Plaid Cymru chief executive Carl Harris steps down from role

The chief executive of Plaid Cymru has stepped down, the party has confirmed.

Carl Harris had worked for Plaid Cymru for a decade, including a period as Chief of Staff in the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency and Head of Party Strategy.

Plaid Cymru Chair Marc Jones said: “Plaid Cymru thanks Carl Harris for his long service and commitment to the party, both as a county councillor and member of staff, and most recently as chief executive. We wish him well for the future.”

Carl Harris said: “It has been a privilege to work for Plaid Cymru on both a local and national level. The party is fortunate to have some of the most talented staff and dedicated activists, alongside whom I have had the honour of campaigning. I wish the party every success in the future.”

‘Issues’

His departure comes at a moment of internal turmoil for the party. In November Plaid Cymru temporarily suspended Senedd Member Rhys ab Owen from the party’s group in the Welsh Parliament.

Last night party leader Adam Price refused to tell ITV Wales’ Sharp End last night whether he himself would step down after allegations of a “toxic culture” in the party.

The Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MS has set up a working group to tackle the issue chaired by former elected member Nerys Evans, which will publish its recommendations in Spring of next year.

“If that’s anyone’s perception within the party then we need to understand why that is and we are endeavouring to do so,” Adam Price told Sharp End.

“We’ve set out a number of different ways in which people within the party can confidentially share their perspective, share their experience, and we’re working with an independent HR consultancy to identify issues that we need to address and improve upon.

“We’ve also created a working group in order to drive this work forward, looking at what we need to do in terms of our structures, our culture, our processes.

“We’re very clear about the party that we want to be aligned with our values. We want to be an inclusive party, a non-discriminatory party. We want to be a party where critical challenge is possible and done in a respectful manner.”