Mr ap Iorwerth to offer a "positive alternative to Westminster's despair and decline". For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The meeting will also focus on efforts to tackle child poverty, with Plaid Cymru having already pledged it will pilot a version of the Scottish Child Payment if it forms the government in Wales after Senedd elections here next year. Speaking before Thursday’s meeting in Edinburgh, SNP leader Mr Swinney made clear his view that the "Westminster status quo is not working". Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: "I am looking forward to meeting with the First Minister of Scotland John Swinney to discuss our shared vision for the future of our nations. "A Plaid Cymru Government would be eager to adopt best practice from around the world when it comes to adopting policies to improve people’s day-to-day lives and where better to start than with one of our closest allies in Scotland. "The Scottish Child Payment is a radical and exciting policy which we are committed to introducing as a Welsh pilot should Plaid Cymru form the next government in May. Thanks to measures like this, Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty rates are set to drop in the coming years. I want that to be the case in Wales too. "We have a genuine opportunity to show the power of progressive politics through close and continued cooperation between Scotland and Wales. "With an SNP Government in Scotland and a Plaid Cymru Government in Wales next May, our nations will have the strongest voices possible that Westminster can simply no longer ignore." The Scottish First Minister added: "Bills are going up, people are struggling and the UK Labour Government’s answer is racing further and further to the right to keep up with Nigel Farage." He insisted: "That is not a status quo I am willing to accept – and I will be delighted to work with my friends in Plaid Cymru to show the people of Scotland and Wales that there is a positive alternative to Westminster’s despair and decline." Mr Swinney said both the SNP and Welsh nationalists in Plaid Cymru shared a vision of "a society in which we support people with the cost of living rather than leaving them to languish while the rich get richer". With the two parties working together he said: "We can make clear that a better future is possible – and that comes with the fresh start of independence."
