Historic shift as Plaid Cymru First Minister ends Labour’s long reign in Wales

WorldPolitics
12 May 2026 • 10:45 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Historic shift as Plaid Cymru First Minister ends Labour’s long reign in Wales

  • Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has been named the next First Minister of Wales after securing the most votes from Members of the Senedd.
  • This marks a historic first, as no non-Labour politician has held the post in the Welsh Parliament's 27-year history.
  • He succeeds Baroness Eluned Morgan, who resigned as Welsh Labour leader following a devastating set of results in last week's election.
  • Mr ap Iorwerth has announced plans to form a minority government after Plaid Cymru secured the largest bloc of 43 MSs, but fell short of a majority.
  • He said being elected as First Minister was “the greatest privilege of my life” and promised to “lead without prejudice or presumption”.

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