WELSH nationalists set out plans today to create more than 35,000 jobs by ensuring more public money is spent with Welsh businesses.

Plaid Cymru said public procurement could play a transformative role in strengthening the Welsh economy, supporting local firms and creating well-paid jobs across the country.

Unite Wales political officer Pasty Turner said: “Unite welcomes the promise of 35,000 jobs, but the devil will be in the detail.

“We would want to understand what these jobs are, and, if created through the public purse, we would expect the Social Partnership and Procurement Act to be enforced to make sure they are well-paid, unionised jobs and not low-paid, minimal or zero-hour contract roles.

“This may also mean bringing new companies to Wales to fill some of the gaps in procurement and we would hope that trade unions would be involved in bringing socially responsible companies that will work in the interest of workers and their communities.”

Plaid Cymru candidate and economy spokesman Luke Fletcher said: “The Welsh economy has enormous potential but too often, the wealth we create doesn’t stay here.

“Too much of Wales’s money is leaking out of our economy. A Plaid Cymru government would keep more of it here — creating upwards of 35,000 jobs and backing Welsh businesses.

“This is about making sure public money works for Wales — supporting local firms, strengthening supply chains in a wide range of sectors including technology and agriculture, and building a more resilient economy for the future.

“It’s a practical, common-sense change by using the power we already have to deliver real benefits for people and communities across our country.”