Elfyn Llwyd

Elfyn Llwyd (born September 26, 1951, Betws-y-Coed, Wales) is a Welsh politician who served as parliamentary leader of the Plaid Cymru (PC) party in the Welsh National Assembly from 1999 to 2005; he also served as PC’s parliamentary group leader in the British House of Commons (2007–15).

Llwyd was educated at Aberystwyth University and at Chester Law College. After completing his education, he worked as a solicitor, and he would later serve as a barrister. He briefly held the post of president (1990–91) of the Gwynedd Law Society, which represents solicitors throughout Wales and England. In 1992 Llwyd was elected to the House of Commons for the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency in northwestern Wales as a member of PC. His political interests lay largely in the areas of transportation, agriculture, and domestic policy, and he served as a PC spokesman on social security matters and other issues. He was also a member of the standards and privileges committee.

In 2000, after PC leader and president Dafydd Wigley resigned his position, citing overwork, Llwyd took over as the party’s parliamentary leader. In late 2007 he and the party’s other MPs were involved in a slight controversy regarding the unapproved purchasing of campaign advertisements in advance of the May 2007 Welsh National Assembly elections. Nevertheless, PC gained three seats in the election, bringing its total to 15. Soon after, the party made its first entrance into government, forming a coalition, One Wales Government, with the Labour Party.

In 2008 Llwyd announced his bid for party president. He ran against sitting president Dafydd Iwan, a former folksinger, who had been first elected to the post in 2003. Iwan ultimately won reelection. Llwyd continued to serve as parliamentary leader for the newly influential PC and won reelection to the House of Commons at the subsequent 2010 general election, representing Dwyfor Meirionnydd. He retired in 2015.