Tories rule-out deal with Plaid Cymru ministers for first big budget test

The Welsh Conservatives have ruled out working with Plaid Cymru ministers on their mid-year spending plans.

Rhun ap Iorwerth's Welsh government is facing its first big test on 14 July, when it will need another political party to help get its supplementary budget through the Senedd.

A Tory spokesperson told the BBC that "we have had no talks whatsoever with the government", adding that the party's members would vote against the government's mid-year budget.

The decision leaves Labour as the only likely partner for the £294m exercise, which includes £40m for school repairs and £100m for NHS waiting times.

A Labour source said conversations are taking place and are "constructive", but the party was still "far apart" from Plaid as things stand.

Labour has called for more money to go towards additional learning needs (ALN) in schools.

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth told the Senedd on Tuesday that he was willing to talk to Reform as well as others.

However, a deal between the two is widely seen as unlikely, given Plaid ruled out working with Nigel Farage's party at the last election.

Plaid Cymru does not have enough votes to get a budget passed in the Senedd alone - it lost a non-binding vote last week on hospital closures.

During First Minister's Questions (FMQs) on Tuesday, Reform leader Dan Thomas asked Rhun ap Iorwerth whether he was willing to work with Reform.

Thomas claimed it was "clear from the initial reaction from all the opposition parties that, if voting matches the rhetoric, the government will not have support for its supplementary budget, and it will not go through".

"So will the first minister disclose if you are having any talks with other political parties, if there are any areas of compromise within the supplementary budget and whether you'd be willing to work with Reform?"

Ap Iorwerth explained that he was willing to have conversations with "leaders of Reform, Conservatives, Labour and the Green Party."

He recognised his government would help from other parties, calling on members to support measures to bring down waiting lists in the NHS.

Conservative sources said that no discussions have taken place between its group- led by Darren Millar - and the EWelsh government.

Dan Thomas said that Reform's red lines would be to guarantee all student nurses and midwives a job and increase spending on children with additional learning needs, as well as stopping all Welsh government spending overseas.

Plaid Cymru Finance Minister Elin Jones has announced £294m in new spending in her supplementary budget, with £40m to go on repairs to schools, £55m on childcare, and £100m for waiting times.

The Welsh government has extra money as a consequence of money spent by the UK government, used to pay off the debts of English councils built up through supporting young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Opposition parties have called for that cash to be spent similarly in Wales, on what are referred to as additional learning needs here.