Delyth Jewell

Delyth Non Jewell (born ) is a Welsh politician who has been serving as Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health. A member of Plaid Cymru, she has served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni since May 2026, formerly representing South Wales East from 2019.

Born in Caerphilly and raised in Ystrad Mynach, Jewell studied at the University of Oxford, graduating with degrees in English and Celtic studies and serving as president of the Dafydd ap Gwilym Society. She worked as a researcher and speechwriter for Plaid members of Parliament in the House of Commons, and later as a women's rights and international development campaigner for Citizens Advice.

Jewell unsuccessfully contested for the South Wales East electoral region in the 2016 National Assembly election. She was later sworn in as an assembly member in 2019, following the death of the elected Plaid candidate Steffan Lewis. Re-elected as an MS in the 2021 election, she held several positions on the Plaid frontbench team, including deputy leader of the party group in the Senedd. Following Plaid Cymru's victory in the 2026 election, Jewell was appointed Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health in the ap Iorwerth government.

Early life and career Delyth Non Jewell was born in at the Caerphilly District Miners Hospital in Caerphilly and was raised in Ystrad Mynach. She attended Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni and later studied at the University of Oxford, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English at St Hugh's College and a Master of Studies (M.St.) in Celtic studies at Jesus College. She served as the president of the Dafydd ap Gwilym Society, the Welsh language society at the university, in 2007.

Following graduation, Jewell worked as a researcher and speechwriter In 2014, she received the Dods Overall Parliamentary Researcher of the Year Award, recognizing her work focusing on stalking and domestic violence legislation. In January 2019, Jewell published an article in The Independent on her research of abuse toward women politicians.

Political career In the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Jewell stood as a Plaid candidate for the South Wales East electoral region, and was not elected. She was placed second on Plaid Cymru's list of candidates for the constituency.

In a 2020 reshuffle of the Plaid frontbench team ahead of the 2021 Senedd election, Jewell was appointed as spokesperson for public transformation and the future, and Local Government Association coordinator, by Plaid leader Adam Price.

In the 2021 Senedd election, Jewell was re-elected as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales East. Following the election, she was re-appointed to the frontbench team as spokesperson for climate change, energy, and transport. She served as the chair of the Senedd Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations.

On 27 June 2023, following the election of Rhun ap Iorwerth as Plaid leader, Jewell was appointed as deputy leader of Plaid Cymru in the Senedd.

In April 2024 during First Minister's Questions, Jewell questioned First Minister Vaughan Gething on culture funding and offered Gething a yellow rose, quoting James Oppenheim's poem "Bread and Roses". The flower was declined by Gething, who acknowledged the point.

In a June 2024 reshuffle of the frontbench team ahead of the 2026 Senedd election, the responsibility of energy and transport was transferred to Luke Fletcher and Peredur Owen Griffiths respectively.

In the 2026 Senedd election, Jewell was elected as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for the six-member Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency, with Plaid Cymru receiving 29,314 votes (42%). She was the party's lead candidate for the constituency.

Deputy Minister (2026–present)

Following the 2026 election on 7 May, Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd and Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth was nominated as First Minister of Wales, ending the Welsh Labour's uninterrupted tenure in Welsh Government since devolution in 1999. On 13 May, Jewell was appointed by ap Iorwerth into the Plaid minority government as Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health.

In July 2026, Jewell said ministers would proceed with proposals for a National Care Service for Wales, and that support for neurodivergent people and people with learning disabilities would be improved through a focus on community-based services. In August, Jewell spoke at the Pembrokeshire National Eisteddfod and stated that the proposed service for Wales would not be established until the next Senedd term.

Electoral history