An editor has revealed plans to take on a political reporter after launching a subscription boost bid at a new title.

Gavin Thompson has revealed 430 readers have signed up to become paying subscribers of The National Wales since its launch on 1 March.

Gavin, pictured, has now pledged to hire a dedicated political correspondent for the Newsquest-owned website once subscriptions reach the 1,000 mark – echoing a similar initiative run by its sister title The National in Scotland in 2019.

He has also revealed a second print edition of the new title will be published on Friday 9 April as part of its coverage for the Welsh Senedd elections the following month.

In a message to readers, Gavin wrote: “The National launched on 1 March with a goal to hold political parties in Wales to account and to provide a news service for all of Wales, providing quality reporting about Wales that is written from a Welsh perspective.

“I hope you feel we have made a positive start on that mission.

“In just this short time we have published detailed analysis of the impact of devolution on the handling of the pandemic, charted the rise in support for independence, reported on allegations of transphobia within Plaid Cymru, and looked in depth at issues from railways to school curriculum reform and much more.

“Our launch print edition was incredibly well received. It was a joy to see pictures of many of you sitting down with your copy of the paper posted on your social media accounts.”

In his editorial, Gavin went on to launch the title’s bid to reach 1,000 subscribers.

He added: “When we reach that figure, we will appoint a dedicated political correspondent who will lead our coverage, not just of the crucial Senedd elections but also in holding the new government to account.

“As we approach those elections, my pledge to you is that our coverage will be informative and measured. We will provide a daily briefing on the campaign, analysis of the key issues and we will explain what things mean.

“We will avoid simply reporting bickering among the parties. We will cut through the noise.”

HTFP reported last week how former South Wales Argus editor Kevin Ward had called for the new title to consider replicating the pro-independence stance of The National in Scotland, although Gavin has previously ruled this out.