Adam Price resigns: Plaid Cymru leader steps down from role - reason why explained

Adam Price has announced he will stand down as leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru - days after a review found a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny in its ranks.

In a letter to the party’s chairman Marc Jones, he said he’d initially been persuaded to stay on in the wake of the report - as stepping down would be an “abdication of responsibility” - but it became clear he no longer had the “united support” of his colleagues.

Llyr Gruffydd has been nominated as interim leader until a permanent one is chosen in the summer.

Jones thanked Price for his “drive and vision” and praised his “personal commitment to making Wales a fairer nation”.

What did the review find?

Price and Plaid Cymru’s National Executive Committee ordered the review in December 2022 following press reports about a “toxic culture” in the party.

An anonymous survey of staff and the party’s elected members highlighted “cases of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination”. The review found these cases were not isolated and most weren’t reported. Some staff said they didn’t feel comfortable even taking part in the survey for fear of being identified.

The report - published on 3 May - concluded women had been “especially” let down and that “too many instances of bad behaviour” by elected members had been tolerated so workers saw “little point” in raising concerns.

It also concluded staff morale was “low” and the feeling of working as a team had “disappeared”.

Some 82 recommendations were made to “detoxify” Plaid Cymru - including mandatory harassment training, new minimum codes of conduct on personal behaviour and a review of the party’s governance.

At the time, Price and Jones issued a joint statement admitting “individuals have been let down” and the collective leadership of the party was “deeply sorry”.

What is Plaid Cymru?

Plaid Cymru is the third biggest party in Wales in terms of representation in the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd. It has 13 representatives in Cardiff - and four MPs at Westminster.

With a membership of just over 10,000, the party sits on the left of the political spectrum and is committed to Welsh independence.

Who is Adam Price?

Adam Price has represented Plaid Cymru in both the Welsh and Westminster Parliaments.  From 2001 to 2010, he was the MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.  He spent time in the United States after standing down before being elected to the Senedd in 2016.

He successfully challenged Leanne Wood for the leadership of Plaid Cymru in 2018 - becoming the first openly gay leader of a political party in Wales. He was widely praised for his public speaking skills and confident Parliamentary performances, but he failed to translate these into success at the ballot box.

In the 2021 Senedd elections, Price promised to hold a vote on Welsh independence if he won a majority - but the party ended up in third place behind Labour and the Welsh Conservatives.

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies said he wished Adam and his family “well for the future” but that his departure had become “inevitable” following the report into Plaid Cymru’s culture.