Rhun ap Iorwerth

Rhun ap Iorwerth (born 27 August 1972) is a Welsh politician and former broadcaster who has served as First Minister of Wales since 2026 and Leader of Plaid Cymru since 2023. He has served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for Bangor Conwy Môn, previously Ynys Môn, since 2013.

Born in Tonteg, ap Iorwerth was raised in Anglesey and studied politics and Welsh at Cardiff University. He worked as a journalist for BBC Cymru Wales from 1994, serving as chief political correspondent, before working as a radio and television presenter. In 2013, he stepped down from broadcasting to pursue a career in politics, standing as the Plaid Cymru candidate in the Ynys Môn by-election, winning the seat and becoming an Assembly Member (AM).

Re-elected in the 2016 and 2021 elections, ap Iorwerth served as Shadow Minister for Health in the Wood shadow cabinet and held several positions on the Plaid Cymru frontbench team, including Deputy Leader following defeat in the 2018 party leadership election. Ap Iorwerth was elected unopposed as leader in 2023, and was nominated as First Minister of Wales following the party's victory in the 2026 Senedd election. He is the first FM to represent a party other than Welsh Labour or the Co-operative Party, his appointment ending the party's uninterrupted tenure in Welsh Government since devolution in 1999.

Early life Rhun ap Iorwerth was born in Tonteg, Glamorgan, Wales, on 27 August 1972 to Gwyneth and , both teachers and Welsh language campaigners; his sister, Awen Iorwerth, is an orthopaedic surgeon. On his birth certificate, ap Iorwerth's surname was recorded as Jones, against the wishes of his parents to name him ap Iorwerth. The literal English meaning of his name is Rhun, son of Iorwerth. The name follows the Welsh patronymic naming system,

Ap Iorwerth grew up in Meirionnydd and, from the age of five, Anglesey. He attended Ysgol Gynradd Llandegfan, where his father was headteacher, and Ysgol David Hughes before going on to study politics and Welsh at Cardiff University. He has said that as a teenager, he briefly considered a career as a veterinarian and chose his A-levels accordingly, but later changed his mind and pursued a career in journalism.

He has described music as a key part of his childhood; his father a composer. He set up a radio studio in his home and, at the age of 14, was a reporter on a children's news programme.

Early political career In 2013, ap Iorwerth stepped down from his role in the BBC to run as the Plaid Cymru candidate in the Ynys Môn by-election, which was triggered by the June resignation of Ieuan Wyn Jones, the former seat holder. During the campaign, Welsh Labour sought to publicize his support of the construction of the Wylfa nuclear power station, in contradiction to Plaid Cymru's policy in opposition to nuclear power. A Plaid Cymru blogger faced disiplinary action within the party after attacking ap Iorwerth for his position on the power station's construction. During his candidacy, suggestions were made within Plaid Cymru that he could serve as a future party leader, to which he found "somehow amusing" considering his status as a newcomer. The result was Plaid Cymru's fifth victory in a National Assembly election. On 2 August, ap Iorwerth was sworn in as the Assembly Member (AM) for Ynys Môn, and arrived at the Senedd building accompanied by his wife and three children, cheered by Plaid Cymru supporters. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood appointed him into her shadow cabinet as Shadow Minister for Health. In the 2021 Senedd election, he was re-elected as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Ynys Môn with 15,506 votes (55.9%).

He has held several positions on the Plaid Cymru frontbench team. In a 2014 reshuffle of the frontbench ahead of the 2016 National Assembly election, he was appointed as the economy, enterprise and transport spokesman by Leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood. In 2018, he was appointed by Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price as economy and finance spokesperson, the frontbench position formerly held by Price, and was then moved to health and finance in a 2020 reshuffle. Following the 2021 Senedd election, he was made health and social care spokesperson. In 2022, he announced his candidacy as Plaid Cymru's prospective parliamentary candidate for Ynys Môn in the 2024 general election, but was replaced by Llinos Medi.

Leadership of Plaid Cymru (2023–present)

In 2023, an internal report found "bullying, harassment and misogyny" within Plaid Cymru, leading to the resignation of Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, with Llyr Gruffydd succeeding as interim leader. Ap Iorwerth ran as a candidate in the subsequent leadership election. On 16 July, ap Iorwerth was elected as leader unopposed, vowing to make the party one "where everyone feels safe and supported and empowered to play their parts."

In 2024, he ended the co-operational agreement between Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour, following concerns regarding Welsh labour leader First Minister Vaughan Gething. The concerns included allegations of perjury against Gething, his dismissal of Minister for Social Partnership Hannah Blythyn, and his failure to repay a £200,000 campaign donation. Ap Iorwerth described the factors as demonstrating "a significant lack of judgement". Gething said following the withdrawal: "we are disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales".

As leader, he had been described by the BBC as having a more "confrontational" approach to the Welsh Labour government. In the 2026 Senedd election on 7 May, ap Iorwerth was re-elected to the Senedd, with a seat in the newly formed Bangor Conwy Môn constituency, with his party becoming the largest party in the Senedd with 43 seats, however like the opinion polls predicted, they didn't reach the 49 seats needed for a majority. ap Iorwerth confirmed that Plaid Cymru would seek to form a minority government, and that his party preferred a "cooperative approach" to a coalition.

Ap Iorwerth was elected by the Senedd to succeed Eluned Morgan as First minister of Wales on 12 May 2026. He was elected by 44 MSs: 42 members of his party Plaid Cymru (not including the non-voting Deputy Llywydd Kerry Ferguson) and the two members of the Green Party. All 34 Reform UK MSs voted for their Welsh Leader Dan Thomas, and the 7 Welsh Conservative MSs voted for their Leader Darren Millar, with Labour MSs, and sole Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds, abstaining from the vote. Ap Iorwerth was officially sworn in as First Minister later the same day by High Court Justice Mary Stacey. He is the first First Minister to come from a party other than Welsh Labour.

International relations

Ireland Ap Iorwerth made his first foreign visit as First Minister to Ireland on 24 June 2026, where he met President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin. He also attended the sixth Ireland-Wales Forum where he met the Irish Government's foreign affairs minister, Helen McEntee. During the meeting, the two governments agreed to closer ties between the two nations, and discussed the possibility of a future collaboration between the nations regarding renewable energy projects in the Irish Sea. In an interview with RTÉ News: Six One, ap Iorwerth stated that he was leading a pro-Europe government, and that his government wanted "as close a relationship with Europe as possible", and a "stronger relationship than ever" with Ireland.

Israel & Palestine In August 2026 at the Eisteddfod Ap Iorwerth, alongside Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams, gave speeches in which they publicly stated that they believed Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide, with Ap Iorwerth saying that "We call out the genocide for what it is.", and that his government would stand with Palestine. They also met with Palestinian curator Faisal Saleh, to view an exhibition documenting the destruction of the Gaza Strip.

Failed Supplementary Budget In June 2026, Ap Iorwerth announced that the Welsh Government would pass a supplementary budget before the Senedd recess in July. The budget would have allocated funding to NHS Wales in order to help cut waiting times, expand free school meals to secondary school children, and provide £55,000,000 for Plaid Cymru's "flagship policy" of universal childcare for Wales. On 14 July, the Senedd voted against the plans after Welsh Labour withdrew their support. Welsh Labour MS Huw Thomas stated that the party could not support the budget due to criticism from teaching unions over a dispute regarding the funding for pupils with additional learning needs. Finance Minister Elin Jones stated that she was "flabbergasted" by the decision, and accused Welsh Labour of being a "destructive opposition".

Political positions

Ap Iorwerth has identified himself as being an environmentalist, internationalist and republican. He is described as being 'centrist' in the media, but he self describes himself as on 'the left of politics' and 'socialist'.

European Union He supports a re-accession of the United Kingdom into the European Union, single market and customs union, and has described Wales' vote for Brexit as "the greatest act of economic self-sabotage in modern history".

Nuclear power Ap Iorwerth is a key supporter of the reopening of the Wylfa nuclear power station which is situated in his constituency of Bangor Conwy Môn. The position of his party is that there should be no new nuclear power plants and only the redevelopment of old ones.

Welsh independence In 2026, ap Iorwerth said that he hoped Wales would become independent in the future but said that it would be up to "the people of Wales" to decide when it would be ready.

Personal life and honours Rhun ap Iorwerth is married to his wife, Llinos, whom he met at Cardiff University. He has three children.

In his personal life ap Iorwerth likes to play the guitar and playing rugby for the Senedd rugby team.

He was appointed a member of the Privy Council on 10 June 2026, entitling him to the style The Right Honourable for life.