All future Senedd candidates must live in Wales under new plans
New Welsh Government plans have revealed all future Senedd election candidates must live in Wales.
Senedd members will also be stopped from leaving a political party to join another in proposed plans as part of a reform package which would increase MS’s from 60 to 96.
The Welsh Government has said it will give an update on the plans by Easter and Plaid Cymru described the proposed changes as “a significant milestone in Wales’s constitutional journey”
Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies said the Welsh Government should instead focus on “fixing our Welsh NHS, our education system and our economy”.
The Welsh Government hopes to introduce the new plans by 2026 which would see 96 Ministers split across 16 constituencies, with each electing six.
Rules that would require a certain percentage of female candidates are also being considered to ensure a fairer and more even representation.
However, there is uncertainty around whether the Senedd holds the legal power that would enable them to implement such a change.
Prevent
Welsh ministers and Plaid Cymru are currently working on finalising the plans which will be published by autumn 2023.
It’s hoped that ensuring election candidates live in Wales would prevent the situation in the last Senedd where UKIP leader Neil Hamilton who lived in Wiltshire was able to represent mid and west Wales
In 2009, Mohammad Asghar became the first MS to ‘cross the floor’ in the Senedd when he moved over to the Conservative party from Plaid Cymru.
In 2016 Senedd election, six of the seven politicians elected to represent UKIP left to join other parties.
Andrew RT Davies said: “Labour has no electoral mandate for their proposals and are happy for MPs to cross the floor to another party when it suits them.”
“It is up to the electorate to determine how they are represented.”
The BBC has reported that Labour’s Welsh Executive Committee queried whether the Welsh residency rule change “might put off talented potential candidates living elsewhere in the UK who would be reluctant to risk moving to Wales if they could not be sure of being elected”.
A Welsh government spokeswoman said: “We continue to work to progress the recommendations made by the special purpose committee on Senedd reform, and will provide a further update by Easter.”
A Plaid spokeswoman added: “Almost 25 years since the Senedd was established, the proposed legislation will be a significant milestone in Wales’ constitutional journey.
“The leader of Plaid Cymru is working closely with the first minister on the development of the legislation, and we look forward to seeing the legislation introduced to the Senedd in due course.”
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They should also have lived in the constituency they wish to represent for at least 5 years.
No more parachutes and cronyism.
I wonder how many Westminster MP’s would fall foul of that rule applied to the UK.
Rishi Sunak might be a non-dom and was certainly resident in California having sworn allegiance to the USA until recently.
Adrew RT is right they don’t have an electoral mandate, they do have the required two thirds backing of the Senedd which is what counts.
This proposal is common sense. I presume Andrew RT Davies is actually only in favour of candidates outside Wales being able to stand in Wales as long as they come from this side of the white cliffs of Dover. So his “it is up to the electorate to determine how they are represented”, I would suggest is not entirely true.
Would people who were born and bred in Wales but who are currently living away be eligible?
No, they wouldn’t and that’s the point. If you want to sit in Senedd I Gymru, you should be living here and understanding the needs of your potential constituents before you put your name forward. Anytime a person living outside Cymru wants to be an MS we are entitled to ask, where do their loyalties lie?!
Imagine the crazy scenario: someone who is Welsh has to move to England for their professional progress, but still are loyal to Wales and its future. Should they not be allowed to return and stand in Wales? Consider the other crazy scenario: someone who is actively against Welsh freedom and power, who has moved here five years or so ago, and who has the cocky confidence, compared with her/his cowed native neighbours, to stand for what they believe in, in an election. As we all know, there are people elected across Wales according to this latter scenario, and yet –… Read more »
Yes, they ought to, provided they can prove Welsh lineage, and also that they have played some kind of an active positive role in contributing to Wales’ culture, economy, civic life, and so forth. The Welsh diaspora will be indispensable for Wales’ future.
So they should! They should have a stake in the nations future in order to have the ability to decide its policies.
How do you determine “must live in Wales”. A 6 month rental, like many an MP wishing to represent a constituency they do not live in, or say 5 years on electoral register. There is no defining feature to “habitual residence” but a basket of features, workplace, doctors & dental registration, schooling, adress for bank, car licence etc.Going to be difficult to pin down but should be pinned down.
Proof of Welsh ancestry is the way to go.
Should not be a problem. Currently there are residency regulations for candidates wishing to stand for election to community and county councils. These are enforced by the returning officer and could be applied for all Wales elections.
I agree with this move. We had crooked ex-Tory Anglophile Neil Hamilton, a resident of Wiltshire, who flatly refused to live in the Mid and West Wales regional seat he allegedly represented while screwing the Senedd of thousands for doing absolutely nothing We also had Conservative cuckoo Mohammad Asghar defect from Plaid Cymru to the Tories meaning Nationalist voters who chose a Plaid candidate now had a rabid British Unionist representing them and they had no means of removing him until there was another Senedd election. And If you are elected either by first past the post or by regional… Read more »
I have a question for ARTD. Is your totally negative view of absolutely everything entirely natural or a skill you’ve developed?
Oh – and another question. Why not stand in a constituency at the next election instead of hiding behind your party label on the list. You never know, you might have to say something positive before being soundly defeated.
The same rule should apply to MPs and councillors. There should also be a rule to say if there’s a change of First Minister there should be an election. Wales should not have to face the farce that occured at Westminster last year.
Easy solution to the matter of a sitting M.S switching parties – such an event should trigger a bi-election to establish whether or not the member retains his/her constituents’ confidence.
As for residence maybe a 5 year test with exemption for “broken” continuity of residence e.g Person raised in Wales works in England for a few years, returns and wishes to gain a nomination. One other issue that parties need the courage to tackle is the habit of parachuting favourites into certain constituencies. Not a good look and gives off a nasty odour too.
I’m not sure that by-elections would be necessary in multi member constituencies. If the result of the general election gave Party A three seats, Party B two seats and Party C one seat and the representative of Party C died in all likelihood the candidate of Party A would win the ensuing by-election. This would result in the proportional element of the system being voided.
In my opinion the next person on the Party C list should get the seat. They would have a valid mandate from the general election.
Fair comment as far as regional seats are concerned but not where members have a specific constituency.
Should have been the case from day one. It’s not about birth, but living within the country you wish to represent. It’s suspicious to be living elsewhere wanting a say in another countries businesses
Great.
They also need to prove their Welsh lineage, going back to before WW2. We can’t have a wave of outsiders coming in and pushing us around with their agendas, and insensitivity to the Welsh plight.
I believe a National test, akin To the Japanese standards. This is Why Japanese culture is so unique. While they are somewhat open to tourists, they fundamentally disprove of Too many foreigners living in their nation, yet we have over a million being born elsewhere. And I’m sure they have to retake a national test every 5-10 years to prove their current knowledge about Japan is up to date.
Completely agreed.
We need a party (preferably Plaid) that is willing to tackle these difficult, often controversial, issues, for the benefit of Wales.
At present, we have politicians who are willing to sidestep these thorny issues, with a view to benefitting their cushy careers.
Is Liz Saville Roberts a cockney though
This situation deserves some thoroughgoing research.