Leader of the Opposition (Wales)
In the Senedd, the Leader of the Opposition (Welsh: Arweinydd yr Wrthblaid) (officially the Leader of the Opposition in the Senedd) is the leader of the largest political party in the Senedd that is not part of government and provides the official opposition to the government. Since 7 May 2021 the Leader of the Opposition in the Senedd is Andrew RT Davies (Conservative). To date the office has been held by six individuals, three from Plaid Cymru and three from the Welsh Conservatives. Only one, Ieuan Wyn Jones, has gone on to serve in the Welsh Government.
| Leader of the Opposition in the Senedd | |
|---|---|
| Style | Member of the Senedd (MS) |
| Term length | While leader of the largest political party in the Senedd that is not in government |
| Inaugural holder | Dafydd Wigley |
| Formation | May 1999 |
| Salary | £13,578 + £1,044 per group member (up to £37,601) in addition to £66,847 AM's salary [1] |
| This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
| Politics of Wales |
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History
Between July 2007 and May 2011, Nick Bourne served as Leader of the Opposition, even though the Conservatives were the third largest group in the Assembly. This was a result of the Welsh Government's make-up consisting of Labour and Plaid Cymru, which were the largest and second largest groups respectively.
Following the 2016 election, Plaid Cymru (led by Leanne Wood) became the largest group not in government, having won 12 seats to the Welsh Conservatives' 11. On 14 October 2016 Dafydd Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent, which resulted in Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives both holding 11 seats. During this period Leanne Wood was not referred to as Leader of the Opposition but was instead referred to as the leader of Plaid Cymru.[2] The Conservative group grew to 12 following Mark Reckless's defection from UKIP to the Conservative Group on 6 April 2017, and Andrew RT Davies was once again referred to as Leader of the Opposition.[2]
On 29 March 2021 Nick Ramsay left the Welsh Conservative party,[3] meaning that the group had lost its title as the largest party not in government as by this point both the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru were tied on 10 seats each, with no official office holder of the Leader of the opposition in the final period before the 2021 Senedd election.
Following the 2021 Senedd election the Welsh Conservatives returned 16 seats making them comfortably the second party ahead of Plaid Cymru who won 13 and as a result Andrew RT Davies once again became Leader of the Opposition.[4]
List of leaders of the opposition in the Senedd
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency/Title |
Term of office | Political party | First Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg.webp) |
Dafydd Wigley (1943–) AM for Caernarfon |
12 May 1999 |
16 March 2000 |
Plaid Cymru | Alun Michael Rhodri Morgan | |
| 2 | .jpg.webp) |
Ieuan Wyn Jones (1949–) AM for Ynys Môn |
16 March 2000 |
11 July 2007 |
Plaid Cymru | Rhodri Morgan | |
| 3 |  |
Nick Bourne (1952–) AM for Mid and West Wales |
11 July 2007 |
6 May 2011 |
Conservative | Rhodri Morgan Carwyn Jones | |
| – |  |
Paul Davies Acting (1969–) MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire |
6 May 2011 |
14 July 2011 |
Conservative | Carwyn Jones | |
| 4 |  |
Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central |
14 July 2011 |
5 May 2016 |
Conservative | ||
| 5 | .jpg.webp) |
Leanne Wood (1971–) MS for Rhondda |
5 May 2016 |
14 October 2016[5] |
Plaid Cymru | ||
| Not in use 14 Oct 2016 – 6 April 2017 During this period both Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives were tied on 11 seats each. This was after Lord Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent. Leanne Wood was not referred to as Leader of the Opposition during this period and was instead referred to as the leader of Plaid Cymru.[2] The Conservative group grew to 12 following Mark Reckless's defection from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives on 6 April, and Andrew RT Davies was referred to as Leader of the Opposition once more.[2] | |||||||
| (4) |  |
Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central |
6 April 2017 |
27 June 2018 |
Conservative | ||
| 6 | .jpg.webp) |
Paul Davies (1969–) MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire |
27 June 2018 [6] |
23 January
2021 |
Conservative | Carwyn Jones Mark Drakeford | |
| (4) | |
Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central |
24 January
2021[7] |
29 March
2021 |
Conservative | Mark Drakeford | |
| Not in use 29 March – 7 May 2021 During the final period before the 2021 Senedd election both the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru were tied on 10 seats each. This happened after Nick Ramsay left the Welsh Conservatives and group in the Senedd to stand as an independent in the Senedd election.[8] | |||||||
| (4) | |
Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central |
7 May 2021 |
Incumbent |
Conservative | ||
References
- Determination on Members’ Pay and Allowances 2018 — 2019 Point 3.1.4 Table 1
- "About the Record of Proceedings". senedd.wales.
- "Wales election: Nick Ramsay leaves Welsh Tories to stand as independent". BBC News. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- "Andrew RT Davies, Leader of the Opposition". Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- The day Dafydd Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent AM.
- Served as acting leader from 27 June to 6 September 2018.
- "Andrew RT Davies returns as Welsh Conservatives leader". BBC News. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- "Election 2021: Nick Ramsay leaves Welsh Tories to stand as independent". BBC News. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.