The leader of Plaid Cymru visited Mold this week to warn voters of a “super-charged” Tory Government.

Leanne Wood met with local activists and supporters before giving a speech in Daniel Owen Square in Mold Town Centre.

She told the gathered support that Plaid “offers a new chapter for the region” and said that the party would rule out tariffs on Welsh exports as their Brexit red line.

She said: “In our party, the local and community level is the foundation of everything we do. Even as we talk about defending Wales as a nation, it is our market towns that give our country its true identity and to Plaid Cymru it is vital that we do all we can to support our small businesses, high streets and town centres.

“The UK Prime Minister caught the Labour Party off guard by calling a snap UK Election, but it didn’t catch Plaid Cymru off guard. In the north-east, our local election campaign is already well underway. We won’t let the UK election overshadow the need to elect local councillors. All of the towns I visited have Plaid Cymru candidates who are working hard to earn your vote on May 4th.

”The need for change in north-east Wales is evident. For too long, people in places like Mold have been let down by the same old parties. Plaid Cymru offers a new chapter for the region, and if the enthusiasm with which I was greeted was anything to go by, we can expect to make progress in May.

“The north-east faces challenges from the prospect of a super-charged Tory government after June 8. It is one of the strongest industrial regions of Wales with an economy driven by exporting, underpinned especially by companies like Airbus and the other manufacturing activity at Shotton and Deeside. 

“Plaid Cymru wants to rule out tariffs on Welsh exports. We need our goods to be able to go to the rest of Europe without being weighed down by extra costs. We want to protect all of the high-skilled jobs and apprenticeships in the north-east. The Brexit negotiations must take this into account and Plaid Cymru will use every opportunity to defend these industries and the people who work in them.”