Leader of the Opposition (Wales)

Leader of the Opposition
Arweinydd yr Wrthblaid (Welsh)
Incumbent Darren Millar since 5 December 2024
Style	Member of the Senedd (MS)
Term length	While leader of the largest political party in the Senedd that is not in government
Inaugural holder	Dafydd Wigley
Formation	May 1999
Salary	£104,709 for 2024/25 tax year

In the Senedd, the Leader of the Opposition^[1][2] (Welsh: Arweinydd yr Wrthblaid)^[3][4] is the leader of the Official Opposition (Welsh: Yr Wrthblaid Swyddogol), the largest political party that is not in the Welsh Government. The Leader of the Opposition leads and appoints members of the Shadow Cabinet and as such is sometimes styled as the Shadow First Minister of Wales (Shadow First Secretary before 2000).

Since 5 December 2024 the Leader of the Opposition in the Senedd is Darren Millar (Conservative). To date the office has been held by seven individuals, three from Plaid Cymru and four from the Welsh Conservatives. Only one, Ieuan Wyn Jones, has gone on to serve in the Welsh Government.

Role

Like in the Westminster system of the UK Parliament, the Welsh Senedd has an official opposition^[5] which, by convention, serves to scrutinise the government of the day and acts as an alternative government-in-waiting.^[6][7] The Official Opposition is formed from the largest political party in the Senedd which does not serve in the Welsh Government.^[6] This is generally the second largest party in the Senedd,^{[8][9][10][5][11]} however smaller parties may also fulfill the role when there is a coalition between the largest parties.^[12][13][14] The Leader of the Opposition leads the Official Opposition and appoints its members to the Welsh Shadow Cabinet, whose portfolios mirror those of ministers or cabinet secretaries^[a] in the Welsh Government.^[6][15] Members of the Shadow Cabinet lead the Official Opposition in challenging government ministers and holding them to account.^[6][b]

As with some other practices in the Senedd, the roles of Official Opposition and Leader of the Opposition have no legal basis, instead they have developed as conventions in the Senedd.^[6] Both concepts were introduced on an informal basis with the establishment of the Senedd as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, with the inaugural holder being Dafydd Wigley of Plaid Cymru, the Official Opposition in the assembly at the time.^[16] Official recognition was granted in October 2000 with the formation of Rhodri Morgan's coalition government between Welsh Labour and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, with Wigley's successor Ieuan Wyn Jones formally being granted the title of Leader of the Opposition as the assembly began to adopt some elements of the style of government as seen in Westminster.^[17] The official introduction of the role also signalled a move toward increased predecence for the Official Opposition in plenary sessions of the assembly and on its subject committees, leading to further scrutiny of the government.^[18]

The Leader of the Opposition is officially recognised by the Llywydd of the Senedd^[19] and on the website of the Senedd as uniquely serving in that position.^[1][2] Sometimes, the Leader of the Opposition is also styled as the Shadow First Minister of Wales,^[c] which is a role they can hold as leader of the Shadow Cabinet;^[20][21] this title has been held by Dafydd Wigley^[22][21] and Ieuan Wyn Jones^[20] of Plaid Cymru and Nick Bourne^[23] of the Welsh Conservatives.

Salary

In 2001, the National Assembly for Wales decided to grant the Leader of the Opposition a dedicated salary, equivalent to that of a minister in the Welsh Government, of around £34,000. By the end of the third legislative term of the National Assembly in 2011, the salary of the Leader of the Opposition was £41,949.^[24]

Going into the fourth term of the assembly in 2011, the Independent Remuneration Board of the assembly replaced the dedicated salary of the Leader of the Opposition with a general salary for all opposition party leaders in the assembly, with a miniimum salary of £12,420 which was increased by £1,000 for each seat held by their party. As such, the salary of the Leader of the Opposition, with 14 AMs in their party at the time, was reduced to £26,420 from July 2011 and frozen for a period of four years.^[25] In April 2023, Leader of the Opposition Andrew RT Davies's salary as leader of the Conservative opposition group in the Senedd was set at £101,656.^[26] In March 2024, Davies's salary was increased to £104,709 for the 2024/25 tax year.^[27]

History

Between July 2007 and May 2011, Nick Bourne served as Leader of the Opposition, even though the Conservatives were the third largest group in the Assembly. This was a result of the Welsh Government's make-up consisting of Labour and Plaid Cymru, which were the largest and second largest groups respectively.

Following the 2016 election, Plaid Cymru (led by Leanne Wood) became the largest group not in government, having won 12 seats to the Welsh Conservatives' 11. On 14 October 2016 Dafydd Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent, which resulted in Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives both holding 11 seats. During this period Leanne Wood was not referred to as Leader of the Opposition but was instead referred to as the leader of Plaid Cymru.^[28] The Conservative group grew to 12 following Mark Reckless's defection from UKIP to the Conservative Group on 6 April 2017, and Andrew RT Davies was once again referred to as Leader of the Opposition.^[28]

On 29 March 2021 Nick Ramsay left the Welsh Conservative party,^[29] meaning that the group had lost its title as the largest party not in government as by this point both the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru were tied on 10 seats each, with no official office holder of the Leader of the opposition in the final period before the 2021 Senedd election.

Following the 2021 Senedd election the Welsh Conservatives returned 16 seats making them comfortably the second party ahead of Plaid Cymru who won 13 and as a result Andrew RT Davies once again became Leader of the Opposition.^[30] On 3 December 2024, Andrew RT Davies resigned, after a period of prolonged controversy over his public comments and conduct.^[31][32] He left the role on 5 December 2024, after the Senedd Conservative group selected Darren Millar to replace him.^[33][34]

Timeline

List of leaders of the opposition in the Senedd

No.		Portrait	Name (Birth–Death) Constituency/Title	Term of office		Political party	First Minister
	1		Dafydd Wigley (1943–) AM for Caernarfon	12 May 1999	16 March 2000	Plaid Cymru	Alun Michael Rhodri Morgan
	2		Ieuan Wyn Jones (1949–) AM for Ynys Môn	16 March 2000	11 July 2007	Plaid Cymru	Rhodri Morgan
	3		Nick Bourne (1952–) AM for Mid and West Wales	11 July 2007	6 May 2011	Conservative	Rhodri Morgan Carwyn Jones
	–		Paul Davies Acting (1969–) MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire	6 May 2011	14 July 2011	Conservative	Carwyn Jones
	4		Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central	14 July 2011	6 May 2016	Conservative
	5		Leanne Wood (1971–) MS for Rhondda	6 May 2016	14 October 2016[35]	Plaid Cymru
Not in use 14 Oct 2016 – 6 April 2017 During this period both Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives were tied on 11 seats each. This was after Lord Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent. Leanne Wood was not referred to as Leader of the Opposition during this period and was instead referred to as the leader of Plaid Cymru.[28] The Conservative group grew to 12 following Mark Reckless's defection from the UK Independence Party to the Conservatives on 6 April, and Andrew RT Davies was referred to as Leader of the Opposition once more.[28]
	(4)		Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central	6 April 2017	27 June 2018	Conservative
	6		Paul Davies (1969–) MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire	27 June 2018 [36]	23 January 2021	Conservative	Carwyn Jones Mark Drakeford
	(4)		Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central	24 January 2021[37]	29 March 2021	Conservative	Mark Drakeford Vaughan Gething Eluned Morgan
Not in use 29 March – 7 May 2021 During the final period before the 2021 Senedd election both the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru were tied on 10 seats each. This happened after Nick Ramsay left the Welsh Conservatives and group in the Senedd to stand as an independent in the Senedd election.[38]
	(4)		Andrew RT Davies (1968–) MS for South Wales Central	7 May 2021	5 December 2024	Conservative
	7		Darren Millar (1976–) MS for Clwyd West	5 December 2024	Incumbent	Conservative	Eluned Morgan

See also

• First Minister of Wales
• Deputy First Minister for Wales
• Welsh Government

Notes and references

Notes

1. In the Welsh Government, senior ministers are currently known as cabinet secretaries, having previously held that title from 2016 to 2018, while junior ministers are simply known as ministers, also previously holding that title from 2016 to 2018. From 2000 to 2016 and 2018 to 2024, senior ministers were known as ministers and junior ministers were known as deputy ministers. Before 2000, senior ministers were known as assembly secretaries.
2. Other opposition parties appoint frontbench teams sometimes known as shadow cabinets whose members perform a similar role, but these have no official recognition unlike the Shadow Cabinet.
3. Before October 2000, this office was titled Shadow First Secretary of Wales.

References

1. "People of the Senedd: Andrew RT Davies MS". Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
2. "Committee of the Whole Senedd". Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
3. "Pobl y Senedd: Andrew RT Davies AS" [The People of the Senedd: Andrew RT Davies MS]. Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament (in Welsh). Retrieved 19 May 2024.
4. "Pwyllgor o'r Senedd Gyfan" [Committee of the Whole Senedd]. Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament (in Welsh). Retrieved 19 May 2024.
5. Jones, Helen; Holzinger, Owen (June 2016). Research Briefing: 2016 Assembly Election Results (PDF). National Assembly for Wales Research Papers. National Assembly for Wales Research Service. p. 2. 16-030. Retrieved 19 May 2024. Plaid Cymru won 12 seats, up 1 from 2011 having won the only constituency to change hands (Rhondda). Plaid Cymru are now the second largest party in the Senedd and become the official opposition.
6. Deacon, Russell (20 December 2017). Government and Politics of Wales. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-7486-9974-2. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
7. Colin, Copus; Richard, Kerley; Alistair, Jones (4 February 2022). A Modern Guide to Local and Regional Politics. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 240. ISBN 978-1-83910-345-2. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
8. "New Ukip turmoil as Conservative defector Mark Reckless quits and rejoins Tories". The Daily Telegraph. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2024. Mr Reckless's decision to rejoin the Conservatives means they overtake Plaid Cymru as the second largest party in the Assembly, making them the official opposition to Labour.
9. "Full house for Leanne Wood in Llandeilo". Herald.Wales. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2024. Plaid Cymru is the official opposition in the devolved (but not confederal or even federal) Welsh Government, the second largest party after Labour, but is a distance away from being able to put policies into practice.
10. Rees, Huw; Kilcoyne, Sian (20 October 2022). Wales on This Day. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-1-915279-12-5. In the first election to the newly established Welsh Assembly in 1999, Plaid Cymru became the second largest party, forming the official opposition to Labour.
11. Osmond, John (December 2002). "Dragon Takes a Different Route" (PDF). Monitoring the National Assembly for Wales. September to December 2002. In association with the Institute of Welsh Affairs and Strategy Wales. The Constitution Unit, University College London: 52. Retrieved 19 May 2024. This phenomenon, first seen in 1999, saw Plaid Cymru establish themselves as the second party of Wales and the Official Opposition in the Assembly.
12. "Labour MPs worried by Plaid deal". BBC News. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2024. Meanwhile the Conservatives, with 12 seats, are preparing to become the official opposition to the Labour-Plaid administration.
13. "Labour and Plaid strike coalition". North Wales Live. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2024. As the third biggest party behind Labour and Plaid, the Conservatives will now form the Assembly's official opposition.
14. "Bourne says Tories must offer 'an alternative vision'". WalesOnline. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2024. Labour and Plaid look set to form a coalition government which will mean Mr Bourne, as the head of the third-biggest group, will become leader of the opposition.
15. Williams, Rhys (27 May 2021). "Shadow Cabinet roles for regional Senedd Members". Caerphilly Observer. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
16. "Former Plaid Cymru MP to celebrate 50 years since election". Nation.Cymru. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
17. Hicks, Kristian. "The Welsh Conservative Party and the National Assembly of Wales: 1997-2010" (PDF). Aberystwyth University. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
18. Osmond, John (December 2000). "Coalition Politics Comes to Wales" (PDF). Monitoring the National Assembly for Wales. September to December 2003. In association with Strategy Wales. Institute of Welsh Affairs: 28–33. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
19. Davies, Nye (25 October 2016). "All those opposed: Plaid and the role of opposition in the National Assembly". Cardiff University. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
20. "Opposition Spokespeople and Whips: Plaid Cymru (Welsh Shadow Cabinet)". Vacher's Parliamentary Companion (1, 112). A.S. Kerswill: 473. 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
21. "Assembly Spokespeople". Vacher's Parliamentary Companion (1, 097). A.S. Kerswill: 236. 2000. ISBN 978-0-905702-28-5. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
22. "People in the Assembly: Dafydd Wigley". BBC News. 1 September 1999. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
23. Harris, Sharon (27 August 2008). "Tories pay a visit to town". Barry & District News. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
24. Office Holder Remuneration: Report of the Remuneration Board of the National Assembly for Wales (PDF). Remuneration Board of the National Assembly for Wales. July 2011. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-9564014-2-7. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
25. "Office Holders' Remuneration". Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
26. Gurner, Richard (10 April 2023). "Senedd Members get capped pay rise of 3%". Caerphilly Observer. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
27. "Senedd: Welsh Parliament politicians get 3% pay rise". BBC News. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
28. "About the Record of Proceedings". senedd.wales.
29. "Wales election: Nick Ramsay leaves Welsh Tories to stand as independent". BBC News. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
30. "Andrew RT Davies, Leader of the Opposition". Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
31. "Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies resigns". BBC News. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
32. Price, Emily (3 December 2024). "Andrew RT Davies resigns as leader of the Welsh Conservative Senedd group". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
33. "Darren Millar set to become new leader of the Senedd Tories". Nation.Cymru. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
34. "Darren Millar elected Welsh Tory leader unopposed". BBC News. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
35. The day Dafydd Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent AM.
36. Served as acting leader from 27 June to 6 September 2018.
37. "Andrew RT Davies returns as Welsh Conservatives leader". BBC News. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
38. "Election 2021: Nick Ramsay leaves Welsh Tories to stand as independent". BBC News. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.