Rhys ab Owen

Rhys ab Owen (born 12 January 1987), also sometimes referred to as Rhys ab Owen Thomas is a Welsh politician who represented the South Wales Central constituency from 2021 to 2026. He was suspended from the Senedd for 42 days - the longest suspension of any Senedd Member, after he was found to have "inappropriately touched" a woman on a night out. A former member of Plaid Cymru, ab Owen was suspended in 2022, and formally expelled from the party in July 2024. His father, Owen John Thomas, represented the same region for the same party.

Political career Ab Owen stood for Plaid Cymru in the 2017 Cardiff Council election in the Canton ward, where he increased the Plaid Cymru vote from 910 to 2,105, narrowly losing to the winning Labour candidates.

Later, ab Owen stood in the 2021 Senedd election as a Plaid Cymru candidate for Cardiff West, competing against the incumbent MS and First Minister Mark Drakeford (Welsh Labour). Drakeford retained his seat in Cardiff West, with ab Owen finishing third behind Drakeford and the Conservative candidate, Sean Driscoll. However, ab Owen was elected as a Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central, alongside fellow regional Plaid Cymru candidate Heledd Fychan, by virtue of topping the regional list of Plaid Cymru candidates in the region.

Upon reaching the Senedd, ab Owen became Plaid Cymru's constitution and justice spokesperson.

Ab Owen previously served as a member of the Senedd petitions committee. He was also a member of cross-party groups on beer and pubs, dementia, digital rights and democracy, faith, lung health, policing, Public and Commercial Services Union (the Senedd's relationship with it) and rented housing and leasehold properties. On 13 March 2024, the Senedd agreed to suspended the member according to the Standards of Conduct Committee's recommendation. His case prompted calls for a recall system to be implemented for the Senedd. Although he stood as an independent for the 2026 Senedd election in the Caerdydd Penarth constituency he was not re-elected, receiving 0.5% of the vote.

Personal life In 2019, ab Owen married Manon Eluned George; the couple have two daughters. He lists his recreations as "Welsh history, choir, family, chapel" and is a member of the Ifor Bach club in Cardiff.