PLAID CYMRU mishandled the launch of its plan for the first 100 days in government at the weekend, where it tried to stop the press from asking questions of its leader.

Rhun ap Iorwerth had faced a bruising Channel 4 interview on Friday evening, where he was unable to explain how much his free childcare policy would cost and which part of the tightly squeezed government budget the money would come from.

In the end, party sources said that the policy would cost £400 million.

It seemed the former broadcast journalist’s poor interview had spooked the party’s management into trying to stop media questions.

The Morning Star managed to quiz the Plaid leader about his keynote speech and the first 100-day plan, where both failed to mention working with trade unions and the importance of social partnership.

Mr ap Iorwerth accepted the point that some unions had expressed concern that workforces and their union representatives were not part of Plaid’s priorities.

“The unions will be a key partner, and we will focus on how we work with the workforce,” he said.

“We have a very close relationship with the unions, and I’m a member myself. The unions are really important to us.

“We’re already working with TUC Cymru on how we apply that in government, and we have an agreed memorandum of understanding with the unions.”

The misstep came on the same day that Welsh Hollywood actor and social campaigner Michael Sheen voiced his support for Plaid Cymru ahead of the Senedd election on May 7. 

The party’s roadmap is Plaid Cymru’s attempted vision to put policy into action in its first 100 days in government.

It covers appointing a dedicated minister to work across portfolios to ensure progress on key priorities and agreeing on a set of measurable outcomes.

The party pledged to reset the relationship with Westminster and make the case for more powers to be devolved to Wales to give it parity with Scotland.

Plaid also pledged to tackle Wales’s NHS waiting lists and establish a health finance efficiency team.

Welsh Labour criticised the 100-day plan as a code for cuts. 

“Their 100-day plan commits to ‘health finance efficiency’ just hours after Rhun failed to answer how he’d pay for his childcare policy,” a Labour spokesperson said.