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Wales' 20mph minister to step down in 2026

Getty Images Lee Waters in a dark jacket and tie against a blue background Getty Images
As the mastermind of the 20mph law Lee Waters proved a controversial figure

Senedd member Lee Waters has announced he is to step down in 2026 saying he has spent enough time in politics.

Mr Waters has been the member for Llanelli since 2016 and was Wales' deputy minister for economy and transport until Vaughan Gething was elected first minister earlier this year.

He was a controversial figure during that time as he masterminded the introduction of the law that required a default 20mph limit in built-up areas.

Writing on LinkedIn he said he was not putting his name forward for re-selection.

He wrote: "By the time of the next election I will have spent a full decade in our Senedd. I’ve never considered elected office to be a career, but a public service.

"I’ve given 100% of myself to the role and have tried my very best, both as a constituency representative and as a minister.

"I’m grateful to people in Llanelli and the Gwendraeth valley for giving me the chance to serve. It has been a genuine privilege, and an enormous challenge."

When he made the announcement he was leaving his ministerial role he said he would also be leaving X, formerly Twitter.

He wrote at the time: "Over the past 15 years I've spent too much time on Twitter.

"It stopped being fun a while ago, but now I get a pile of malign comments for even the most innocuous posts."

In September 2023 Mr Waters survived a vote of no confidence in the Senedd called by the Welsh Conservatives.

Mr Waters, from Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, studied politics at Aberystwyth University after leaving Amman Valley Comprehensive.

Two 20mph roads signs, one on either side of a road, which have been sprayed painted over covering the number 20. The signs are placed in a residential area with house and trees surrounding the road
Road signs were defaced as the policy came into place

He then joined the Labour Party, taking a job with then Wales Secretary Ron Davies helping him run his campaign to become Welsh Labour leader in 1998 ahead of devolution.

Davies had to stand down after he was attacked on London's Clapham Common by a stranger he had agreed to go to dinner with in "a moment of madness".

Mr Waters joined the BBC and worked as a radio news producer for a number of years.

He moved to ITV Wales, becoming chief political correspondent.

In 2007 Mr Waters became director of cycling charity Sustrans Cymru, which campaigns on improving pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

He left to lead the Institute of Welsh Affairs think tank in 2013, before successfully running as Labour candidate for the then Welsh assembly seat of Llanelli.

Mr Waters is married with two children and splits his time between a home in the Vale of Glamorgan and his Llanelli constituency.