WELSH Liberal Democrats kicked off their campaign today with an admission that they would only win a handful of seats in the May Senedd election.

The party’s Welsh leader Jane Dodds said: “We are concentrating our resources on key seats across the whole of Wales.

“Because we work hard in local campaigns on a good night, we could win an additional three or four seats.”

But the polls are showing the Liberal Democrats may only get one seat and could be swept away as voters try to keep out Reform by voting for Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Green Party.

Ms Dodds said her party was being honest with the public and would be looking to influence the new government with just five key red lines.

The party’s red lines include protecting the NHS by investing in social care with a package of £300 million, and stopping any money being spent by Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Green Party on planning for independence.

Ms Dodds said her party would save Welsh high streets, and deliver more free childcare than other parties with 30 hours free for all children up to four.

She said: “We want to protect our NHS. through delivering more funding into social care, and right now there are 1,400 people in our Welsh hospitals across Wales, who should not be in hospital.

“They don’t have the social care in order to allow them to leave. That’s about dignity, that’s about helping our Welsh NHS, ensuring ambulances are able to transfer people quickly and effectively through into our hospitals.

“We will ensure that not a penny is spent on independence — it’s the elephant in the room and we know that both the Green Party and Plaid Cymru want independence.

“We’re really clear that independence is not what Wales needs.

“If we have a chance of negotiating those red lines when it comes to the new government, we will not compromise on them.”

The Welsh Lib Dems launched their Senedd campaign in a Swansea Bay brewery, and the event was chaotic and showed poor organisation.

But Ms Dodds, as the only Lib Dem in the Senedd, has proved adept at persuading ministers to adopt her party’s policies and spend money on them to secure her vote.