Our coverage of the first 2026 Senedd election manifesto to be launched has come to an end.

The Welsh Conservative's only announced today's event would be happening yesterday morning, it seems to beat Reform UK to the punch.

The Tories' Senedd leader Darren Millar set our his party's vision to supporters at St David's Hotel in Cardiff, saying a Tory government would:

• Declare a health emergency across Wales
• Boost the economy by reviving the Welsh Development Agency
• Cut a penny off income tax and axe stamp duty
• Put a cap on council tax rises at 5%
• Create an inquiry into grooming gangs
• Ban social media in classrooms
• Temporarily ban "large-scale wind and solar farms"
• Build an M4 relief road across the Gwent Levels

You can read more about today's launch and what the Tories are promising in our story here.

Thanks for joining us.

Pledges fail to detail how to tackle care challengespublished at 12:42 GMT 3 March

12:42 GMT 3 March

India Pollock
Wales social affairs correspondent

The challenge of how we pay for the care of vulnerable older people has crashed election campaigns in Westminster in previous years.

The Welsh Conservatives answer is to establish an independent commission to consider long-term funding solutions - but some might question their urgency given that Wales has the fastest-growing proportion of older people in the UK.

They say they'd increase spending on health and social care, but there's no mention in that section of the manifesto about how they would tackle the increase in referrals to children’s services across Wales, which will disappoint many in the sector.

People who care for those with learning disabilities and autism would welcome better support services but the Welsh Conservatives’ promise to do that lacks detail.

David Deans
Wales politics reporter

I bumped into a Tory source as I entered the smallish room overlooking Cardiff Bay at the St David's Hotel.

We had found out about the manifesto launch event just yesterday. Printed these quickly, did you, I asked. The source said they couldn't possibly comment.

Asked why now, the source said that basically they wanted theirs out first - before Reform UK.

"They've stolen our MSs, they've stolen our policies," the source said to me.

Its a sign of the bad blood between the two parties - with Reform determined to replace the Conservative party.

Millar's speech seemed well received in the room of Tories, but the event itself almost went off the rails early when Welsh Tory chair Byron Davies could not remember co-presenter Natasha Asghar's name.

He kept thinking of her late father, the Welsh politician Mohammad Asghar, he said.

Hywel Griffith
Wales correspondent

The Welsh Conservatives want to pitch themselves as a party that can save Welsh voters money.

We know that the cost of living is high in [people's] minds, so the Tories are pledging to take off one pence in every one pound of income tax if they form a government.

The Tories also pledged to scrap business rates for small businesses, cutting stamp duty on primary residences, called the land transaction tax, another pledge that would potentially save voters money.

As well, the proposed tourism tax under Welsh Labour would be axed.

Environmental issues a key dividing line between partiespublished at 12:26 GMT 3 March

12:26 GMT 3 March

Steffan Messenger
Wales environment correspondent

The Tories' manifesto provides further evidence that environmental issues are set to be a key dividing line between the parties ahead of the election.

Mindful of vocal campaigns against plans for more turbines and pylons in parts of the country, they propose a moratorium - a temporary ban - on "large scale wind and solar farms".

A long-standing pledge to revive the M4 relief road across the Gwent Levels is front and centre too - the scheme's abandonment in 2019 was seen as a huge win for environmentalists.

And offering a further £100m for the farming budget will appeal to a constituency of voters who've protested against the push towards greener agricultural policies over recent years.

Among the manifesto's stand out policies is scrapping the future generations commissioner, while extending the powers of the older generations commissioner.

Wales' current commissioner is Derek Walker, whose role is to encourage public bodies to consider the long-term consequences of decisions.

The commissioner also monitors whether public bodies comply with the Well-being of Future Generations Act, external, which came into force in 2016 and says all public organisations must carry out "sustainable development".

New hospitals part of health promisespublished at 12:16 GMT 3 March

12:16 GMT 3 March

Jenny Rees
Wales health correspondent

Among the promises on health is the idea to give patients the option to access care elsewhere if waiting time targets are breached - though that naturally depends on other hospitals having the capacity and shorter waits.

The Tories also promise to build four new community hospitals and develop a network of surgical hubs and diagnostic centres open seven days a week.

It's worth noting these plans take time - a regional diagnostic hub for south east Wales is still in development and has only recently been given first-phase government funding, three years after being announced.

They'd also like to introduce a national prostate cancer screening programme - though advice in November from the UK's national screening committee was that screening for all men in the UK was not justified.

'Costed and credible'published at 12:12 GMT 3 March

12:12 GMT 3 March

Gareth Lewis
Wales political editor

Darren Millar told the room his policies and pledges are fully costed.

"We are serious. This is costed and this is credible," he says.

On the proposed income tax cut, he said he trusts the people of Wales will spend the money better than the current Welsh government has.

He rejected the idea that without published costings this could be seen as a list of negotiating points for a post-election deal with another party, rather than a plan for government.

Addressing major school recruitment problemspublished at 12:09 GMT 3 March

12:09 GMT 3 March

Bethan Lewis
Wales family and education correspondent

What students have to pay to go to university is a topical issue because of the controversy around the UK government’s plans for English students’ loans.

The Welsh Conservatives have plans to incentivise Welsh students to study certain subjects by charging them less or repaying fees if they end up working in the Welsh public sector.

A key question will be who covers the cost of a £1,000 discount for students studying science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects - cash-strapped universities will be very keen that they don’t lose out.

And by refunding fees for teaching students who work in Wales, the Tories hope to address the major recruitment problems many schools are facing.

The Senedd's Tory leader has finished his speech.

Stay with us as we bring you more reaction to his party's pledges and analysis of what it is promising under a Tory Welsh government.

Asked about scrapping the 20mph Welsh default speed limit, Millar says the cash that it cost to set up could have helped save lives in the NHS.

"Having them everywhere in Wales is not only frustrating drivers, its slowing our economy down," he says, arguing they make sense in some areas but not as extensively as the speed limit currently exists.

Millar says they have not done any modelling for the number of children that could be hurt by raising 20mph back to 30mph.

"It stills fills our inboxes as MSs", says the Senedd Tory leader, who says the issue often comes up on the doorstep.

How quickly would you go about building an M4 relief road?

Millar says the money is there within the Welsh government's capital budget. He says it would be delivered with a combination of finance, including working with the UK government to find the money.

Millar doesn't put a timetable on it, saying he doesn't want to give an unrealistic promise.

Hywel Griffith
Wales correspondent

To some extent the Welsh Tories are suffering the same fate as Labour here in Wales.

Having done very well in the last Senedd election in 2021 when they became the official opposition holding 16 of the 60 seats the polls put them potentially way back in fourth, so it is an uphill struggle.

During the course of the last four or five years they’ve seen their numbers go down a little bit from 16, losing two members to Reform UK in the last year or so, so we’ve seen that swing as we have in other parts of the UK with Tory support and even Tory members going towards Reform.

One other member was suspended as well, so currently they have only 13 members in the Senedd fighting an election in May where we will see the number of seats go up from 60 to 96 members, so a different battle ahead of them.

Cutting income tax in Wales?published at 11:56 GMT 3 March

11:56 GMT 3 March

George Herd, BBC Wales News

The manifesto pledges to cut the basic rate of income tax in Wales by a penny if the Tories win the election - handing back £450 a year to working families.

So how does that work?

In Wales, close to 90% of income tax payers are on the basic rate, external, as they earn under £50,271 - the threshold set by the UK government.

The tax revenue generated by those paying is split between the UK Treasury and the Welsh government coffers.

Currently, for every £1 paid by basic rate taxpayers in Wales, 10p goes to Westminster, and 10p goes to Cardiff Bay. However, politicians in the Senedd could ask for more - or less - if they wanted.

An official model drawing on UK budget forecasts, external gives an estimate of what it would mean.

Increasing the Welsh element of income tax for basic rate payers by 1p in the next tax year would net an extra £311m for the Welsh government to spend however it wanted.

Similarly, a 1p cut would also see the amount of Welsh income tax gathered drop by the same amount - saving those who pay the basic rate an average of about £220 in the first year - or close to the £450 a year pledge by the Welsh Conservatives for a family where two adults are working.

However, there is a catch.

Under the agreements between the UK and Welsh government, the burden for increasing or decreasing Welsh taxation falls on the devolved parliament.

A 1p cut in the Wales rates would mean more than £300m less in income tax for the Welsh government - and the UK government will not make up that shortfall in the block grant it gives to Wales.

So while taxpayers would have a few hundred pounds extra in the bank, there would be less money overall in the Welsh government budget.

Millar says he is not interested in discussing deals with other parties after the election.

"The more Conservatives in the next Senedd, the more common sense there will be," he says.

How realistic is it they could get voters to turn out for a referendum on council tax rises over 5%, he's asked.

Millar says in some places council tax has almost trebled since the Senedd was established.

The Senedd Tory leader says councils in England, where referendums are required, have been able to "tighten their belts and make the efficiency savings people need".

Image source, Athena Pictures

Gareth Lewis
Wales political editor

The Conservative announcement is taking place within sight of the Wales’s seat of power.

The Senedd is visible through the windows of the luxury hotel.

So close, yet so far?

The polls suggest the Conservatives could finish fourth in May.

Image source, Athena Pictures

Millar ends his speech, telling people in the new electoral system "every vote counts".

"Together lets fix Wales, lets get Wales working."

In the first question from the media, BBC Wales' Gareth Lewis asks how he will pay for the manifesto.

Millar denies that it isn't a plan for government but more a wishlist for potential deals in the Senedd.

He outlines some costings - including paying for a cut to stamp duty by reducing spending on civil servants.

Millar says changes to business rates would have a net "no cost" increase.

"We are not prepared to sacrifice rural Wales... to large scale solar and wind farms," says Millar.

He says they would protect vulnerable children by commissioning an "independent judge-led inquiry into grooming gangs in Wales".

"We will fix the Senedd itself - no more powers, no more spending on non-devolved pet projects," he says, promising to reverse the planned increase in Senedd members from 60 to 96.

Millar has also promised to ban social media in classrooms.

What are the Tories' health pledges?published at 11:47 GMT 3 March

11:47 GMT 3 March

Owain Clarke
Wales health correspondent

Millar says the party would declare a "health emergency" across Wales.

It follows similar moves by two north Wales councils - Conwy and Denbighshire - in response to perceived NHS failings in their localities.

But it's unclear to me what declaring a health emergency would mean in practice.

The party also promises a "Covid-type" response to fix the NHS "crisis" but the truth is the huge growth in waiting lists, which the NHS is still grappling with, was largely caused the pandemic response which involved postponing many planned operations to prioritise emergencies.

Unions representing doctors and nurses have given a cautious welcome to plan to create a bank of trained volunteer staff able to help out at times of peak demand.

And many would agree the NHS, subject to safeguards, needs to do more to embrace technologies such as AI.

But the party's pledge to look at charging for missing GP appointments, when previously floated in 2015, drew criticism from groups representing family doctors - who argued such fines would disproportionately target the most vulnerable patients.