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Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said his party had a "serious plan" for Wales, including surgical hubs in healthcare and an education drive on literacy.

He said Plaid Cymru offered a "hopeful vision", rather than one of "division". He added they won't be raising taxes and wanted "fairer funding" from Westminster.

Works and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Kuenssberg: "The prime minister has made a mistake here, but I think he's acted in good faith." He said Starmer should carry on in his job.

Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart was asked why the Tories did not oppose the appointment of Peter Mandelson. He replied that some MPs did, including Alicia Kearns, and added he did not think Starmer's position was tenable.

Labour-affiliated Fire Brigades Union leader Steve Wright told the show he thought Labour MPs should trigger a leadership contest to remove Starmer as prime minister.

"We need change," he said, and "this week was the final bullet" for Starmer.

Ap Iorwerth is asked about the potential for a referendum of independence. Kuenssberg asks him when he wants to have one.

"As soon as the people of Wales are ready," he says.

He says he wants people to believe in the nation and understand the options. "Things are not as good as they could be in Wales now," he says.

And that's the end of the interview.

We'll bring you a recap soon.

Rhun ap Iorwerth says Plaid Cymru's plan isn't asking the UK government to "give, give, give".

"We're saying, make sure that it's fair," he says.

"It's not just about that sort of public spending coming in through the Treasury," he adds. "It's about maximising our opportunities. And everything that Plaid Cymru does is about building a better chance for Wales to prosper."

Rhun ap Iorwerth is asked if he would cut taxes.

He says the "UK government should be providing a fair settlement for Wales".

He adds that he wants a tax system where they could cut taxes for people on lower incomes - but "we're not able to do that because it's such a blunt landscape that we have".

Laura then asks if by "fairer funding" he means more money from the rest of the UK.

He says the Treasury's job is to distribute finances in a way that reflects the needs of different areas - and right now, there's no needs-based formula that gives Wales what it requires.

Rhun ap Iorwerth says standards for public services are falling in Wales, but Plaid Cymru has a "serious plan", including surgical hubs in healthcare, and an education drive on literacy and numeracy.

He says the party has an "impetus for doing things differently" and offers a "hopeful vision", as opposed to one of "division".

He says the party "won't be raising taxes". When pushed on the fact that the Welsh Senedd has the power to raise income tax if it wants, ap Iorwerth says he can make an "explicit promise" that he won't do this.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth is next in the studio, taking questions from Kuenssberg.

He's the latest in a series of party leaders to appear on the show, ahead of elections across the country in May.

Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart is asked why the Tories did not oppose the appointment of Peter Mandelson.

He says Alicia Kearns, who is on the Conservative front bench, did oppose it.

"Starmer was lied to by someone who was known to be a serial liar," Burghart says. "There's no excuse for the fact that he made the wrong judgment."

"I don't think his position is tenable," he adds.

Now it's Tory shadow minister Alex Burghart's turn.

Stay with us - we'll bring you the key lines.

Laura Kuenssberg is pressing McFadden on the prime minister's judgement in appointing Peter Mandelson.

Was the PM naive about the scale of risk in hiring Peter Mandelson to one of the most high-profile jobs in the country? she asks.

McFadden replies that Mandelson wasn't plucked from obscurity or disgrace.

He says the PM would have asked about Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, but Mandelson would have played it down.

Kuenssberg asks if the PM makes the right judgement on many things, pointing to the Fire Brigade Union's call for a leadership review.

Do you accept his leadership is in big trouble, she asks?

"I don't think it should be," he replies, adding that Starmer has been "working hard" for the country and has a five-year mandate.

That's the end of Pat McFadden's interview.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden says calling for changes in staff won't make a difference.

He says the prime minister should "continue with what he is doing", pointing to "better than expected growth" and falling NHS waiting lists.

Kuenssberg notes that even those within the party aren't focusing on these things, as they're preoccupied with the leadership issue. She asks: "Are you going to just carry on as you are?"

McFadden says "nobody wants the week that just happened".

Pressed on whether Starmer should go, he says: "One way we can be different is by not dropping the pilot after 18 months".

More from Pat McFadden now.

He’s asked when he last spoke to Mandelson.

“I last spoke to him before Christmas, sometime last year,” McFadden says.

Kuenssberg asks what he said to Mandelson.

“I told him to remember the women who were involved in this,” McFadden replies.

He says he’s known Mandelson for decades, but was shocked by what came out in the emails.

Kuenssberg asks if McFadden ever worried about Mandelson’s personal life when they worked together.

McFadden says it’s possible to have a close political relationship with someone and still not know about their personal life.

He’s someone “I thought I knew well,” McFadden says. But looking at the emails from the last two weeks, he says “there is a whole side of that that I knew nothing of”.

Pat McFadden tells Laura Kuenssberg: "The Prime Minister has made a mistake here, but I think he's acted in good faith.

"And the person who knew the truth, the person who knew about all these emails, the person who knew about this years of contact, was Peter Manderson himself."

We’ll have more on this in our next post.

First up in the red chair today is Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.

The programme begins with the panellists speaking.

The leader of the Labour-affiliated Fire Brigades Union, Steve Wright, says Labour MPs should trigger a leadership contest to remove Starmer as prime minister.

"Everyone is thinking it," he says.

Wright says the party needs to see change. He adds that the public wanted it "18 months ago", but "we're just seeing a continuation of what happened before".

Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan refuses to get involved in speculation, but says the public needs Labour "to deliver" - yet all they've seen is "more scandal".

We've just seen today's front pages on the show - here's a closer look at what's making headlines in Sunday's papers.

The fallout from the government's handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal is still dominating the headlines.

The Sunday Telegraph reports that deputy Prime Minister David Lammy had previously warned PM Keir Starmer against appointing Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US.

Lord Mandelson received a taxpayer-funded pay-off worth tens of thousands of pounds despite being sacked, the Sunday Times reports.

The Observer features a photo of Starmer at an Arsenal match with the headline: "The relegation battle," and says the PM is under pressure to replace his Downing Street team.

And the Mail on Sunday cites emails in the Epstein files which suggest the late sex offender had a private dinner with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at Buckingham Palace, accompanied by a young model.

The show is now starting.

Just a reminder, you can follow along by clicking Watch live at the top of this page.

Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

It's only six weeks since a smiling Keir Starmer told us: "I'll be sitting in this seat by 2027" in his interview to mark the start of the year.

The bald truth now? It is hard to find anyone in Labour who convincingly agrees.

The prime minister is not responsible for Peter Mandelson's behaviour. But it was his decision to take a chance on him. Being furious now doesn't erase the initial choice, and each seedy email makes it seem a bigger and bigger mistake.

Yes, MPs are shocked and angry with Peter Mandelson. But they are also angry with the prime minister.

The real problem for Starmer is that the fury this week is both a proxy, and a prompt, for stoking months of simmering unhappiness about the government. And it's spread far beyond the chorus of usual critics, making the PM's vow to be in the chair this time next year seem like a lifetime ago.

Talking to MPs, ministers and party backers, it's getting more and more common to hear the weary conclusion that Starmer will later, or sooner perhaps, have to go.

• Read Kuenssberg's full analysis

Image source, Reuters

This week's headlines have been dominated by issues surrounding former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, after the latest batch of Epstein files was published.

Here's a quick recap:

• PM Keir Starmer said at this week's Prime Minister's Questions that he knew Mandelson had stayed friends with Jeffrey Epstein after the late financier's 2008 conviction
• MPs have forced the government to release the documents related to the appointment of Mandelson
• Starmer has apologised to Epstein's victims for appointing Mandelson and for believing his "lies"
• Police have searched two properties linked to Mandelson, after launching an investigation into claims he passed on market-sensitive government information to Epstein when he was business secretary under Gordon Brown
• A pay-off given to Mandelson after he was sacked - thought to be worth up to £40,000 - is being reviewed, Foreign Office sources have told the BBC
• Starmer is facing calls to stand down - including from some Labour MPs - though some of his ministers have shown support

As a reminder, Mandelson has not responded to requests for comment, but the BBC understands his position is that he has not acted criminally or been motivated by financial gain.

Image source, PA Media

Welcome to another week of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

Joining us in the studio this week is Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Also making an appearance today are Labour's Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden and Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart.

On the panel are Sun editor Victoria Newton, Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan and general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Steve Wright.

We'll be providing text updates throughout the show this morning. You can also follow the programme by clicking watch live at the top of the page from 09:00 GMT.