Council leader wants to stand for Labour in Senedd elections

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

The leader of Cardiff Council has confirmed that he will be putting his name forward for consideration as a Labour candidate in the next Senedd election.

Cllr Huw Thomas refused to say whether or not he would stand in the 2026 Senedd election when asked in September 2024.

All four Labour constituency members of the Senedd in Cardiff have ruled themselves out of the running.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Cllr Thomas what his plans were for next year’s elections

Cllr Thomas, who was attending a topping out ceremony for a new block of council flats in Grangetown, said: “I will be putting my name forward for consideration, yes.”

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Splott

Cllr Thomas became the youngest leader of Cardiff Council in May 2017 at the age of 31.

Originally from Aberystwyth, the ward councillor for Splott was first elected to the local authority in 2012.

The current constituency member of the Senedd for Cardiff West, Mark Drakeford, is best known for leading Wales as the First Minister during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Drakeford, who currently serves as the Welsh Government’s cabinet secretary for finance and Welsh language, has said he will not be running for re-election.

Vaughan Gething’s time as First Minister was short lived.

The current constituency member of the Senedd for Cardiff South and Penarth quit four months into the job following pressure over donations he received in the Welsh Labour leadership contest.

Mr Gething announced in September 2024 that he will not seek re-election in 2026.

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Jenny Rathbone

The other two constituency members of the Senedd in Cardiff, Jenny Rathbone for Cardiff Central and Julie Morgan for Cardiff North have also announced that they won’t seek re-election.

Ms Rathbone, who has served as an MS since 2011, sits on the climate change, environment and rural affairs committee and the public accounts committee.

Ms Morgan has also been an MS since 2011. Over the years, she has been on a number of committees and served as the deputy health minister at one point.

Before her time in Cardiff Bay, she also served as a politician in Westminster for 13 years after being elected as the MP for Cardiff North in 1997.

The Senedd will undergo a number of major changes next year.

When people go to the polls in May 2026, they will be using a new voting system and there will be 16 new constituencies.

On top of this, the Senedd will be expanded to 96 members instead of the 60 that currently sit and anyone standing for election must live in Wales.