A senior Plaid Cymru figure has defended attempts by some in the party’s hierarchy to keep Adam Price in place as leader despite a damning review into the culture of the party, arguing that they did so because they believed stability was needed to bring about change.
Price announced his resignation as leader late on Wednesday – a week after a review said his party had failed to “detoxify” its culture and found evidence of misogyny, harassment and bullying.
Llyr Gruffydd was nominated unanimously as acting leader by the Plaid’s Senedd group. The nomination, announced on Thursday, is subject to ratification by the Plaid Cymru national council on Saturday.
Gruffydd, a member for north Wales, said: “I would like to thank Adam on behalf of the Plaid Cymru Senedd group for his vision, commitment and dedication over the last four years.
“Our focus is now on moving forward together to deliver on behalf of the people of Wales, and to foster a better culture within the party. I hope members will entrust me with the responsibility of leading that work until we elect a new leader.”
Earlier, Liz Saville Roberts, who leads Plaid’s Westminster group, denied the party had tried to puts its own interests before the need to tackle the crisis.
“Effective leadership is always a matter of balancing conflicting demands,” she said, adding that to bring about a change of culture it was thought that “stability” was needed and Price should remain.
But, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Adam had many discussions with the Senedd group last week and he came to the conclusion that it was better for him to stand down.”
Saville Roberts said Price had been “a gamechanger” in the politics of Wales. “The narrative has changed in Wales,” she said, claiming that his legacy was greater equality – such as moves to bring in universal free school meals for primary children.
“The other major shift is that independence is now part of the political vernacular in Wales. We talk about independence. It’s there, it’s part of the Welsh scene, very much because of Adam’s contribution.”
For months, Plaid Cymru has been dogged by claims of a toxic culture in the party.
The review, which was led by the former Plaid Senedd member Nerys Evans, found that victims felt there was little point in reporting unacceptable behaviour by elected members because it had been tolerated for so long.
The report went on to decry a lack of leadership, which it said meant the problems had worsened over the past few years, and made 82 recommendations needed to “detoxify” the party’s culture.
Saville Roberts told the Guardian the discussion around Price had become a distraction. “During the week it became clear Adam did not have the confidence of some in the Senedd group. The narrative around that became a distraction from what we need to concentrate on.”
Asked if the next Plaid leader should be a woman, she said: “We’ve gone through such a harrowing time. We need to take a step back and see how the individuals with different skills among the Senedd group can do what is best for the party. We have to make sure women’s voices are not closed out, women’s voices are enshrined.”
She said she was proud to be a member of a party prepared to commission what was likely to be a highly critical report – and to publish the key findings and recommendations. “This really does matter to us. We want to be held accountable because we want to move forward. At times we have been too comfortable in thinking everyone shared the same values and we didn’t need to enforce them rigorously.”
Among the figures being touted as the next possible leader are Rhun ap Iorwerth, the member for Ynys Môn, and Delyth Jewell, who represents South Wales East.
Price, 54, had led the Welsh nationalist party since he ousted Leanne Wood in 2018. In a letter to Marc Jones, the chair of Plaid Cymru, Price said he would be formally tendering his resignation next week “once interim arrangements have been agreed and the employment terms of the Senedd group staff employed in my name have been guaranteed”.
Price said he no longer had the “united support” of his colleagues. He said he wanted to step down as a result of the report’s findings, but was initially persuaded not to quit.
Plaid Cymru is the third largest party in the Senedd, with 12 members, and it has three MPs in Westminster.
The pro-independence party is in a cooperation agreement with the Welsh Labour government. A new leader is expected to be in place for the summer.
