I've just sent out an update on the ongoing Senedd Home work to patrons and newsletter subscribers, particularly how issues will be covered. Here's a preview of some of it so far (and the Welsh Government page). #Wales #Cymru #Senedd

https://seneddhome.com/

#YouGov has published a fascinating breakdown of how Wales voted in the 2026 #Senedd election by key demographic and political divides. Full details at https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/54913-how-wales-voted-at-the-2026-senedd-election

#PlaidCymru’s support was higher among younger voters, those with higher levels of both education and household income, while being highest of all among those who are fluent in Welsh.

#welshpol #Cymru #ukpol

ht @leannewood

Welsh minister faces abuse over pledge to ditch car travel.

There's funny people out there.🤦‍♂️

#Cymru #Senedd

https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-minister-faces-abuse-over-pledge-to-ditch-car-travel/

SWANSEA: Francesca O’Brien handed housing and planning brief as Reform UK names its first ever Senedd shadow cabinet

Less than 18 months ago, Francesca O’Brien described her defection from the Welsh Conservatives to Reform UK as “a gamble.” On Tuesday, she was handed one of the most politically charged briefs in Welsh devolution.

O’Brien, the Gŵyr Abertawe MS and former Mumbles councillor, has been named shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning — putting her directly opposite Siân Gwenllian MS, the Plaid minister already at the centre of the DARC radar planning row in Pembrokeshire.

“Really proud to take the post of Shadow Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning,” O’Brien said on Facebook. “Really looking forward to getting stuck in and holding the government to account whilst ensuring we deliver for everyone in Wales.”

O’Brien came fourth in the six-seat Gŵyr Abertawe constituency on 7 May, with Reform taking two of the six seats. She is now one of 34 Reform MSs — and holds a brief that covers planning decisions affecting communities across Swansea for a generation.

The second south-west Wales appointment is James Evans MS, who takes Health, Prevention and Sport. Evans was elected in the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency, covering the upper Swansea Valley.

A farmer expelled by the Welsh Conservatives in January and who joined Reform in February, he held the same health brief under the Conservatives — making him one of the more experienced figures in the new team.

Evans faces Mabon ap Gwynfor MS across the chamber — Plaid’s Health Minister — in a portfolio that will dominate Welsh politics for the next four years.

Six of the 14 shadow cabinet members are former Conservatives.

Dan Thomas, James Evans, Laura Anne Jones, Francesca O’Brien, Louise Emery and Llŷr Powell all either defected from the party or stood as Conservative candidates before joining Reform.

That is almost as many former Tories as there are Welsh Conservative MSs in the entire chamber — and it is the statistic that opponents have seized on, describing Reform Wales as the Conservative Party with a new coat of paint.

Reform is the last of the four formally recognised Senedd groups to name its team. In the Senedd, parties need more than five MSs to be recognised as a group — giving them seats on the Business Committee and other procedural rights. Four parties clear that bar: Plaid Cymru in government, Reform UK as the official opposition, Welsh Labour and the Welsh Conservatives.

The Welsh Conservatives — seven seats, the smallest recognised group — named their shadow cabinet last Friday under leader Darren Millar MS. The “Magnificent Seven,” as Millar called them, include former leader Andrew RT Davies MS as shadow minister for Farming and the Environment.

Welsh Labour named their team this morning under interim leader Ken Skates MS, with just nine MSs to draw on. Swansea’s Mike Hedges MS was handed Culture and Sport. It is the first time in 27 years that Labour has had to build a Senedd opposition team from scratch.

Reform’s shadow cabinet outnumbers both Labour and the Conservatives combined. Four years ago the party won no Senedd seats at all. Now Dan Thomas leads the official opposition — with a team built largely from the ruins of the party that governed Wales for the last 14 years in Westminster.

With Plaid Cymru’s Cabinet already in place, Wales’s first proportional Senedd — and its first ever Plaid government — is now fully operational. The scrutiny starts here.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Swansea’s Mike Hedges handed Culture and Sport brief as Ken Skates names Welsh Labour’s new Senedd spokesperson team
How Welsh Labour has organised its nine-member opposition group.

South-west Wales politicians take key roles as Rhun ap Iorwerth names his first Plaid Cymru Cabinet
The ministers Reform UK’s new shadow team will be scrutinising.

Plaid Cymru largest party, Reform UK historic breakthrough — the new political map of Wales
The election result that put Reform in opposition and changed Welsh politics forever.

SENEDD: Swansea’s Mike Hedges handed Culture and Sport brief as Ken Skates names Welsh Labour’s new Senedd spokesperson team

Mike Hedges, the Swansea MS who went viral last week after appearing to tell an ITV journalist the media had “got the result they wanted” following Labour’s historic Senedd defeat, has been handed a senior shadow brief as interim leader Ken Skates names his spokesperson team.

Hedges, who holds the Gŵyr Abertawe constituency seat, will serve as Labour’s shadow spokesperson for Culture, Sport, Local Government and Legislation — one of seven shadow portfolios announced this morning as Labour begins the long task of rebuilding as an opposition party after its worst Senedd result in history.

The election on 7 May saw Labour reduced to just nine Senedd seats, with Plaid Cymru forming Wales’s new government. Hedges came fourth in the six-seat Gŵyr Abertawe constituency — with Plaid taking three seats and Reform UK two — as Labour’s vote share fell to third place behind both parties.

In the days that followed, the veteran MS attracted attention when ITV journalist Rhys Williams approached him on the steps of the Senedd. When asked if he had anything to say, Hedges replied: “No, thanks. You’ve had the result you wanted, what more?” The 24-second exchange was viewed more than 200,000 times on X.

Hedges, who has been an MS since 2011 and is a former leader of Swansea Council, refused to elaborate further when pressed on what he meant. The clip became one of the most-shared moments of the post-election fallout — a snapshot of a party struggling to come to terms with a defeat few had predicted quite so devastating in scale.

Hedges was also the subject of internal Labour tensions in the build-up to the election, after a senior Welsh Labour figure publicly called on him to stand aside for former Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart. Stewart publicly backed Hedges and rejected the suggestion.

It is the first time in more than 25 years that Labour has had to build an opposition team in the Senedd. With just nine MSs, the group is small enough that each member carries multiple responsibilities — and the shadow team unveiled today reflects that reality, with Ken Skates himself doubling as both interim leader and health spokesperson.

Ken Skates MS takes the role of interim leader himself, also serving as Labour’s shadow spokesperson for Health, Care and National Security — a significant shift from his previous role as Cabinet Secretary for Transport in the outgoing Labour government.

Jayne Bryant MS takes the shadow Housing, Communities, Public and Preventative Health brief, a portfolio that echoes her previous role as Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government in government. Lynne Neagle MS, who was Cabinet Secretary for Education in the Welsh Government, steps into the shadow Children, Education and Lifelong Learning role — a near-identical remit, this time from the opposition benches.

Vikki Howells MS becomes Labour’s Chief Whip as well as shadow spokesperson for Environment, Farming, Energy and Transport — including Planning. Shav Taj MS takes the shadow Employment, Equalities and Economic Transformation brief, while Huw Thomas MS picks up shadow Finance, Democracy, Citizenship and Welsh Language. Sarah Murphy’s portfolio will be announced on her return from maternity leave.

Labour is not alone in rebuilding after the election. The Welsh Conservatives — who ended the election with seven seats, fewer than Labour and the smallest group in the chamber outside the Greens — named their new shadow cabinet team last week under leader Darren Millar MS. Former Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS, whose new constituency covers Bridgend, was appointed Shadow Minister for Farming and the Environment alongside six other shadow ministers.

Reform UK, the second largest party in the Senedd with 34 seats, has named its leader — Dan Thomas MS — and deputy leader Helen Jenner MS, but has not yet announced portfolios or the rest of its shadow cabinet team. As the official opposition, Reform will face intense scrutiny over how quickly it can organise and hold the new Plaid government to account.

Plaid Cymru’s new Welsh Government cabinet, confirmed by First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth last week, is already in place and governing. For Labour, the Conservatives and Reform, the work of opposition begins in earnest — and for a party that has held power in Cardiff Bay since devolution began in 1999, the adjustment for Welsh Labour may prove the most profound of all.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Mike Hedges warns Wales could face another election as Labour counts the cost of historic defeat
Our coverage of the aftermath of Labour’s worst-ever Senedd result.

Senior Welsh Labour figure calls on Mike Hedges to quit Senedd seat for Rob Stewart
The internal tensions that threatened Hedges before the election.

South west Wales politicians take key roles as Rhun ap Iorwerth names his first Plaid Cymru cabinet
The new Welsh Government that Labour and the other opposition parties must now hold to account.

The View from the Senedd with Peter Fox MS | monmouthshirebeacon.co.uk

Over the past few weeks, it has been excellent to speak with residents across Torfaen and Monmouthshire on the campaign trail, and I am delighted to have been elected as one of the six new Members of the Senedd for Sir Fynwy Torfaen.#PeterFox #Senedd
The View from the Senedd with Peter Fox MS