Third Labour Senedd candidate supports Welsh independence

Labour have selected a third candidate who supports Welsh independence for the Senedd election in May.

Cian Ireland has been selected as the Welsh Labour candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd in the 2021 Senedd elections.

“Humbled to have been selected by Labour members in Dwyfor Meirionnydd ar their candidate for Senedd,” he said.

“Looking forward to advocating for rural socialism as the way forward in addressing the problems we face in the area.”

He is the treasurer of Stirling University Labour society.

The campaign group Labour 4 Indy Wales welcomed his selection: “Cian ran his campaign in Dwyfor Meirionnydd on the need for our communities to choose their future and he supports socialism through independence,” they said.

“We look forward to campaigning with Cian, in person or online, whenever the election comes.”

‘Rebuild’

Dwynfor Meirionnydd is currently represented by the independent Senedd Member Dafydd Elis-Thomas. He was elected as a Plaid Cymru representative in 2016.

Mabon ap Gwynfor is the Plaid Cymru candidate and the Conservatives, who came second in 2016, are represented by Charlie Evans.

At the last election Plaid Cymru won 47.3% of the vote, the Conservatives 15.6% and Labour 12.1%.

On Sunday it was revealed that Labour had chosen a pro-independence candidate to fight the constituency of Ceredigion at the Senedd election.

Dylan Lewis-Rowlands was the party’s second pro-indy candidate after Ben Gwalchmai who is standing on the Mid and West Wales list.

“A decade of tory austerity and a year of Tory failure on the pandemic has shown us that,” he said. “But we need to ensure that any Labour government would be a socialist one. I am committed to that principle.”

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies also responded to the selection: “This has been blatantly obvious for a while, but the Labour Party has given up on the UK.

“Only the Welsh Conservatives will rebuild Wales in a strong United Kingdom,” he said.