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Rhun ap Iorwerth has been appointed as the new leader of Plaid Cymru.

The Ynys Mon Senedd Member has been elected unopposed and takes over from Adam Price.

Mr Price, who had led the party since 2018, stepped down as leader in May after the damning ‘Project Pawb’ report highlighted a “culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny” within the party.

Llyr Gruffydd, who represents the North Wales region in the Senedd, has served as the party’s interim leader following Mr Price’s resignation.

Mr ap Iorwerth, 50, previously stood for the party’s leadership in 2018, where he was defeated by Mr Price in a contest that also included the then-incumbent leader Leanne Wood.

More recently, Mr ap Iorwerth has been his party’s health spokesperson and one of its two deputy leaders.

After his appointment was confirmed on Friday June 16, Mr ap Iorwerth said the responsibility now placed upon him “isn’t one I take lightly”.

He said: “I will lead with passion; I will lead with humility and most importantly I will lead a party which offers a home for everyone who is ambitious about creating a fairer, greener, more prosperous society – a home for those who are already confident or curious about independence, and that is determined to spark that curiosity in others.

“Following a difficult period for the party, I am committed to learning lessons, implementing the recommendations of Project Pawb, and setting new foundations.

“My vision is one of a stronger, fairer economy able to support sustainable public services and allowing Wales to fulfil its real potential.”

He continued: “Together we can create thriving communities, from Tonteg in the south Wales valleys where I was born to Wales’s most northerly point where I now represent. We will do so by championing equality, allowing everyone the same chance to flourish, and redistributing wealth and opportunity in all their forms.”

He added: “Wales needs a strong Plaid Cymru if we are to build a confident nation working in partnership with others but with its future firmly in its own hands.”

South Wales East MS Delyth Jewell, who had been seen by some as one of the frontrunners to succeed Mr Price, ruled herself out of the running in May.