Adam Price, new Plaid Cymru leader, advocates for a "reformed Europe" taking more account of the smaller nations

Reform should be the dominant message for any campaign for staying inside the EU, Plaid Cymru’s leader Adam Price declared in a passionate address to the European Policy Centre in Brussels last week. “This should be the centrepiece of EU economic and social strategy,” Price said. “That would give meaning to the shared solidarity that is expressed through the Delors principle of economic and social cohesion that is at the heart of the European Union Project. Following the Second World War the building blocks of the EU were the nation states. Today we need to take more account of the smaller European nations – Catalonia, Brittany, Flanders, Sardinia, Scotland, Wales, and many more. We are represented in the European Parliament through our grouping, the European Free Alliance. The reformed Europe that I am advocating will need to give much greater emphasis to this democratic base. If it does not it will increasingly be viewed as the tool of the political elite.
After all, it was the great Breton nationalist Yann Fouéré who in the 1960s coined the term L’Europe aux cent drapeaux (Europe of a hundred flags). That still encapsulates for us the full meaning of the European Union’s catchphrase, our unity in diversity.”

Adam Price won the Plaid Cymru leadership contest, taking nearly 50 per cent of the vote. The assembly member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr defeated Rhun ap Iorwerth and former leader Leanne Wood in a ballot of party members. Despite leading the party for six years, Ms Wood came last. In his victory address Mr Price said: "This election shows we are ready to lead again. Our time has come.Our message must be simple. Yes, Wales can." The AM is the first openly gay assembly party leader in the history of the institution and leads the third largest group in the Senedd, behind Labour and the Tories.

Mr Price, who has vowed to put independence at the core of his party's message, said: "There will be no second class travellers on our journey to a prosperous, self-confident and independent Wales.We must become the hope of those without hope."Mr Price paid tribute to former leader Leanne Wood."She has inspired thousands with her drive, her resilience and her unending commitment to the causes that she and we hold dear," he said.


The Welsh Assembly Member for the 53% Leave-voting Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency evicted Plaid’s hapless former leader Leanne Wood and fended off Rhun ap Iorwerth to lead Wales’ pro-Brussels separatists. Price claimed to espy the “dying days of the British state” with its “shackles” of post-imperialism and called Brexit “a cataclysm”. He said Wales’ heritage and culture “must be protected” from the “Brexit catastrophe” and “every opportunity should be taken to “stop this madness” rather than respecting Wales’ Brexit vote.

Price won Plaid’s leadership election with 2,863 votes abd was proclaimed on 6 October 2018 at Plaid’s annual conference in the party's annual conference at Theatr Mlwdan, Cardigan. Price claimed that Brexit means Welsh independence “must be on the table” and achieved by 2030.

Adam Price took 49.7% of first preference votes (2,863), while Rhun ap Iorwerth took 28% (1,613) and Leanne Wood 22.3% (1,286). After no candidate reached 50%, Ms Wood was knocked out and a second count began with the second preference votes of her supporters redistributed. This gave Mr Price 618 more votes and Mr ap Iorwerth 348.