Your statements about the Labour Party seemed pretty strident on Saturday. Was that a new attitude your adopting towards the Welsh Labour goverment?

I think that after 17 years of Labour running Wales — all be that there have been coalitions in that time — the outcomes in policy terms being as they are with a stagnating economy, with people in Wales having to wait longer for basic diagnostic tests, or being unable to access treatment or medicines for their diseases in comparison with people in England, then people deserve to be able to consider that record.

So do we want to carry on in that vein? I hope that people will come to the conclusion that they want a change in terms of health and education and the economy in particular.

And Plaid Cymru is offering that alternative government. The problem that we have in Wales, of course, is that many people are of the impression that the health service is run by the Tories in London. And so we have a job of work to do as well informing people where specific areas of responsibility lie. And so my narrative in my speech yesterday was around that.

How do you react to the election of Jeremy Corbyn?

I welcome his election and I think that there is a great possibility of my party, the SNP, the Greens and those that are of the same view as Jeremy Corbyn, working together to challenge the Tories.

And they need strong opposition. They haven’t had that really to date. And so it’s good news but it doesn’t change the picture in Wales.

People shouldn’t be under any illusion that a change in leader at the top in London can undo Labour’s failures in terms of the health service, education and the economy here in Wales.

Mark Serwotka called for a red-green coalition to oppose the Westminster austerity measures. Do you feel that some of your attacks on the administration are going to threaten that possibility?

We need to draw the line between Westminster and Wales. We can work together in Westminster on things such as Trident replacement and on issues like cuts.

I said in the general election that we would be prepared to work with Labour in opposing and defeating the Tories — and that still stands.

But in Wales the Labour Party has been in office for a long time and they are not a progressive organisation.

They’ve defended some of the more regressive policies [of the Tories].

The First Minister of Wales, for example, has not only welcomed Trident replacement but also called for Trident to be located in Wales. We can’t work with that.

One of your remarks on Saturday was about the Trade Union Bill. Are you calling on your elected representatives to oppose it in all ways possible? Do you have anything specific in mind?

There’s obviously a job of opposition in Westminster and working with others to do that. There’s a possibility of doing something at an assembly level.

Local authorities have got some potential to do something on this. What needs to happen, I think, is that there needs to be a co-ordinated approach to try to stop that legislation from being implemented in Wales and if we all pull together I think that we can do that.