Welsh Young Liberals attack leader’s failure to back Home Rule for Wales

Martin Shipton

Welsh Young Liberals have criticised their party’s leadership for abandoning its historic commitment to Home Rule for Wales.

The youth wing of the Welsh Liberal Democrats deplored the fact that only one Lib Dem MS – leader Jane Dodds in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd – was elected.

During the run-up to the election and since, Ms Dodds has made it clear that the party is wholly opposed to Welsh independence, and that she would vote against any proposal to spend Welsh Government money on a Commission to explore the implications of an independent Wales.

Chair of Welsh Young Liberals Caredig ap Tomos issued a statement in which he made clear that the youth organisation will play its role in the renewal of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, but insisting that Home Rule must be placed back at the heart of the agenda.

David Lloyd George, Britain’s last Liberal Prime Minister, was in 1886 one of the founders of Cymru Fydd (Wales To Be), a movement that campaigned for Home Rule.

Caredig ap Tomos said: “The Senedd election on May 7 brought a historic moment to Wales. After 27 years, Labour’s grip on the Welsh Government finally broke, with Plaid Cymru returning as the largest party and now forming the government. We congratulate Rhun ap Iorwerth on this momentous victory and wish him well as Prif Weinidog Cymru.

“We also congratulate our party leader Jane Dodds MS, who returns to the Senedd for a second term. Her return is a reminder and testament to our party’s history and legacy that we continue to win in rural Wales – the heartland of the liberal movement in this country. We would also like to pay tribute to all young candidates across Wales who fought hard to be a positive voice for young people in the Senedd.

“However, these election results did not deliver the outcome we had hoped for as Welsh Young Liberals. Across Wales, candidates worked tirelessly to take the fight to Reform UK and the Greens, but ultimately poor leadership and a lack of identity contributed to one of our worst Senedd election results to date.

“The failure to return enough members to form a parliamentary group in the Senedd is not because of activists and candidates showing up to canvass, but because we lacked a cohesive national message. This is not reflective of where a party with such deep historical roots in Wales should be. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have shaped this country’s political landscape for generations, having first fought for Welsh language rights, land ownership, and clerical rights.

Home Rule

He added: “We have been, and always will be, the party of Home Rule – knowing that power should sit in Cardiff Bay, not Westminster. Wales deserves the right to be treated as an equal in this United Kingdom, not as a lesser partner. We believe these fundamental ideals are not only part of our future as a political party – it is part of the future of Wales itself.

“Welsh Young Liberals will play our part in our journey to renewal, championing Wales as a nation at a time when our voice has been quietly eroded by Labour. We will listen to both members and non-members alike about what a bold and truly liberal democratic party must look like as we head into next year’s local elections but leadership cannot walk away from these results. It must own them – and change.

“Thank you to everyone who campaigned, volunteered, and voted. We go again.”