ap Iorwerth government
ap Iorwerth Government | |
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 14th devolved government of Wales | |
| May 2026 – present | |
 ap Iorwerth's cabinet on 13 May 2026 | |
| Date formed | 13 May 2026 |
| People and organisations | |
| Charles III | |
| Rhun ap Iorwerth | |
Deputy First Minister | Sioned Williams |
Member party | |
Status in legislature | Minority |
Opposition cabinet | Thomas shadow cabinet |
Opposition party | |
Opposition leader | Dan Thomas |
| History | |
| Legislature term | 7th Senedd |
| Predecessor | Eluned Morgan government |
| This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
| Politics of Wales |
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Positions
Elections
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The ap Iorwerth government is led by Rhun ap Iorwerth, who appointed members on 13 May 2026 following his nomination as first minister of Wales on 12 May 2026.[1][2]
History
From 2023 to 2026, Rhun ap Iorweth ran a frontbench team of shadow members, when Plaid Cymru was in opposition to the Labour government in the 6th Senedd.
Election
In January 2026, after opinion polls suggested that Plaid Cymru would win the most seats in the 2026 Senedd election, but not manage to win enough seats for a majority, Rhun ap Iorwerth stated that he would prefer to form a minority government than a coalition government.[3] In the 2026 Senedd election on 7 May, ap Iorwerth was re-elected to the Senedd, with a seat in the newly formed Bangor Conwy Môn constituency.[4][5] His party Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd with 43 seats; however, as the opinion polls predicted, they did not win the 49 seats needed for a majority.[6] Ap Iorwerth confirmed that Plaid Cymru would seek to form a minority government,[7] and that his party preferred a "cooperative approach" to a coalition.[8] Ap Iorwerth was elected by the Senedd to succeed Eluned Morgan as First Minister of Wales on 12 May 2026. He was elected by 44 MSs: 42 members of his party Plaid Cymru (not including the non-voting Deputy Llywydd Kerry Ferguson) and the two members of the Green Party. All 34 Reform UK MSs voted for their Welsh leader Dan Thomas, and the 7 Conservative MSs voted for their leader Darren Millar, with Labour MSs and the sole Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds abstaining from the vote.[9] Ap Iorwerth was officially sworn in as First Minister later the same day after 19:45 BST by High Court Justice Mary Stacey.[10] He is the first First Minister to come from a party other than Welsh Labour.[11]
| Senedd | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice | Party | Votes | |
 Rhun ap Iorwerth |
Plaid Cymru | 44 / 96 | |
| Dan Thomas | Reform UK Wales | 34 / 96 | |
| Darren Millar | Welsh Conservatives | 7 / 96 | |
| Abstained | 9 / 96 | ||
Formation of Government
Rhun ap Iorwerth announced his cabinet on 13 May 2026.[2] Many former frontbench members of his shadow cabinet were chosen as part of his top team. Elin Jones, the former Llywydd, was picked as Minister for Finance and has a key role in broking budget deals with other parties within the Senedd.[12] In addition ap Iorwerth chose to include newly elected members to his cabinet and picked Elfyn Llwyd as someone from outside the Senedd.[12] According to Nation.Cymru journalist Martin Shipton ap Iorwerth as a more 'centrist' FM wished to have a broad church of members within the cabinet and therefore chose Sioned Williams, seen on the left of the party, to be his deputy and to lead on the Social Justice and Equality brief.[13]
Members
- Cabinet ministers
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- Deputy Ministers
| Portfolio | Name | Constituency | Party | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counsel General | .jpg) |
Elfyn Llwyd | None | Plaid Cymru | June 2026 - | |
| Deputy Minister for Transport | .jpg) |
Mark Hooper
MS |
Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg | Plaid Cymru | May 2026 – | |
| Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health | .jpg) |
Delyth Jewell
MS |
Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni | Plaid Cymru | May 2026 – | |
| Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health | .jpg) |
Nerys Evans
MS |
Sir Gaerfyrddin | Plaid Cymru | May 2026 – | |
| Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education | .jpg) |
Cefin Campbell
MS |
Sir Gaerfyrddin | Plaid Cymru | May 2026 – | |
References
- ↑ "Rhun ap Iorwerth elected Welsh first minister". BBC News. 12 May 2026.
- 1 2 "First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth announces new Plaid Cymru Cabinet". ITV News. 13 May 2026.
- ↑ Davies, Cemlyn (16 January 2026). "Senedd election: Plaid would take minority government over coalition". BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Price, Emily (27 June 2025). "Plaid Cymru reveals candidates for new Bangor Conwy Môn and Clwyd constituencies". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "Bangor Conwy Môn - Welsh Parliament constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ McKernan, Bethan; Morris, Steven (8 May 2026). "Plaid Cymru wins Welsh Senedd elections, ending 100 years of Labour control". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Hundreds gather at Senedd as Plaid Cymru confirm plan to form minority government". ITV News. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Morris, Steven (10 May 2026). "Plaid Cymru leader plans minority Welsh government built on cooperation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Rhun ap Iorwerth chosen as Wales' First Minister at first meeting with new Senedd Members". ITV News. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "Rhun ap Iorwerth officially sworn in". BBC News. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑
- 1 2 Adrian, Masters (18 May 2026). "Welsh Government Cabinet: Rhun ap Iorwerth and his top team have to make an immediate mark". ITV Wales news.
- ↑ Mansfield, Mark (2026-07-30). "Leanne Wood returns to the Senedd - as an adviser". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
