The ap Iorwerth government is led by Rhun ap Iorwerth, who appointed members on 13 May 2026 following his nomination as first minister of Wales on 12 May 2026.
History From 2023 to 2026, Rhun ap Iorweth ran a frontbench team of shadow members, when Plaid Cymru was in opposition to the Labour government in the 6th Senedd.
Election In January 2026, after opinion polls suggested that Plaid Cymru would win the most seats in the 2026 Senedd election, but not manage to win enough seats for a majority, Rhun ap Iorwerth stated that he would prefer to form a minority government than a coalition government. In the 2026 Senedd election on 7 May, ap Iorwerth was re-elected to the Senedd, with a seat in the newly formed Bangor Conwy Môn constituency. His party Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd with 43 seats; however, as the opinion polls predicted, they did not win the 49 seats needed for a majority. Ap Iorwerth confirmed that Plaid Cymru would seek to form a minority government, and that his party preferred a "cooperative approach" to a coalition. Ap Iorwerth was elected by the Senedd to succeed Eluned Morgan as First Minister of Wales on 12 May 2026. He was elected by 44 MSs: 42 members of his party Plaid Cymru (not including the non-voting Deputy Llywydd Kerry Ferguson) and the two members of the Green Party. All 34 Reform UK MSs voted for their Welsh leader Dan Thomas, and the 7 Conservative MSs voted for their leader Darren Millar, with Labour MSs and the sole Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds abstaining from the vote. Ap Iorwerth was officially sworn in as First Minister later the same day after 19:45 BST by High Court Justice Mary Stacey. He is the first First Minister to come from a party other than Welsh Labour. +12 May 2026 7th Senedd Election of First MinisterSeneddChoicePartyVotesRhun ap IorwerthPlaid CymruDan ThomasReform UK WalesDarren MillarWelsh ConservativesAbstained
Formation of Government Rhun ap Iorwerth announced his cabinet on 13 May 2026. Many former frontbench members of his shadow cabinet were chosen as part of his top team. Elin Jones, the former Llywydd, was picked as Minister for Finance and has a key role in broking budget deals with other parties within the Senedd. In addition ap Iorwerth chose to include newly elected members to his cabinet and picked Elfyn Llwyd as someone from outside the Senedd. According to Nation.Cymru journalist Martin Shipton ap Iorwerth as a more 'centrist' FM wished to have a broad church of members within the cabinet and therefore chose Sioned Williams, seen on the left of the party, to be his deputy and to lead on the Social Justice and Equality brief.
Members Cabinet ministers PortfolioNameConstituencyPartyTermFirst Minister of WalesRhun ap Iorwerth MSBangor Conwy MônPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Deputy First Minister of Wales, Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and EqualitySioned Williams MSBrycheiniog Tawe NeddPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Cabinet Minister for FinanceElin Jones MSCeredigion PenfroPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the ConstitutionDafydd Trystan MSCaerdydd Ffynnon TafPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and PlanningSiân Gwenllian MSGwynedd MaldwynPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Cabinet Minister for Health and CareMabon ap Gwynfor MSGwynedd MaldwynPlaid CymruMay 2026 – Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and EnergyAdam Price MSSir GaerfyrddinPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and SustainabilityLlŷr Gruffydd MSClwydPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Trefnydd (House Leader) and Chief Whip Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan MSPontypridd Cynon MerthyrPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh LanguageAnna Brychan MSCaerdydd PenarthPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Counsel GeneralElfyn LlwydNonePlaid CymruJune 2026 -
Deputy Ministers PortfolioNameConstituencyPartyTermDeputy Minister for TransportMark Hooper MSPen-y-bont Bro MorgannwgPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's HealthDelyth Jewell MSBlaenau Gwent Caerffili RhymniPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative HealthNerys Evans MSSir GaerfyrddinPlaid CymruMay 2026 –Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary EducationCefin Campbell MSSir GaerfyrddinPlaid CymruMay 2026 –
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