Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has predicted her party could benefit from Ed Miliband's campaign to weaken the link between Labour and trade unions.

She said Plaid Cymru's policies are often more in line with trade union views than Labour's during a visit to Parliament on Wednesday.

But the former union rep insisted: "I'm more interested in their politics than the cash."

Ms Wood was giving her verdict on Unite's decision to cut in half affiliation payments to Labour just days after plans to reduce union influence in the party were approved at a special conference.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said paying £3 million in fees was "untenable" as half his members did not vote Labour.

Welsh Labour is expected to adopt the Collins review proposals soon.

Ms Wood told the Star: "I would say that if unions are withdrawing their money that's for a good reason.

"The opportunities I see are chiefly political. It's the grassroots members who are crucial, and more and more are seeing that Plaid Cymru's programme is close to their politics."

"We already have some good relationships with trade unions that aren't affiliated to Labour."

But Unite Wales secretary Andy Richards rejected a previous call from the Plaid leader for closer links as an "opportunistic publicity stunt."

Ms Wood also made an appeal for Britain's two biggest teaching unions to reconsider their opposition to the devolution of powers over teachers' pay.

Both the NUT and NASUWT warned that the weak Welsh economy would drag down their members' wages after the move was mooted this week.

Ms Wood said: "I would ask, who do they have most trust in?

"Do they want decisions to be made by the Tories or by progressive Welsh politicians?"

The Plaid Cymru leader dashed from a St David's day bash in Parliament to Cardiff for the start of her party's spring conference today.

She will attack Ukip's "ugly politics" in her keynote speech mere weeks before European elections in which Plaid Cymru faces a tough fight with Nigel Farage's party to win a seat.

"Their politics are un-Welsh," she will say. "They have no place in our country - not now, not ever."