Senedd Politics Overview

Senedd Politics — Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Last updated: 25 May 2026 (evening)

Current Situation

Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd for the first time ever following the 7 May 2026 Senedd election, ending 27 years of Labour dominance in Wales. This was the first Senedd election under the new proportional representation system.

Rhun ap Iorwerth is the First Minister of Wales, leading Wales' first ever Plaid Cymru government.

2026 Senedd Election Result

Party	Seats	Change	Notes
Plaid Cymru	43	+30	Largest party for first time ever
Reform UK Cymru	34	+34	Massive breakthrough
Labour Cymru	9	-21	Worst result in modern Welsh history
Conservatives	TBC	-	Major losses
Liberal Democrats	Retained	-	Still hold representation
Green Party	First seats	+	First ever MSs elected

Labour's First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her own seat. Reform UK's Dan Thomas stood in the election. The Green Party won their first ever Senedd seats.

Plaid Cymru formed a government without a majority — requiring support from the Liberal Democrats and/or Greens.

Plaid Cymru Government Cabinet

First Minister: Rhun ap Iorwerth Deputy First Minister: Sioned Williams (also child poverty + childcare portfolio)

Portfolio	Minister	Notes
Deputy First Minister / Child Poverty & Childcare	Sioned Williams	Flagship £10 child payment, expanding childcare
Health & Care	Mabon ap Gwynfor	55% of Welsh budget; former Plaid health spokesperson
Education	Anna Brychan	Former director of NAHT (head teachers union)
Finance	Elin Jones	Former Presiding Officer; will negotiate budget with other parties
Culture & Sport	Heledd Fychan	Also Trefnydd (government business organiser)
Enterprise, Connectivity & Energy	Adam Price	Former Plaid Cymru leader
Rural Resilience & Sustainability	Llŷr Gruffydd	Former Plaid rural affairs spokesman; now overseeing environment/farming
Counsel General	Elfyn Llwyd	Returning to frontline politics; former Plaid MP
Constitution & Government Effectiveness	Dafydd Trystan	New MS; former Plaid chair/CEO under Leanne Wood and Adam Price

Deputy Ministers:

First Minister appointed four deputy ministers

Key Recent Developments

Date	Event
7 May 2026	Senedd election — Plaid Cymru wins 43 seats, becomes largest party
9 May 2026	"Welsh political earthquake" — Labour loses Wales for first time in over 100 years
12 May 2026	First plenary of the new Senedd term
13 May 2026	Rhun ap Iorwerth reveals full ministerial team, promising "new era"
17 May 2026	Rhun ap Iorwerth spends election night at Premier Inn after forgetting keys (goes viral)
19 May 2026	First FMQs of the new term — Rhun outlines 100-day priorities
19 May 2026	Rhun confirms he raised Welsh independence with Starmer in post-election call
19 May 2026	Starmer said to be "open" to discussing more Senedd powers
19 May 2026	Former First Minister Mark Drakeford says Andy Burnham should be PM — in an interview, Drakeford backs Greater Manchester mayor as a future Labour leader
19 May 2026	Free school meals expanded to secondary pupils in Universal Credit homes
20 May 2026	Welsh Government announces "most ambitious childcare offer in the UK" — 20 hours/week funded childcare for 48 weeks/year, for all children 9 months to 4 years old, phased in over the Senedd term
20 May 2026	Welsh Labour interim leader Ken Skates says separate Welsh Labour party is "unaffordable" — would only afford 1.5 FTE staff standing alone. Attributes loss to health, cost-of-living, and "anger on the doorstep" directed at UK Labour brand
20 May 2026	Gigantic solar farm plan on Anglesey withdrawn by developer
20 May 2026	Reform MS Cai Parry-Jones complains about being issued two laptops — gets rinsed online
20 May 2026	Reform MS says Senedd shouldn't fly Ukraine flag
20 May 2026	Rhun ap Iorwerth declines to give a start date for free childcare expansion — BBC reports the FM didn't specify when the flagship policy would begin, saying only it would be phased in "over the course of this Senedd term". IFS warns £400m/year policy likely requires cuts or tax rises
20 May 2026	Mark Drakeford blames Labour's Senedd collapse on UK government offering "so little" in new powers — attacks Welsh Labour MPs in Westminster; Welsh Labour source calls Drakeford "architect-in-chief" of the defeat and demands "silence"
21 May 2026	Cost of living measures a "missed opportunity", says First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth (BBC)
21 May 2026	Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor says £120m fund to cut NHS wait times to be "spent better"
21 May 2026	Plaid confirms free school meals for secondary pupils in Universal Credit homes
21 May 2026	Business Committee meeting
21 May 2026	Wales is a "low-pay hotspot", First Minister tells unions — Rhun says addressing low wages is a priority for the new government
22 May 2026	Reform Wales leader Dan Thomas appoints disgraced Nazi salute candidate Corey Edwards as special adviser — Edwards resigned as Senedd candidate after photo emerged of him performing Nazi salute. Plaid source: "Reform have shown their true colours"
22 May 2026	Senedd elections treated as "second order contests" — Cardiff University research confirms UK-wide broadcasters gave limited attention to May's elections
22 May 2026	Senedd approaching mid-term recess (Nation.Cymru)
22 May 2026	Reform MS says Senedd shouldn't fly Ukraine flag — BBC reports
22 May 2026	Environment minister Llŷr Gruffydd says muck-spreading ban doesn't work and will be changed — the winter slurry ban championed by the previous Labour administration and environmental groups will be revised, with Gruffydd saying "you don't look at the calendar, you look out of the window"
22 May 2026	Senedd offices set for major refurbishment — Tŷ Hywel's lease expires in 2032; new 50-year deal agreed with option to purchase building for £1 in 2082. Cost covered by landlord Equitix
23 May 2026	Senedd culture war — tampons in men's toilets becomes a talking point on X, with Reform MSs criticising and Plaid/MS defending period dignity policy
23 May 2026	Plaid Cymru accused of "lying" about manifesto costing — Reform Wales claims Plaid's flagship childcare promise wasn't fully costed, citing a BBC report
23 May 2026	Farmer concerns over Plaid U-turn — reports of farmers feeling "betrayed" by Plaid Cymru on agricultural policy, described as "U-turn #3"
23 May 2026	Reform Wales leader Dan Thomas backs call to remove Ukraine flag outside Senedd — BBC reports Dan Thomas backed the Reform MS who said the Senedd shouldn't fly the Ukrainian flag. The Senedd has flown it since the 2022 invasion. Plaid and other parties condemned the position
23 May 2026	Senedd enters mid-term recess — the Seventh Senedd's first recess began after the Business Committee meeting on 21 May. No plenaries scheduled for week of 25 May. Next plenary expected week commencing 1 June 2026 (TBC)

25 May 2026 Plaid Cymru pushes Crown Estate devolution — the party's official X account posts in Welsh and English announcing their demand for control over the Crown Estate, saying Wales' natural resources "should be controlled here in Wales — not in Westminster"

100-Day Priorities

As outlined by Rhun ap Iorwerth during FMQs on 19 May 2026:

Cutting NHS waiting lists
Raising standards in schools
Creating jobs and supporting businesses
Tackling child poverty (including £10 child payment pledge)
Helping households with cost-of-living crisis
Standing up for Wales

FMQs — Key Exchanges (First FMQs, 19 May 2026)

Rhun's first FMQs as First Minister. Main exchanges:

Dan Thomas (Reform) — accused ap Iorwerth of being "distracted by constitutional issues" for raising Welsh independence
Rhun confirmed he brought up independence with Starmer in their first post-election phone call
Starmer reportedly "open" to discussing more Senedd powers
Rhun set out the six core missions for the first 100 days (see above)

Note: Full Hansard transcript not yet indexed on the Senedd Record. Video available at senedd.tv (search "Plenary 19 May 2026"). As of 25 May 2026, videos are now available for both the 12 May and 19 May plenaries.

Independence Position

Plaid has ruled out a referendum in this first term
Will establish a national commission to build the case for Welsh independence
Rhun confirmed he raised independence directly with Starmer in their first post-election call
Starmer said to be "open to a conversation" about more Senedd powers
Reform's Dan Thomas accused ap Iorwerth of being "distracted by constitutional issues"

25 May 2026 — Plaid Cymru launches public messaging campaign demanding control over the Crown Estate, arguing Wales' natural resources should be managed in Wales, not Westminster

Reddit Highlights

Thread	Subreddit	Score	Link
Young Rhun & Leanne Wood protesting (throwback photo)	r/Wales	771	Link
"I did it — I voted Plaid Cymru"	r/Wales	713	Link
Reform candidate permanently banned from Twitter	r/FuckNigelFarage	495	Link
What a waste (campaign leaflets)	r/Wales	560	Link
Should we get a First Minister's residence?	r/Wales	316	Link
First Minister outlines 100-day priorities	r/Wales	194	Link
Green candidate withdraws over social media	r/ukpolitics	173	Link
Rhun says he raised independence with Starmer	r/Wales	139	Link
Reform MS under fire over Senedd tech complaint	r/Wales	94	Link
Welsh Parliament should not fly Ukraine flag, says Reform MS	r/Wales	95	Link
Reform Wales leader appoints Nazi salute candidate as adviser	r/Wales	136	Link
Plaid Cymru becomes largest party for first time ever	r/fivethirtyeight	94	Link
Rhun spent election night at Premier Inn after forgetting keys	r/NotTheOnionUK	143	Link
Plaid confirms free school meals for secondary pupils	r/Wales	251	Link
Welsh Labour couldn't afford separate party — Skates	r/Wales	26	Link

Key Figures

Rhun ap Iorwerth — Plaid Cymru leader, First Minister of Wales
Sioned Williams — Deputy First Minister
Adam Price — Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity & Energy; former Plaid leader
Elin Jones — Finance Minister; former Presiding Officer
Elfyn Llwyd — Counsel General; returns to frontline politics
Llŷr Gruffydd — Minister for Rural Resilience & Sustainability; environment/farming portfolio
Eluned Morgan — Former Labour First Minister, lost her seat
Dan Thomas — Reform UK Cymru leader
Cai Parry-Jones — Reform MS, Shadow Finance Minister (laptop-gate)
Ken Skates — Interim leader of Welsh Labour (post-election)
Mark Drakeford — Former First Minister; blames UK Labour for collapse, backs Burnham for PM

Official Sources & How to Find FMQs Transcripts

The Senedd publishes records at:

Written Record (Hansard): record.senedd.wales — search by keyword, filter by "Transcripts" and "Plenary" meeting type
Video archive: senedd.tv — search "Plenary" by date
Senedd Research: research.senedd.wales

Note: Post-election (May 2026) transcripts have not yet appeared in the search index as of 25 May 2026. The last indexed plenary transcripts are from the Sixth Senedd (up to 23 March 2026). Senedd TV now has two Seventh Senedd plenary videos — Plenary 12 May 2026 (swearing-in/election of FM) and Plenary 19 May 2026 (first FMQs) — plus a Business Committee meeting on 21 May 2026.