Adam Price bows out as Plaid Cymru leader in Senedd

Adam Price said the first minister had been "annoyingly good" at answering his questions

Adam Price has bowed out as Plaid Cymru leader by urging Mark Drakeford to build on plans for a bigger Senedd "where every voice is heard".

In his final appearance in the chamber as party leader, Mr Price swapped compliments with the first minister.

He also hailed the co-operation deal they negotiated.

The deal includes a commitment to increase the number of MSs from 60 to 96 and introduce legally-binding gender quotas for candidates.

Mr Price will formally hand over the reins on Wednesday, two weeks after a damning report about bullying and misogyny in his party.

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The Senedd's presiding officer let him sign off at the weekly first minister's questions session with an unusually long speech.

He did not refer to the report by former Plaid politician Nerys Evans, which said Plaid had to "detoxify a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny".

Former Plaid Member of the Senedd Bethan Sayed called the exchanges in the Senedd a "love-in".

'360-degree democracy'

During an eight minute speech, Mr Price said Mr Drakeford had been "annoyingly good" at answering his questions and thanked him for his leadership of Wales during the pandemic.

With his mother Angela and young son Ilar watching from the public gallery, Mr Price said the co-operation deal showed "politics can change lives and in deciding to change lives together we can change the nature of politics itself".

He said he wanted people of all backgrounds "to feel as if this place belongs to them, represents them, speaks for them, as much it does for anyone".

He called on the first minister to "promise" to make the Senedd "the most fully-inclusive 360 degree democracy anywhere, where every voice is heard equally".

Mr Drakeford said Mr Price had been "dedicated to finding solutions".

He said the government "will bring forward legislation to reform this Senedd to make it fit to discharge the responsibilities that people in Wales put in our hands, and to make sure that the people who arrive here in the future fully reflect the diversity and the nature of today's Wales".

He added: "I look forward to the next 18 months, to bringing that piece of legislation in front of the Senedd, to debating it robustly, but always to do it in the spirit that we've heard from Adam Price this afternoon."

Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative leader in the Senedd, wished Adam Price and his family well, thanking him for the "courtesies he's extended to me".

"It is always good, outside of the political environment, where you can share a light-hearted moment and enjoy each other's company," he said.

Mark Drakeford returned the compliments he received from the Plaid Cymru leader

Although not in a formal coalition, the next Plaid leader will be expected to continue working with the Welsh government until late 2024.

From Wednesday, Plaid MS Llyr Gruffydd will stand in as acting leader.

Nominations to enter the contest to find a permanent successor are open until 16 June.

So far, Rhun ap Iorwerth - the Ynys Mon MS who stood against Mr Price for the leadership in 2018 - is the only potential candidate to say he is thinking about standing.