Plaid Cymru leader says PM is 'fanning the flames of xenophobia'

Plaid Cymru's leader has accused Theresa May's government of leading a 'toxic' and 'thuggish' debate on immigration.

Leanne Wood told her party's conference in Llangollen that the tone of public debate had fuelled a rise in hate crime.

She told delegates: "The debate on the refugee crisis, immigration, and free movement of people has become toxic.

"I'm horrified by some of the comments I read on social and traditional media.

"We may have come to expect it from the likes of UKIP. But it has taken a dark turn when the UK Prime Minister joins in. The debate has been thuggish."

Ms Wood also spoke about Brexit and demanded a seat for Wales at the negotiating table.

She urged the Prime Minister to pursue a soft Brexit and to retain Britain's single market membership.

The majority of voters in Wales - 52.5% - supported the campaign to leave the European Union.

Ms Wood insisted that she was not refusing to accept the result of the referendum.

She told delegates: "Whilst a majority of people may have voted to leave, the 'hard Brexit' position favoured by the Prime Minister was not on the ballot paper.

"Hard Brexit is not the best option for Wales."

She claimed that 39% of Welsh exports go to the EU and that almost 200,000 Welsh jobs depend on trade with Europe.

Plaid Cymru currently has three MPs at Westminster and 12 members of the Welsh Assembly.