Plaid Cymru’s economy spokesman Luke Fletcher defeated in selection battle
Martin Shipton
Days after launching his party’s new economic strategy for Wales, Plaid Cymru’s economy spokesperson Luke Fletcher has lost a candidate selection contest that is likely to see him out of the Senedd after next year’s election.
Mr Fletcher was defeated by Vale of Glamorgan councillor Mark Hooper for the right to head the Plaid list in the new super-constituency of Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg, which covers Bridgend and the Vale.
Currently a regional MS for South Wales West, Mr Fletcher was first elected to the Senedd at the last election in 2021. Under the new electoral system, Wales has been split into 16 super-constituencies, each of which will elect six MSs on the basis of proportional representation. Party members decide what order their list candidates can be elected, and an internal vote has now decided that Cllr Hooper will get the top slot.
Gender balance policy
Mr Fletcher was runner-up in the selection contest, but because of the party’s gender balance policy the second position on the list will go to Sarah Rees, the head of Oxfam Cymru. Mr Fletcher will take the third spot.
It is understood that Cllr Hooper had a clear victory over Mr Fletcher, while Mr Fletcher had “many more” votes than Ms Rees.
In a sense, Cllr Hooper’s victory is unsurprising, because Plaid has many more members in the Vale of Glamorgan than in Bridgend, where Mr Fletcher is based.
It is nevertheless embarrassing that Plaid’s economy spokesperson has in effect been deselected. The party has no realistic chance of winning three seats in Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg.
In a statement issued at the time he announced his candidacy for the new seat, Mr Fletcher made a point of stating: “[As] Plaid Cymru’s economy and energy spokesperson, I am leading the party’s economic strategy going into the 2026 election, which will be published in the next few weeks.”
Campaigner
He also drew attention to his record as a campaigner, stating: “The last few years have been marked by the cost-of-living crisis. During this time, I have stood on picket lines and campaigned with posties, nurses, teachers, firefighters, and many others in their fight for fair pay and decent working conditions.
“I have stood side by side with steelworkers at Tata Steel in Port Talbot, calling for the site to be brought into public ownership to safeguard jobs and the future of the industry in Wales.
“I have fought for more support for learners from low-income backgrounds, and as a result have secured an increase in Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) payments for learners through continuous pressure on the government”.
Cllr Hooper has been described as “among the leading thinkers in the independence movement”. His statement seeking support from party members said that he “is well-known across Plaid Cymru and the wider independence movement and has focussed his campaign on the wealth of experience he would bring to the role.
“A qualified accountant, Mark has a strong CV that encompasses senior level experience at a FTSE business; he’s founded a new-start business; set up a co-operative, developed a partnership with a large trade union and recently worked in government as a special adviser as part of Plaid’s Co-operation Agreement.”
He concluded: “I’m looking forward to this internal campaign for selection, but the real battle starts when this poll closes and Plaid sets out our vision, in detail, for a better Wales. I want to play an active part in that battle of ideas and am therefore seeking members’ support to top the list in Bridgend and The Vale of Glamorgan.”
Fairness
An opinion piece written by her supporter Henry Price and published by Nation.Cymru said of Ms Rees: “As head of Oxfam Cymru, [she] has ensured that Welsh values—of fairness, peace, and internationalism—are represented at the heart of Welsh politics. Under her leadership, Oxfam Cymru ensured the Senedd stood firmly for a ceasefire in Gaza, reflecting Wales’ identity as a nation of peacebuilders.
“Rees has strong ties to the Pen-y-bont Morgannwg area. With family roots across the Vale of Glamorgan, she previously led a European-funded project in Bridgend that supported women furthest from employment, through a social enterprise she founded after being made redundant while on maternity leave in 2014.
“She was also sponsored by the Rotary Club of Llanilltyd Fawr to serve as a Global Ambassadorial Scholar in the Philippines, promoting Wales abroad and strengthening global ties. In this, she joins a list of Welsh alumni that includes former First Minister, now Baron, Carwyn Jones of Penybont.”
Altogether, Plaid Cymru has selected five candidates for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg, the other two being Marianne Cowpe and Becci Smart.
An official party statement is not expected before the selection has been ratified by Plaid’s national executive committee, but a Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “We’re proud to have such a strong team representing Plaid Cymru across Wales, all with a mix of experience and energy. Each and every candidate will be focussed on standing up for Wales over the next 12 months and fighting for a fresh start for our nation after 26 years of decline under Labour.”
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Some will get worked up by the Party’s gender balance policy, but on current polling Plaid have zero chance of getting a second candidate elected in that constituency.
The votes are there to be won. Get out and fight for them.
What a silly move by Plaid Cymru. Who gets on the ballot on a cervix or willy contest instead of selecting the best candidate. Not only that, removing someone who has experience in the private sector in an area of Wales where Plaid Cymru need to make inroads. Then appointing a third sector merry go-round candidate who’s good on the Philippines and part of the Cardiff bubble. No doubt in my area there’ll be a Deryn spiv rather than a farmer.
Plaid rely on self inflicted damage as a method of avoiding winning too many seats. They are hell bent on avoiding the responsibility of governing unless they get the junior part in a coalition or cooperation agreement. Too much noise but lacking energy. Rural Wales – west, mid and north- will be a good test because the ‘chuting in of candidates who are well liked by the bubble mob is not likely to go down well with the natives who are already getting rubbed up the wrong way by the Kairdiff regime.
This is obviously a result of the new constituency arrangements! Plaid are being very democratic by holding hustings for all members in the new constituencies rather than selection by committee, but inevitably it will mean a potential imbalance in the votes depending on who is best known locally!
I appreciate that Plaid wants to be seen to promote equality and that is why its got the quota rules.
However. It just doesn’t have the luxury of pursuing this during the current political climate. It cant be seen to be promoting democracy while also appearing to rig it to create a specific outcome. The continuation of D’Hondt on top of this will paint Plaid as an anti-democratic party.
This is bread and butter stuff for Farage. He likes to say the traditional parties ignore the will of the people. Good luck with that.
Farage wanted PR last year. The new system is the most proportional of the lot. Why would he object to it?
He does. But if Reform win a majority at the next UK election with just 26% of the vote he will change his tune.
PR isn’t mutually exclusive with D’Hondt. D’Hondt is biased towards larger parties (as opposed to Sainte-Laguë or Huntington-Hill which are both considered fairer) and the real issue here is going to be the closed lists where parties choose who will take seats (rather than open lists, which allow voters differing degrees of say depending).
Obviously there’s plenty of room to criticise this – as people have done throughout the reform process (including Prof. McAllister).
Party List PR is listed as the most proportional system without any reference to the allocation method:
https://electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/
That suggests it’s the most proportional system irrespective of the allocation method. You can’t demand PR and then say, oops that’s not very democratic when the most proportional system is selected.
Not arguing against party list PR. Arguing against closed list specifically as I’ve very clearly already said.
This takes us back to the AV 2011 debate where perfect was the enemy of the good and left us with mediocre.
I’d prefer STV which is proportional enough but has far better voter engagement.
But anything is better than FPTP.
He’s going to enjoy the unexpected fruits of Labour’s voting scam. Maybe 5 years hence his mob will have run out of gas but recovering from that period of devastation will take real energy and practical abilities not the soppy moralising junk our lazy incumbents trot out time after time.
A real embarrassment for Plaid. A young, talented, and working-class member with a leading portfolio cast aside, and for what? To demonstrate that they can hold internal elections? Labour would never have allowed this to happen. Can you imagine Jeremy Miles being placed third on a list? They may be devoid of ideas, but they know how to retain talent. It’s unfortunate, but if Plaid can’t put their best team forward to govern Wales, maybe they don’t deserve to do so. Many will blame this on Plaid’s quota system – I don’t. Current members are ready to govern and both… Read more »
I think this has inadvertently highlighted the flaws of Plaid’s adopted selection system. Pragmatically, the leader should have been able to trigger incumbency rights for his team. Luke Fletcher is one of their better MSs and has just published an economic strategy to much attention. Binning him off, with him not having any controversy or eccentric views seems really short sighted. This is meant as no criticism of Mark Hooper or Sarah Rees, let me be clear; I think they’re very capable; it’s just an example of one constituency being saturated by decent candidates whereas other areas may well be… Read more »
Absolutely. It’s extremely short sighted.
He probably supported this!
Yes, I’ve spoken to a candidate here, who is also a prominent Plaid Senedd MS. I queried and was pretty shocked that that person had to fight to stay a candidate, considering all the good work they’d done. Experienced and well known talent could be culled from the party, just at the time they are needed the most.
Let’s not go over the top. Luke Fletcher who went from a staffer role to an MS in his 20s can hardly be described as experienced or well known talent
Please lets have no nasty digs about Sarah Rees’ gender – she’s a perfectly capable individual who wont be out of place in the Senedd should she be elected. But by the same token anyone who thinks Plaid will be better for losing the services of Luke Fletcher in the Senedd is a fool. Fact of the matter is plaid will be judged by the welsh electorate next may on the strength of the programme they put before the welsh people not on the gender make up of its candidates – time for plaid to look at its selection procedures… Read more »
Such a shame to lose Luke Fletcher.
Perhaps he should have waited before publishing his economic plan. It hardly did him any favours.
Fletcher’s an over promoted staffer with no experience of the real world. We need people who are more than just ideologically agreeable, we need some real world experience for when we’re in government.