September 02, 2026 - 227 views
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth is expected to defend his government's record on its first 100 days in office, while acknowledging that the financial pressures facing Wales will make its ambitions harder to deliver.
The First Minister will say the Welsh Government's budget for next year is expected to be lower in real terms than this year's, and will renew calls for a fairer funding settlement from Westminster.
He is due to raise the issue directly with the Prime Minister at a meeting in October, arguing that the current funding arrangements do not adequately reflect Wales's needs.
The comments come as the Welsh Government publishes its First 100 Days Progress Report, which says all planned initial activity linked to its 96 commitments has been completed. The government says the first phase has focused on laying the foundations for longer-term changes in health, education, the economy, childcare and tackling child poverty.
However, completing the actions promised for the first 100 days does not necessarily mean the problems themselves have been solved. The government is now under pressure to demonstrate that the measures lead to measurable improvements in people's lives.
That challenge is particularly clear in the NHS. The new administration has made cutting waiting times one of its main priorities and has committed £145 million of additional funding, including £100 million to reduce waiting times and £25 million for new elective care hubs.
But the latest figures continue to show significant pressures. In July, Welsh emergency departments recorded more than 104,000 attendances – the highest monthly figure on record – while the Welsh Government itself acknowledged that overall waiting-time performance remained well below where it should be.
The government's other ambitions also come with difficult financial choices, including improving schools, tackling child poverty, supporting the economy and providing more affordable childcare at a time when budgets are under pressure.
Rhun ap Iorwerth will argue that those constraints should strengthen, rather than weaken, the case for Wales to receive a different funding settlement.
He will also set out the government's next Programme for Government, plans for closer cooperation with the Scottish Government and an update on preparations for a Wildfire and Resilience Summit.
The First Minister is expected to say the first 100 days have been about "getting the foundations in place", but that the next stage will be about delivering tangible results – including reducing NHS waiting lists, supporting families with the cost of living, creating jobs, raising school standards and tackling child poverty.
The political test for the new administration will now be whether it can turn those commitments into improvements that people can see and feel, while finding the money to deliver them. The government's own progress report acknowledges that the first 100 days are "just the beginning" and that much more remains to be done.
