Peredur Owen Griffiths

As Chair of the Senedd Finance Committee, Griffiths led scrutiny of the Welsh Government's 2024–25 budget at a time when the cost-of-living crisis was putting unprecedented pressure on devolved public services. The Welsh Local Government Association had warned the budget could not protect frontline services.

Griffiths used his committee platform to highlight the structural constraints of the devolution settlement on Welsh public finances, noting that 'the devolution settlement means we have powers and responsibility for health, education, economic development, transport, the environment, agriculture, local government, as well as some taxes' — but that the budget was being dealt 'a bad hand' by Westminster funding decisions. He reported that his committee had heard 'compelling evidence that the Welsh Government budget will not protect frontline services and it will not protect the most vulnerable in society,' with Labour council leaders themselves being 'unequivocal' that the budget was insufficient. His framing was deliberately pragmatic — focused on the concrete impact of fiscal constraints rather than abstract constitutional arguments — reflecting his background in banking and his representation of South Wales East valleys communities where economic deliverables matter more than constitutional theory.

Plaid Cymru tabled a debate ahead of the new Labour UK Government's first budget, calling for £4 billion in HS2 consequentials, devolution of the Crown Estate, and a new funding formula for Wales. Griffiths led on the HS2 argument as part of his transport portfolio.

Griffiths described HS2 as 'the great Welsh train robbery,' using the evocative phrase to crystallise Plaid's argument that Wales had been systematically shortchanged by UK infrastructure investment decisions. The HS2 case — where Wales is expected to contribute to a railway built entirely in England while Scotland receives compensatory funding — is one of the most powerful concrete arguments for either enhanced devolution or independence, because it demonstrates a tangible financial injustice that doesn't require constitutional theory to understand. Griffiths's focus on this issue reflected his role as a valleys MS who needs to demonstrate that Plaid's constitutional ambitions translate into real-world economic benefits for communities that have suffered decades of deindustrialisation.

Writing in his regular regional newspaper column just months before the May 2026 election, Griffiths reflected on Plaid's readiness for government and the mood for change in Welsh politics.

Griffiths wrote that 'it does feel like people are ready for change in Wales and that is reflected in poll after poll that shows Labour will be nowhere near to winning for the first time in the history of devolution.' He expressed confidence that Plaid's manifesto, if implemented, would be 'transformative for communities all over Wales.' Addressing accusations that Plaid was too close to Labour, he cited leader Rhun ap Iorwerth's declaration that 'we are not here to repair Labour — we are here to replace them.' He also defended Plaid's decision to negotiate budget concessions with Labour, arguing it had protected councils from bankruptcy and prevented double-digit council tax rises. This dual positioning — willing to work constructively within devolution while building the case for going beyond it — exemplified Plaid's mature approach to parliamentary politics ahead of what could be its breakthrough election.