Plaid Cymru: MS says misconduct in party allowed to go on too long

A culture of bullying and misogyny in Plaid Cymru was allowed to go on "too long", one of its MSs has said.

Cefin Campbell said rumours of misconduct were known about for "many years" within the party and everyone who failed to report it was complicit.

Adam Price quit as leader on Wednesday after a report found "too many instances of bad behaviour" were tolerated by senior figures.

Mr Campbell said the culture within the party now "had to change".

"For too long... people have known about misconduct in Plaid Cymru, whether it's misogyny, bullying, sexual harassment or whatever unacceptable behaviour," the MS for Mid and West Wales told BBC Radio Wales.

He said he had not seen the behaviour described in a review led by former Plaid politician Nerys Evans since he became a Senedd member in 2021, but admitted he had "heard rumours".

"So we are all complicit in the sense that we haven't maybe reported even rumours, so that has to stop, that culture has to change."

Mr Campbell said he had supported Mr Price to continue as leader to implement the 82 recommendations in the report.

But he said Mr Price had "lost the dressing room" among the Plaid's Senedd group and did the "honourable thing" by stepping down.

North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd became interim leader of Plaid on Thursday.

Mr Campbell said the party is not "divided" but the Senedd group has "differing views".

"I think that's always healthy for a democratic party," he said. "I haven't seen any infighting, there have been different views."

He added he still respects those who moved against Mr Price, saying they did what they believed was "for the good of the party".

Karl Davies, who was Plaid Cymru chief executive from 1993 to 2002, warned that "if the party has moved from being a place where people felt safe, felt inclusive, and it has become a fearful culture, with people not feeling that inclusion, then the party is in a dire situation".

Speaking on BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast programme, he said: "The party depends on its members in terms of financial resources, to go out and knock on doors during elections, and depends on being part of their community.

"If the members feel that they are not being led correctly and that the party leadership is maintaining the 'toxic' culture, as it was called in the report, then there will be no motivation to go out and do the work and that will be damning for the party practically as well as culturally."

Mr Davies spoke of a "feeling that the membership in the Senedd has taken over the party and the members are less powerful".

"The new leader needs to ensure that the members of the party feel that they are once again in control, and I really hope that there will be a leader who will understand the grass roots of the party," he added.

Meanwhile, Senedd presiding officer and Ceredigion Plaid Cymru MS Elin Jones confirmed in a Facebook post that she would not be joining any leadership race.

She added that she would rather there was no such election at all, but admitted her view could belong to a "minority of one".

Ms Jones, who previously ran to lead the party in 2012, said: "I won't be putting my name forward to be Plaid Cymru leader.

"Who would I like it to be? In all honesty, I'd like to see unity behind one candidate, thus avoiding a divisive, distracting leadership election so we can carry on with the job for our constituents and our country.

"There's a lot of work to do."