Joyce Watson announces she is stepping down at next Senedd election

Labour MS Joyce Watson has announced her decision to not stand as a candidate at the next Senedd Election in May 2026.

Ms Watson, the MS for Mid and West Wales, was first elected as an Assembly Member in 2007.

In a statement, the 70-year-old said it was, “a very difficult decision to not stand as a candidate next year”.

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Privilege

She added: “Serving the Labour Party has been the privilege of my life. To do so representing Mid and West Wales has been an incredible honour. I must thank all the people I have met and worked with on issues and campaigns across the years and thank Labour members and colleagues for their trust and support.”

“As a Senedd Member I have tried to make a difference to people’s lives. Among this work was tackling the scourge of human trafficking and supporting the construction industry. I represented our parliament internationally, in Europe and the Commonwealth, and I established White Ribbon domestic violence campaigning in Wales.

“Since I was first elected our young democracy has grown in strength and confidence. The next election, under new rules and boundaries, will be transformative.

“It feels like the right time for me to step aside for new candidates, and to devote more time to my wonderful family.

“The past two decades have also brought huge upheavals, at home and abroad, that present us with huge challenges. I remain convinced that the solutions to these problems are more co-operation and social justice, not less. I believe that Labour values are the best path to a fairer future.”

In the past week former Labour ministers Mick Antoniw and Dawn Bowden also confirmed they would not stand at the 2026 Senedd election.

Labour MS for Llanelli Lee Waters announced his intention to step down in October, a month after former First Minister Vaughan Gething announced he would not be seeking re-election next year.