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Inside: The Cost of Coronation Crisis (Page 16)

Adam Price resigns as Plaid Cymru Leader

Katherine Seymour Head of Politics

Adam Price has resigned as leader of Plaid Cymru following a report finding in-party misogyny, harassment, and bullying. Llyr Gruffydd has taken over as interim leader and has announced that he will not stand for election as leader.

Plaid Cymru has faced several months of controversy with allegations of sexual assault made against a senior staff member - as well as Rhys ab Owen being investigated by Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain. Allegations of predominantly gender-based discrimination have plagued the party.

The Prosiect Pawb (Everyone’s Project) report said “inaction over many years, from those with positions of power to challenge bad behaviour has made a bad situation even worse”. MS Cefin Campbell agreed with these findings stating: “For too long... people have known about misconduct in Plaid Cymru, whether it’s misogyny, bullying, sexual harassment or whatever unacceptable behaviour”. He further asserted that the party now needed to change.

Price’s resignation letter stated that he no longer had the “united support” of his colleagues and said that he had wanted to resign in the wake of the report but was persuaded to stay on. However, the announcement’s timing suggests that the meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) determined that Price could no longer tangibly stay on as leader. One source from the meeting told the BBC that some members raised the possibility of Adam Price remaining in pos but it was considered untenable given the seriousness of the findings of the review.

Liz Saville Roberts, Westminster Leader for the party, said that Price was encouraged to consider remain- ing in leadership originally because it was felt that the party needed stability to implement the recommendations which came from the report. However, she told BBC Breakfast that Price had to go because he had become a “distraction”. She ruled herself out of a leadership contest, saying any new leader would have to be an elected member in the Senedd. “I’m an MP in Westminster so that’s done and dusted,” she said.

Interim leader Llyr Gruffydd has ruled himself out of the leadership contest. On being appointed interim leader, Gruffydd said: “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”. Furthermore, in response to the report and alleged misogyny within the party he did say that he believed it was safe for women to join arguing “Obviously no party and no organisation is immune from these wider societal issues,That’s in no way abdicating our responsibility to get our house in order.

“We’re being honest and transparent with people - we’re turning the page.”

A newly arisen issue for the party from the report is the status of its cooperation agreement with Welsh Labour. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has said that discussions about the arrangement will need to be had following “recent developments”.

To read Katherine's full article, turn to page 10