WELSH people do not want to be "in a United Kingdom that has no Scotland", a YesCymru figurehead says.

Sion Jobbins co-founded the Welsh independence campaign, which is not party affiliated, and watched it undergo a huge spike in membership in 2020 before stepping down under the "strain of the role" in July.

Speaking to Radio Cymru, he says country must not "lag behind" progress in Scotland as Nicola Sturgeon aims to secure indyref2 before 2023 is out.

That announcement came in the Scottish Government's Programme for Government, which was announced last week, but the vote will only be called "when the Covid crisis has passed", Sturgeon says.

He said: "We in Wales need to have things in order by then.

"The starting gun has fired. Whatever our opinion about independence, I don't think a lot of people want to be in a United Kingdom that has no Scotland, and I think Northern Ireland won't stand around too long either."

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He went on: "Hiding behind a sofa hoping that Westminster will give us cookies is naive."

Now standing at around 18,000 members, YesCymru has undergone a massive internal shift. Its ruling committee resigned last month, saying this was down to targeted harassment "beyond social media posts". This followed criticism from some members online.

It has yet to be replaced, but an extraordinary general meeting has been called for this purpose. Jobbins will not stand for chair again, but will continue to campaign for independence. Stepping down, he said the role had been "the biggest privilege and thrill of my life", adding: "Growing up in Cardiff in the 1970s and 80s I could never imagine a movement like YesCymru could exist – but it does, and it will – until we win Wales' rightful place as an independent nation state."

Speaking to Radio Cymru, he said: "A fight is going to come and people will have to roll up their sleeves.

"YesCymru's message is more important now than ever."