Wales first minister : ‘We’re within a union that is not a union of equals’

What the report says

Wales’s first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, told Al Jazeera that Wales’s place in the United Kingdom is unequal and needs to change. In the interview, he argued that the current union does not treat the nations as equals and said Wales deserves a new arrangement that addresses what he described as long-standing unfairness.

According to the published report, ap Iorwerth has formally written to the British prime minister seeking a transfer of powers to Wales. The areas he wants devolved include policing, justice, rail services and natural resources. He said the goal is not to dismantle the UK immediately, but to give Wales greater control over its own future.

The article says Plaid Cymru, the centre-left Welsh nationalist party, took power in May, ending more than a century of Labour rule in Wales. It also notes that ap Iorwerth signed a pact with leaders in Scotland and Northern Ireland calling for self-determination and signaling a broader challenge to Westminster authority.

Al Jazeera reports that ap Iorwerth sees Wales as moving toward independence, although he said he would not seek a referendum during the current parliament. The remarks add to wider debates across the UK about devolution, constitutional reform and the balance of power between London and the devolved governments.