Ex Welsh Labour MP Beth Winter has left Your Party and will be standing for the Senedd as a 'Community Independent'

Martin Shipton

Former Welsh Labour MP Beth Winter has announced that she will be standing as a Community Independent candidate in May’s Senedd election.

She also revealed to Nation.Cymru that she had resigned from Your Party - the left-wing party founded last year by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana whose launch has been overshadowed by factional disputes and legal threats.

Ms Winter represented Cynon Valley from 2019 until 2024. The constituency disappeared because of boundary changes and she lost a selection battle to be Labour’s candidate in the new seat of Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare against fellow MP Gerald Jones.

In a statement she said: “My heart and soul lie in these Valleys. It is my home - I grew up here, I still live here with my family, and after much thought, I’ve decided to stand in the upcoming Senedd election as a Community Independent candidate for Pontypridd, Cynon and Merthyr.

“Our Valleys have a proud working-class tradition of hard work, solidarity, and achievements like trade unions, the NHS, and worker-led projects such as Tower Colliery — proof that when organised we can take control and keep wealth in our communities.

“Today, people across the South Wales Valleys face rising bills, insecure work, poverty, and the growing threat of climate collapse. Too many families are forced to choose between heating and eating, while extreme wealth continues to grow. These injustices and inequalities aren’t inevitable. They are the result of political choices, and must be challenged.

“People are disillusioned and have lost trust in politicians. The vacuum that has emerged is being exploited by the far right. We cannot allow this to take root in our communities.

“I believe the answers lie in our Valleys. Real power doesn’t start in Cardiff Bay or Westminster, but on our streets, in workplaces, schools, local campaigns and community-run projects.

“It’s clear there’s a desire to break from establishment politics that is failing our communities. We need grassroots, community-based politics rooted in social justice, equality, peace and environmental responsibility - with real power and resources in the hands of people in Wales.

“I’ve always believed in working with people, not speaking over them. That’s how I worked as MP for Cynon Valley, keeping to my socialist principles, working alongside local people: defending workers’ rights and public services; opposing cuts wherever they come from-Westminster, Cardiff Bay, local council; celebrating all that’s wonderful about our valleys and building an alternative where the wealth is created and retained in our communities.

“I always made sure that I was visible and approachable with an open-door policy because politicians should not be separate from the communities they represent. They need to be embedded in their communities and on an equal level with people.

“This is why if elected to the Senedd I would only take a salary equal to my previous trade union employment, with the remainder made available to initiatives focused on community organising, education and training; local campaigns and community wealth building initiatives.

“Politics has to change. People deserve honesty and leaders rooted in their communities. Real change comes from community power - and that is what I would take to the Senedd. I would not be beholden to any party. I’d be free to fight for a Wales that puts people, peace and planet before profit.

“The seeds of change are already here. I’m standing to help them grow — and to be a strong, independent Voice for our Valleys in the Senedd.”

Speaking to Nation.Cymru, Ms Winter said: “I am no longer a member of Your Party. I resigned two or three weeks ago.

“I shall continue to work with fellow socialists involved in different progressive parties like the Green Party and Plaid Cymru, as I always have done. We agree on many policy positions, but my focus is very much on grassroots community activity and standing up for Wales. While Your Party was said to respect the nations of Britain, operationally I don’t believe that was the case.”

Well-established

When it was put to her that some people thought that by standing as an Independent candidate she could peel off votes that would otherwise go to Labour or Plaid Cymru, thus helping Reform UK, she said: “I’m very well-established in my community and have as much right to stand as anyone else. I could throw the point back to them in the same way.

"I believe my record shows that I will work for local communities. I’ll be campaigning to win a seat in the Senedd.”