Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Senedd member for Ynys Môn (Anglesey), is the new leader of Plaid Cymru.
Nominations for the leader of the party closed on Friday morning (June 16), and Mr ap Iorwerth was the only confirmed candidate.
Former leader Adam Price stepped down in May after a report found a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny in the party.
The report found that the party had “failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment” and that women had been “especially” let down.
Who is Rhun ap Iorwerth?
Rhun ap Iorwerth, 50, worked as a journalist and broadcaster before becoming a politician.
He was born in the Valleys and grew up in Anglesey, where he now lives with his wife and three children, and studied politics and Welsh at Cardiff University.
He joined BBC Wales in 1994 and worked in Westminster before returning to Wales in 1997.
Mr ap Iorwerth has worked as Chief Political Correspondent and a news correspondent, and has presented TV and radio programmes in both English and Welsh.
A message as I announce my intention to stand for the @Plaid_Cymru leadership, with thanks for the support and encouragement.
— Rhun ap Iorwerth (@RhunapIorwerth) May 30, 2023
🏴 pic.twitter.com/1tiXuTWPV2
He was elected as the Member for Ynys Môn in August 2013, during a by-election. His current roles within Plaid Cymru are Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Senedd Commissioner, and Deputy Leader.
Since entering politics, ap Iorwerth has served as Shadow Minister for the Economy and Transport, Health and Care, and Finance, and as a member of the corresponding Assembly and Senedd committees.
He has also, at various times, been a member of the Public Accounts Committee, the Petitions Committee and the Standards Committee, and has also served as a Senedd Commissioner, and as Deputy Leader of the Plaid Cymru Group during the Fifth Senedd.
He is also a member of the Welsh Parliament’s Health Committee and of the Welsh Parliament’s Commission.
In a video announcing his intention to run for the leadership position, Mr ap Iorwerth said: “I have no doubt that Wales needs a Plaid Cymru that is fit and ready to offer a vision of what Wales could be.
“Confident, fair, green, prosperous, and with the tools at our disposal right now, on the journey to independence.”
He added: “My country means so much to me, as does my community, and I remain as committed as ever to Ynys Môn.
“But from here to the south Wales valleys where I was born, now is the time to unite Plaid Cymru so we can lead the work of building a new future for Wales, and I look forward to playing my part in that.”
