Plaid left with no councillors in the capital

PLAID Cymru has been left without any councillors in Cardiff after its three remaining members of Cardiff council resigned from the party citing their support for expelled AM Neil McEvoy.

Mr McEvoy was expelled by Plaid in March last year following complaints made against him by the party’s national chairman Alun Ffred Jones and chief executive Gareth Clubb.

The South Wales Central AM and Cardiff councillor, who now sits as an Independent, said earlier this month that he no longer wished to rejoin Plaid.

In a joint statement, Cardiff councillors Keith Parry, Lisa Ford and Amanda Gibson announced they were resigning from Plaid out of sympathy for Mr McEvoy, and would sit as Independents.

The statement said: “We have been members of Plaid for decades in total and have won votes for Plaid on the front line, taking seats from Labour.

“But rather than be supported, we have been stifled by the party at every opportunity. After coming within 1,000 votes of defeating the current First Minister in Cardiff West, after the hard work of so many fantastic members, our AM, Neil McEvoy, was expelled from the party.

“It is regrettable that personal vendettas now seem the most important thing for the Plaid Cymru leadership. Our calls for leadership have gone unanswered, with new leader Adam Price unwilling to intervene in any way to try to achieve a way forward.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesman responded: “We thank the councillors for their contribution and wish them well for the future.”