November 11, 2026 - 149 views
The future relationship between Wales and the rest of the UK is to be examined by a new independent commission, as the Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government steps up its plans to secure greater powers for the Senedd.
The National Commission for Wales will be chaired by Dame Menna Rawlings and Professor Emyr Lewis and will provide independent advice, research and analysis on the country's constitutional future.
It will examine areas where the Welsh Government believes more decisions should be made in Wales, including control of the Crown Estate, rail infrastructure, justice and policing.
The commission will also lead a national conversation, inviting people from across Wales to consider three possible constitutional arrangements: greater devolution, a federal United Kingdom or full independence.
Establishing the commission was a manifesto commitment by Plaid Cymru ahead of the Senedd election earlier this year, when the party made securing additional powers for Wales a central part of its political programme.
Plaid argues that the current division of responsibilities between Cardiff and Westminster makes it harder for Wales to tackle some of its biggest challenges. While the Welsh Government is responsible for areas including health, education and housing, important related powers over policing, courts and prisons remain with the UK Government.
The party also wants Wales to have control over the Crown Estate, which generates income from land and marine assets, including the seabed and offshore renewable energy. It argues that Wales should benefit more directly from the wealth generated by its natural resources, as happens in Scotland.
Although independence remains Plaid Cymru's long-term ambition, the party has ruled out pursuing an independence referendum during the current Senedd term. Instead, it says the priority is to build the evidence and public debate needed to inform decisions about Wales's future.
The new commission will build on the work of an earlier Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, which concluded in 2024 that greater devolution, a federal UK and independence were all viable options.
Announcing the commission, Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution Dafydd Trystan Davies said the UK's existing constitutional arrangements were coming under increasing strain.
He said Wales needed to be ready to shape its own future, with the right powers and democratic arrangements to deliver better outcomes for its people.
He added that the debate should not be left to politicians alone, saying the country's constitutional future should be shaped with people across Wales rather than simply presented to them.
The commission will operate as a permanent advisory body, rather than a time-limited review, providing a continuing forum for discussion and research into the future governance of Wales.
