Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth says his preference would be to lead a minority government.

"I would explicitly reach out to people to help give stability in order to drive forward a programme of government that would work for the people of Wales.

"I wouldn't work for Reform because they stand in diametric opposition to all the values that I stand for," he says.

Would he rule out working with Labour. "I am here to replace Labour," he says.

Pressed on if he was ruling that out or not, he does not say.

Eluned Morgan then also says "we don't think we've got enough in common to be working with Reform".

She says she won't go further than that until after the election.

Who would Dan Thomas work with?

"We will work with any party that will help deliver our manifesto," he says.

He proceeds to accuse Labour and Plaid of stitching up the new voting system for the expanded Senedd "to make sure they end up in power one way or another".

Two party leaders then say they will not work with him.

Anthony Slaughter says the Greens will not work with "Reform or the Conservatives in any shape or form".

He says there are areas where he could work with Plaid.

Jane Dodds also says they will not work with Reform or the Conservatives.

"We are willing to be a responsible partner to stop Reform UK trashing our services, that's very clearly our position."

Are one in five people in Wales on waiting lists?published at 21:27 BST 28 April

21:27 BST 28 April

The leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth earlier said “one in five of the entire Welsh population [are] on waiting lists”.

The latest figures, external from the Welsh government show that there were 687,958 waits in February 2026, roughly one fifth of the nation’s population of 3.2 million.

However, the number of waits is not the same as the number of individual patients, because some people will be waiting for multiple treatments - the report says the waits refer to 543,400 individual patients, which is closer to one in six.

Welsh Labour boasts on apprenticeshipspublished at 21:26 BST 28 April

21:26 BST 28 April

Daniel Davies
Wales political correspondent

Despite a ticking off from a statistics watchdog, Eluned Morgan has just boasted about creating 100,000 apprenticeships.

The chair of the UK Statistics Authority says a claim to have hit Labour's 100,000 target is “not supported by rigorous data”.

The Welsh government changed the way it counts apprenticeships and reduced its target, originally set at 125,000, mid-way through the last Senedd term.

Anthony Slaughter chimes in as the leaders of the Welsh Tories and Welsh Labour talk over each other, forcing Bethan Rhys Roberts to intervene.

"I think we've just seen what's wrong with politics in this country," he says.

Darren Millar responds saying the problem with the Green Party is that their leader claims he is a "boob whisperer".

Slaughter smiles at this adding: "Your obsession with Zack Polanski is quite worrying, Darren."

The fifth question is from Shaun Lewis, a 59-year-old maintenance engineer from New Tredegar.

He asks: “If no party wins a majority next week, why should we settle for backroom deals? Is the new electoral system a chance to prove that cooperation, not conflict, is the best for Wales?”

Who will the party leaders work with - given none of them are likely to win a majority and will have to work with someone to form a government?

Conservative Darren Millar says the "only deal that I'm prepared to make is a deal with the people of Wales".

He says if other parties are willing to work on their policies, like cutting income tax: "I'll work with them".

Asked if he will rule out working with Reform, he does not rule it out.

Getting young people into workpublished at 21:23 BST 28 April

21:23 BST 28 April

Huw Thomas
Wales business correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Business group CBI Wales says youth employment in Wales stands at around 54%, excluding students.

That figure, it argues in its business manifesto, external, should ring alarm bells for politicians as skills shortages grow and some young people remain uncertain about their future.

All the main parties agree apprenticeships are central to improving prospects, but they differ on how to do it.

Younger voters will find that the main differences among the political parties centre on more apprenticeship places, better alignment with the economy and changing the kinds of jobs Wales is training for.

Anthony Slaughter says young people leave Wales because there is "no job opportunities, there is no housing, they can't afford housing".

The Greens would like to get rid of student loans. Slaughter says that would not happen in "two terms" of government. He says Plan 2 loans are "abhorrent".

"I know young people on Plan 2 - they get a good job. At the end of the year they owe even more than when they started," he says.

"We will take action to stop that."

Are there 1,400 people in Welsh hospitals who don't need to be there?published at 21:20 BST 28 April

21:20 BST 28 April

The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds earlier said her party wanted to get “1,400 people out of hospital that are there right now and shouldn't be there”.

According to the latest figures, external, which were published in March, there were 1,351 people in Welsh hospitals who could not leave because care, support or suitable accommodation was not yet available to them.

However, the figure is a snapshot of a day in March, so it doesn’t tell us the total number of delays over the whole month.

The March figure was lower than February’s, but the number of days that people were stuck in hospital slightly increased, external.

In February, the total number of days was 60,601 - 42 per person, compared to 57,512 - or 42.6 per person - in March.

Rhun ap Iorwerth says universities are facing a £100m black hole which he says needs to be addressed.

He says he would like to incentivise students to remain in Wales.

"We need a consensus on how we make sure that we have stability for our own universities," he says.

Darren Millar says the education system "is not working properly" - he says an "prosperous economy" is needed to incentivise students to remain.

"The Labour government has failed at this dismally", he says - something Eluned Morgan then disputes.

The fourth question is from Eva Julien, an 18-year-old sixth former from Cardiff.

She asks: “How will your party make Wales a better place for young people and if they go away to university, attract them back?”

Jane Dodds says there needs to be a "Welsh industrial strategy which actually looks at how we can really invest in Wales".

Tuition fees have been tough for her party in the past. Dodds says they need to make sure the level of payments go up "much, much further".

Morgan denies failing young people and claims 100,000 apprenticeships were created by the Welsh government.

How would she bring students back?

"Jobs" she says. She says the Welsh government had an investment summit, and warned they would not come to the country if Plaid had "one foot heading for the exit" meaning independence.

Parties ganging up on Reform?published at 21:15 BST 28 April

21:15 BST 28 April

Daniel Davies
Wales political correspondent

They’re ganging up against Reform UK and - to a lesser extent, the Conservatives - on the question of immigration.

But parties of the left are not just trying to poach votes from Reform - they’re trying to pinch votes from each other.

Which of them is best placed to oppose Reform is big theme in this campaign.

The leaders of Plaid Cymru, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens are all trying to claim that mantle.

Reform's social housing planpublished at 21:14 BST 28 April

21:14 BST 28 April

India Pollock
Wales social affairs correspondent

Reform say they want to prioritise Welsh people for social housing.

In reality, local connection is already a major factor in allocating housing.

You won't be allocated a social home by any council unless you have lived there or have a family connection for example, unless you are a survivor of domestic abuse.

Reform has said it would prioritise Welsh men and women for social housing.

Thomas says it is someone who has lived in Wales "for a minimum of 10 years".

But would he even qualify?

"No," says Thomas, who recently moved back to Wales from London.

Rhun ap Iorwerth and Dan Thomas clash over the direction of their political parties.

"Did Farage appoint you to cause trouble for him or because you would do everything he he says?" asks Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Darren Millar says it would be "irresponsible" for any politician to ignore immigration.

"The nation of sanctuary of plan spends money on immigrants regardless of how they arrive here in Wales," he says.

Rhun ap Iorwerth says "tolerance is something that every single one of us here should want to embrace every single day".

"We will stand for the proud record that Wales has as an as a nation that welcomes those who flee persecution," he says.

Morgan says the "reality" not the "myth" needed to be addressed.

"The numbers of asylum seekers in Wales are incredibly low," she says.

Slaughter says he grew up in apartheid South Africa, and frames the immigration debate as "racist".

"I know where this racist rhetoric ends," he says.

"We need to remember that words have impact."

Jane Dodds says the "majority of people who come over here seeking sanctuary are from war torn countries".

"Reforms UK are stocking division and hatred," she says.

But Dan Thomas says that not listening to the majority of people in Wales causes division.

An audience member makes an impassioned plea as she talks about the diversity that exists within her family.

She says she is a quarter-Irish, her husband is half-English and she has two daughters-in-law originating from Spain and Albania.

"We are all immigrants," she says.

"Can we not all live together?"

Is Wales spending money on planting trees in Uganda?published at 21:01 BST 28 April

21:01 BST 28 April

Conservative leader Darren Millar was challenged by the Green leader Anthony Slaughter to explain how he would cut taxes and not services.

In his reply, he said: “We will close those mini embassies overseas that the Welsh government shouldn't even be opening…we will make sure that we're not spending money planting trees in Uganda or solar powered canoes in the Amazon.”

The Welsh government has 20 overseas offices in 11 countries (Belgium, Canada, China, Ireland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Qatar, UAE and the US) where it was employing 43 staff across in January 2025, at the cost of around £4.7 million a year, according to a recent report , externalby a Senedd committee.

Millar has previously called for the Welsh government to close those “mini-embassies” because UK ministers are in charge of foreign policy and international relations. The Welsh government said the offices "link Wales with the world", attract trade and investment and support Welsh businesses.

The second part of the claim refers to two projects that received Welsh government funding.

The first was £55,000 for the construction of a solar-powered boat, external for the Wampís, who are indigenous to the Peruvian Amazon and number around 15,000. The Welsh Government said in 2024 the funding was to support the Wampis’ “goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy”.

The second was a tree planting program, external in Uganda over 15 years at the cost of £270,000 per year. The Welsh government says the project helps “community improve agricultural practices and supports jobs for women”.

Although there is no direct benefit to the Welsh economy, the government says the project “helps mitigate climate change for everyone”.

David Phillips of the independent Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) economic think-tank says these and other Welsh government projects which support climate initiatives around the world add up to £1m a year, external and represent 0.004% of the Welsh government budget.

Dan Thomas says "listening to the majority of the people in Wales isn't a dangerous game".

He accuses other parties of losing support because they don't listen, and says claims 49% of Welsh people want the Nation of Sanctuary policy scrapped.

Challenged on a previous quote from when he was leader of Barnet Council that the London borough had a "proud history of providing sanctuary to those fleeing persecution".

"That was before the floodgates were opened".

"The fact I welcomed that showed we're not racist," he said.

Anthony Slaughter says Wales should be "immensely proud" of being a nation of sanctuary.

"Wales is a welcoming nation, we are a welcoming people".

"It's a small, small amount of money" to fund the scheme, he says.