Plaid and Labour Pass Senedd Stitch-up Bill

MEMBERS of the Senedd voted to pass the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill on Wednesday, May 8.

The Welsh Parliament will extend to 96 members from the 2026 election and end the links between MSs and constituencies.

From 2026, Welsh parliamentary constituencies will be grouped using closed candidate lists, so voters will vote for a party instead of an individual.

Instead of electors having a say in who represents them, political parties will decide who voters get. The new system is analogous to the current regional MS system, which has unearthed political giants like Joyce Watson, Joel James, and Rhys ab Owen.

An example of how party insiders can manipulate lists to settle political scores can be seen in the fate of former

Conservative MS and leadership contender Suzy Davies, who was placed so far down her party’s list for 2021 that she withdrew from consideration.

The message sent by Labour ministers during the Covid pandemic suggesting that Swansea East MS Mike Hedges should be replaced indicates Labour’s direction of travel and political intent.

It adds to the sense that this is less an act of government than a stitchup.

The Bill forms part of the Welsh Government’s Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru.

Following Royal Assent, the legislation will mean that from the 2026 Senedd election:

There will be 96 Members of the Senedd, who will all be elected using a proportional closed list system, with all candidates named on ballot papers.

All candidates for and Members of the Senedd must live in Wales.

Senedd elections will be held every four years (from 2026 onwards).

Counsel General Mick Antoniw said: “Over the last quarter-century, the Senedd’s responsibilities have grown, including law-making and taxvarying powers, but its capacity has not.

“Wales is the most underrepresented country in the UK—the Senedd has the fewest Members of any devolved Parliament in the country, and our UK Parliamentary seats are being reduced.

“Today, Members of the Senedd have voted to correct that under- representation and strengthen our democracy.

Sian Gwenllian, MS, Lead Designated Member for Plaid Cymru on the Co-operation Agreement, said: “As the powers and responsibilities of the Senedd have grown, we have reached the point where our democracy needs to mature further so we can meet our ambitions for Wales. Wales should not be shortchanged democratically.”

The truth is that hardly anyone is satisfied with the new Bill, not even its backers in Plaid Cymru. Several Labour MSs also have misgivings about its content.

However, the desire to stitch up the Conservatives has triumphed over wider considerations.

Plaid has sold out its wish to secure proportional representation via the Single Transferrable Vote, while Labour has severed the tie between electors and the elected.

The Welsh Government Commission into the Senedd’s composition and electoral system did not recommend increasing the number of MSs to 96 or recommending the closed list system.

Neither Labour nor Plaid Cymru advocated those solutions in their 2021 manifestos.

There is a mandate for Senedd reform. But there is no mandate for these Senedd reforms.

The idea that those members who have directly benefited from the new system will revisit or potentially revise it after 2026 is laughable.

Darren Millar MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for the Constitution, said: “This is a sad day for Welsh democracy; a larger parliament, wholesale changes to the voting system, but no referendum for the Welsh people.

“The £120 million plan for more politicians, more fancy offices and a larger Senedd are the furthest thing from the Welsh people’s priorities, but that’s what Labour and Plaid have pushed through today.

“I have said it before, and I will say it again. Wales desperately needs more doctors, dentists, nurses and teachers, not Labour and Plaid’s plans to spend millions on more politicians.”

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies MS, added, “Labour and Plaid’s insistence on wasting so much time and money creating 36 more politicians is a national embarrassment.

“Our Welsh NHS is on its knees, educational attainment is collapsing, and employment numbers are plummeting, but this vanity project is Labour and Plaid’s top priority.

“The Welsh Conservatives would reverse these plans and spend the money on our health service instead.”

With no personal link to candidates and no say in who gets to represent them, persuading voters to turn up could be an uphill task.