Resignations threat over Plaid election choice row

PLAID Cymru members in one of the party’s key target seats are threatening to resign as a row escalates following the imposition of an outside candidate at last year’s General Election.

The dispute between rival factions in Llanelli Plaid has already seen the expulsion of two party stalwarts, including long-serving councillor Gwyn Hopkins, who stepped down last year from Carmarthenshire council.

Difficulties arose when Plaid centrally refused to endorse local activist Sean Rees and imposed Mari Arthur, a Cardiff-based businesswoman as the General Election candidate.

Despite Llanelli being a key target seat for Plaid, which held the seat at Assembly level until 2011, the party came a distant third behind Labour and the Conservatives.

But divisions have not healed, and now Plaid’s Llanelli Town branch has passed a unanimous motion of no confidence in the Llanelli party’s chair, Deris Williams, and secretary, Ms Arthur.

A statement from the town branch calls for a “full and independent” investigation into the selection of last year’s General Election candidate; why formal complaints about Ms Arthur’s conduct submitted by 26 members have not been considered in accordance with the party’s disciplinary procedures; and the alleged locking-out of some officers and members from the party’s Llanelli office since last August

The statement notes that “many Llanelli members have already resigned owing to these issues; no progress has been made to resolve the crisis within the constituency; all complaints and communications from members have to date been ignored; and “any local political activities have become impossible”.

The branch adds: “Every member of the Town branch wants to see the party moving forward and winning in our target seat of Llanelli once again, but we could not be further away from that as things stand.

“Unfortunately, there have been problems at a local level since the imposition of a candidate within the constituency last April.”

A Plaid Cymru spokeswoman said: “The selection in question was conducted democratically and followed due process.

“There are several active branches in the Llanelli constituency and there will be Plaid Cymru candidates and campaigns for all forthcoming elections in Llanelli.

“The party Chair [former Arfon AM Alun Ffred Jones] intends to visit this branch in the coming days to convey this message in person.”