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Adam Price Resigns as Plaid Cymru Leader 

plaid cymru

Adam Price, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has resigned from his post following a report which found evidence of bullying, harassment and misogyny within the Welsh political party. Price has been leader since 2018. 

Upon Price’s resignation, he contended that “the inclusive, mutually respectful and proudly progressive independent Wales that we together champion, and that I will continue to fight daily to deliver, sits in stark contrast with the unacceptable behaviour revealed by the Project Pawb report. We owe it to all those who shared their experiences reflected in this powerful report to deliver fundamental and irreversible change.”

In a letter to the party chairman, Marc Jones, Price said that he had wanted to resign earlier but was persuaded to stay on by his colleagues. However, he now feels that he has lost the “united support” of people within the party and that the time was right for him to step down now. In response, Jones stated ““On behalf of Plaid Cymru I want to thank Adam for his drive and vision over the past four and a half years. Adam’s personal commitment to making Wales a fairer nation is a lasting legacy of which he and Plaid Cymru can be proud.”

Why has Adam Price resigned? 

Towards the end of 2022, there were several reports in the media in relation to sexual assault, harrassment, bullying and general “toxic” behaviour within Plaid Cymru. As a result, an official report was commissioned to look into the culture within the party. 

Last week, the findings of the report were released which was damning to the party. Findings included evidence of bullying and misogyny and explored how leaders had “failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment”.

Consequently, Price’s position became untenable, hence the resignation announcement last night following a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

While some sources indicated that a few members of the NEC (Plaid Cymru’s governing body), wanted Price to remain as party leader, the overall conclusion was that he had to go due to the damaging and serious findings in the report.

Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru’s group lead in the House of Commons, stated that Price didn’t resign last week when the report was released because the party needed “stability” to deal with the aftermath. She said “We felt strongly that we needed a collegiate approach within the party because the report cuts across all aspects of the party and it requires a change of culture. In order to do that we would need stability.”

However, Roberts then went on to assert that Price had become a “distraction” and that he had no choice but to resign. 

Where does Plaid Cymru go from here? 

As an interim solution, Llyr Gruffydd will take over as the leader of the party ahead of an election which will take place in the Summer. Mr Gruffydd represents North Wales in the Senedd and has confirmed that he isn’t planning on running for the position on a permanent basis. 

Upon being announced as the interim leader, he said “I’m grateful to the Plaid Cymru Senedd group for nominating me as acting leader elect. I would like to thank Adam on behalf of the Plaid Cymru Senedd group for his vision, commitment, and dedication over the last four years. 

Our focus is now on moving forward together to deliver on behalf of the people of Wales, and to foster a better culture within the party. I hope members will entrust me with the responsibility of leading that work until we elect a new leader.”

Final thought

Adam Price’s resignation as leader of Plaid Cymru is a significant moment for the party and for Welsh politics. The report into bullying, harassment and misogyny within the party has revealed a culture that is unacceptable and at odds with the progressive values that Plaid Cymru stands for. 

Price’s resignation is an acknowledgement of the need for change and a recognition that the party must do better. The challenge for Plaid Cymru now is to learn from this difficult period and to create a culture that is inclusive, respectful and supportive of all members.

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