Plaid Cymru: New leader should be a woman, says Leanne Wood

The next leader of Plaid Cymru should be a woman, according to the party's former leader Leanne Wood.

Plaid Cymru is looking for a new leader after Adam Price stepped down following Nerys Evans' report which said there was bullying and misogyny within the party.

So far only Rhun ap Iorwerth has put himself forward as a possible leader ahead of the deadline next week.

Plaid Cymru said it had acted on several recommendations in the report.

Speaking to BBC Wales Live, Ms Wood said the work that was needed to be done within the party "would be easier made by a woman politician who really understands the issues of misogyny".

"Mainly because she probably would have experienced them at some point through her life," she continued.

Five women are eligible to stand as Plaid Cymru's next leader, but three have already ruled themselves out of the race.

The remaining two, Sian Gwenllian and Sioned Williams, have not yet given an indication of whether they intend to enter the contest.

Adam Price stepped down as Plaid leader in May after a report found a "toxic culture" within the party

Ms Wood said she would back a female candidate over Mr ap Iorwerth.

"If there was a woman challenging him I would vote for a woman for all those political reasons that I've outlined," she said.

"I mean, if he's elected as leader I will be loyal to him and I will work with him.

"But, he will be aware that there's areas of policy where he takes positions when the party might not have the same position as him, like nuclear.

"That's going to be a challenge and I very much hope that he will take a broad view and different people's views into account rather than be single minded about some of these issues."

Leanne Wood (left) was interviewed by Bethan Rhys Roberts for BBC Wales Live

Mr ap Iorwerth said: "It's good to see colleagues and members engaging in a discussion about what they see as the priorities for Wales.

"I'm standing on a platform of bringing the party together so we can focus positively on the challenges we face, and on providing a compelling vision of what Wales can be."

Ms Wood said she believed the leadership race should involve more than one candidate.

"I don't think it's healthy to have a coronation," she said.

"A contest ensures that issues where there are differences of opinions, and there are issues where there are differences of opinion in Plaid Cymru, get properly aired and people get to take a view and a vote."

Ms Wood was ousted as leader of Plaid Cymru in 2018 and lost her seat as Member of the Senedd for Rhondda in 2021.

She admitted there were issues when she was leader.

''There were historic issues and incidences especially on the sexual harassment side of things," she said.

But Ms Wood claimed there "wasn't this toxic culture amongst the staff".

"That is a new development," she added.

One of the key recommendations from the recent report into the party was the importance of establishing human resources (HR) provision.

Ms Wood said during her leadership the party "never had a HR department".

"We're not a big political party," she said.

"We've got a small number of head-office staff. The chief executive is responsible for HR so there is a HR function but it isn't a department.

"There has been some issues around this definitely but these things are issues the party are looking at now."

Ms Wood says the party has big job to do to rebuild trust

Refusing to rule out a return to frontline politics, Ms Wood said Plaid Cymru needed to understand what had gone wrong in recent years.

"It means really looking at and accepting that some of the behaviours that have happened in the past really can't continue," she said.

"From small things like shouting in meetings, to being hostile to each other online, to the many more serious issues like domestic abuse that we've experienced with one of our MPs and other issues that are pending in the pipeline.

"We've got a big job of building trust again and creating a party where everyone feels safe and welcome to participate in."

Plaid Cymru said: "Many of the issues highlighted have been foregrounded in the Project Pawb report.

"Work was under way prior to its publication on strengthening the party's HR processes, and structures that give staff an active voice have been formalised.

"Several of the recommendations in Nerys Evans' report have already been implemented and Plaid Cymru reaffirms its commitment to prioritising this work to ensure that the party is a safe, inclusive and respectful space for all."

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