The greatly anticipated Senedd election took place on 7 May and as most of you will know, Wales now has a Plaid Cymru government. Rhun ap Iorwerth was sworn in as First Minister for Wales on Tuesday 12 May and was quick to secure his cabinet. He intends to govern Wales as a minority with forty-three Senedd Members, reaching out to other parties to secure important legislation. For Plaid to stand tall, deciding not to partner with Labour or the Green Party, may prove to be a wise move.
We welcome Llyr Gruffydd MS as the Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability – a position he has no doubt had his eye on since Plaid were topping the polls some months ago. Despite there being no mention of agriculture and the environment in his job title, we anticipate a significant amount of work to be done as soon as Mr Gruffydd sits at his desk.
During the election campaign Mr Gruffydd called for a “rural reset”, something that the Alliance has called for across the UK for some time, from Labour-run Westminster to Cardiff Bay. The rural voters who have put their faith in Plaid Cymru expect the party to deliver for the countryside.
Reform performed incredibly well for their first shot at a Senedd election, bringing thirty-four Senedd Members to the Bay. Laura Ann Jones MS is the Shadow Minister for Food, Farming and Rural Affairs.
Labour’s disconnect with rural Wales really showed as we saw the former First Minister, Baroness (Eluned) Morgan, lose her seat in the new, deeply rural seat of Ceredigion Penfro, where Labour was unable to win even one of the six seats elected. Labour returned a total of just nine SMs, a significant blow to the party but of no great surprise when the relationship between Labour and rural voters has been so difficult. The inheritance tax imposed by the Treasury on family farms and the “nonsense” policies from the Bay have clearly influenced people’s votes, as more and more of the general public are connecting with where their food comes from.
The Welsh Conservatives outperformed the polls and returned seven Senedd Members. Paul Davies MS missed out on the role of Llywyddd / Presiding Officer, while their leader Darren Millar MS did not hold back about the election to that role of Labour’s former Deputy First Minister and Rural Affairs Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, calling it a “stitch-up” between Plaid and the Labour Party.
The Green Party were up next with two Senedd Members, followed by the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS, who took the fifth-placed seat in the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency to take what was once again the party’s sole Senedd seat.
And so we have it. The new Senedd with ninety-six members. I attended the first day of business and got straight to work meeting new and returning Senedd Members. The Alliance will make every effort to ensure that the promises made during election campaigns that concern our members will be upheld. Let us all hope for a better Wales.