Lib Dems promise 'grown up' politics ahead of election

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have promised "grown-up, adult" politics ahead of next year's Senedd election.

Their leader Jane Dodds said her deal to pass the Welsh government's budget last month showed she would not "play politics" with people's lives.

Dodds also refused to rule out Ed Davey-style stunts during the election campaign.

She told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that voters would have to "wait and see".

Sir Ed led the Lib Dems to a record 72 seats at last year's Westminster General Election, having paddle boarded, free-wheeled down a hill in Knighton on a bike and bungee-jumped during the campaign.

Dodds is the sole Liberal Democrat MS in the Senedd.

Last month she agreed a deal with the Welsh government to pass its £26bn budget, having secured an extra £108m for social care, child care, a pilot scheme for £1 bus fares for under 21s and a ban on greyhound racing.

"We had a responsibility to make sure that the budget went through, because if that budget did not go through the people of Wales would have lost five billion pounds straight away," she said.

"Now that's not a place I want to be. I don't want to play party politics with people's lives."

Dodds said that the approach was paying off with voters.

"Last night I was knocking on doors... people were saying we want grown-up adult politics," she said.

"We want to make sure that people, our politicians, deliver for Wales. That's what we've done before, and that's what we'll do in the future."

Had the budget not passed, then the Welsh government would have reverted to a percentage of the previous year's budget, meaning a loss of billions of pounds.

There will be a new system for next year's Senedd election with 16 new constituencies each returning six Senedd Members in an expanded 96-seat Welsh Parliament.

It will use a system of proportional representation meaning parties will be rewarded for the percentage of vote share that they win.

Dodds also said that her party would be "pro-business" without elaborating on the details.

It comes at a time when firms in Wales are coming to terms with increased National Insurance contributions and the fallout from President Trump's tariffs.

She repeated her claim said that her party would "paint Wales gold" at the Senedd election next May, but polling suggests the Lib Dems will win two or three of the 96 available seats, or even face a wipe-out.

Dodds said that "loads of people" had asked her about replicating Sir Ed Davey's escapades, but added: "I'm not going to say anything on Radio Wales this morning about that, but you'll have to wait and see."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats gather in Cardiff this weekend for their spring conference.

They received a boost on Thursday night, winning a by-election in Cwmllynfell and Ystalyfera on Neath Port Talbot Council, ahead of Plaid Cymru, Reform and Labour.