A Welsh MP who assaulted his wife will be allowed to represent Plaid Cymru in Westminster again. Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards had been suspended by the party for 12 months after the assault in Ammanford in May 2020.
There had been a public backlash outside the party when it announced its decision to allow him to rejoin the party in July, and at the time a ruling body of the body had recommended that he should not be allowed to rejoin the group at Westminster. However, the party has now reversed its decision and restored the whip to him so he can sit as a Plaid MP again.
In a written statement after he was arrested by Dyfed-Powys Police, Mr Edwards had said he was "deeply sorry" for the "biggest regret of my life".
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In May, former Plaid leader Leanne Wood called for Mr Edwards to be banned from the party if it was "serious about stamping out misogyny and domestic abuse".
Writing for Nation Cymru, Siân Gwenllian, MS for Arfon and communications directory for the Plaid Cymru National Executive Commite, said she had opposed allowing Mr Edwards back into the Westminster group.
She said: "If an elected politician has severely damaged the integrity, the credibility and the reputation of our party by contravening one of its core values, then that person should no longer represent the collective, democratic voice of our members.
"So now as a party, we must review our standing orders to reflect the views of our democratically elected body in the future. We must also build upon recommendations I made in a report before the pandemic to tackle misogyny within our party.
"This should include mandatory training underlining the incredibly serious nature of domestic violence, its impact on women and children and its political significance as part of the persistent fight to end gender inequality in Wales."
In a statement, the BBC reports Jonathan Edwards said: “I wish to apologise unreservedly again for the action that led to my suspension and express my deep remorse for the hurt which I have caused.”
The MP said over the past two years he had been in a "period of deep reflection" which included enrolling on a domestic violence awareness course to understand how his actions impacted others. He added: "My colleagues in the Westminster group and the wider party have championed the rights of women and all victims of abusive behaviour.
"I regret that my actions took the focus away from this important work."
His wife Emma Edwards also gave a statement following the incident, saying she accepted his apology. She added: “Throughout the decade we have been together, he has been a loving and caring husband and father. As far as I am concerned the matter is now closed.”
The local Plaid Cymru party in Carmarthenshire said: "We are delighted Jonathan will resume his role as a much valued and respected Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament. He has served this constituency with great dignity and integrity for over a decade."
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