Rhun ap Iorwerth has this afternoon been confirmed as the First Minister for Wales.

In his maiden speech in the role, Mr ap Iorwerth described is as the 'greatest privilege of my life', adding that something had stirred in the soul of Wales.

Speaking in the siambr, he said: "Llywydd, something has stirred in the soul of Wales—a new confidence, a new hope, a new broader horizon, never to be narrowed again by the naysayers with other priorities in other places.

"From this historic moment onwards, every person in every part of our nation can know that the Government of Wales is their Government.

"And they will know that their Government does not and will not impose on itself, or on our citizens, any limits on what our nation can achieve.

"And my promise to everyone is that I will lead without prejudice or presumption.

"I'll never take this privilege for granted, nor will my principles be burdened by power, because the challenges we face are too many in number and too grave in nature for us to lose sight of what is at stake: the need to take decisive action to bring down waiting lists and to put health and care and our treasured NHS on a more sustainable footing for the future; an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of those children across Wales who woke up to poverty this morning; to ease the punishing cost-of-living crisis for families; to give every child the skills they need to thrive through a renewed focus on standards in education; and to unleash our economic potential by backing businesses and creating jobs in all parts of Wales.

"The Plaid Cymru Government will be here to serve everyone in every community, urban and rural, old and young, whether they speak Welsh or do not, those who have always been here and those who are new amongst us, south, east, west and north. Where there is common ground, we will make every effort to find it. And where unfairness and injustice threaten the fabric of our nation, we will turn that mission of kindness and tolerance into support for those who need it most. Wales is a vineyard entrusted to our care, and we will care for her in the name of all of those who came before us and all those who will follow.

"Llywydd, I will end with this. When compassion is backed by the courage to act, and when recognition of our potential today meets a collective aspiration to secure a better tomorrow, that is when our nation's voice will sing the loudest.

"That is how we know that our best days lie ahead of us. That is how we know that together we can and will build a fairer, more ambitious Wales for all. That work starts now."

Reform UK leader in the Senedd, Dan Thomas, said: "Llywydd, congratulations on your appointment today, and thank you for the time.

"May I also congratulate all Members on their election or re-election, as the case may be? And may I congratulate Plaid Cymru's nominee for First Minister on your election?

"I'd like to thank the Reform group for their endorsement of my leadership at the inaugural group meeting that we had yesterday. Thank you."