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Senedd Members from across the political spectrum paid tribute to Dafydd Elis-Thomas following the former Plaid Cymru leader’s death on Friday.

Lord Elis-Thomas served as the first speaker of the then-National Assembly for Wales for 12 years from the dawn of Welsh devolution in 1999 until 2011.

Elin Jones, the current speaker or Llywydd, described her predecessor as a “close friend to many here, a political comrade to many too, and an enigma to all”.

Leading tributes in the debating chamber, or Siambr, on February 11, she said: “This Senedd today is what it is because, to a very great extent, of Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

“And, certainly, all of us in this wonderful Senedd building and this wonderful Siambr are here because of Dafydd’s vision and perseverance.”

‘Greatest defender’

Lord Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent in 2016 after clashing with former leader Leanne Wood over support for the Labour Welsh Government.

A year later, he was appointed minister for culture, sport and tourism in Carwyn Jones’ government – a role he held until stepping down at the 2021 election.

Eluned Morgan, who joined the Welsh Government in the same reshuffle, said Wales had lost one of its greatest servants who left an indelible mark on the nation’s democracy.

The first minister told the Senedd: “He was far more than a lengthy list of his achievements during his political career. He was an incredible character, a political giant, with a mischievous side. He was a master at building political bridges.”

Describing Lord Elis-Thomas as a rebel, who was always ready with a sparky response, she said he succeeded in being the Senedd’s greatest defender and its greatest critic too.

‘A sight to behold’

Baroness Morgan told the Siambr: “He helped to establish this institution when it was a fragile flower, he encapsulated the best of the Welsh intellectual tradition.”

She said Lord Elis-Thomas transcended party lines, influencing Labour as well as Plaid Cymru and prompting a shift from the party’s more unionist tradition towards devolution.

Baroness Morgan joked: “He’d always have a go at things. On one occasion, he went on a visit to Zip World. The sight of a lord bouncing up and down on a trampoline in the caverns in Llechwedd was, I’m told, a sight to behold.

“And, in classic Dafydd style, when he emerged from the chwarel [quarry] he pointed to a plaque on the wall which he’d unveiled 40 years previously.

“That was Dafydd – he’d been everywhere and he knew everyone.”

‘Peerless’

Lord Elis-Thomas, who was party leader from 1984 to 1991, hoped for a homecoming in 2023 but abandoned his bid to rejoin Plaid Cymru in the face of a disciplinary-style process.

Often outspoken, the Carmarthen-born politician had a rocky relationship with his own party and faced criticism for accepting a life peerage in 1992.

As Senedd speaker in 2004, he ordered Ms Wood to leave the chamber for “discourtesy” after she called the Queen “Mrs Windsor” then refused to withdraw the remark.

And, after quitting the party only six months after the 2016 election, Lord Elis-Thomas, rejected calls from former colleagues to trigger a by-election.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru’s current leader, described his predecessor as a peerless politician who was a part of the party’s DNA for more than half a century.

‘Political architect’

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “Wales is indebted to Dafydd for shaping this chamber as it is today but its debt is just as great to him for standing for what was just and what was right.

“And he shaped our nation in accordance with those values. We could not have wished for a better inaugural Llywydd than Dafydd. He was a political architect, a man of bold vision.”

Lord Elis-Thomas began his political career in 1974 as the “baby of the house”, the then-youngest MP, before serving as a Senedd Member for 22 years from 1999.

Darren Millar, leader of the Senedd Conservative group, described Lord Elis-Thomas as a titan of Welsh politics who was never afraid to challenge the status quo.

Mr Millar said: “It was Dafydd’s steady hand that helped cement the Senedd’s place at the heart of our national life and Welsh democracy.”

‘Immeasurable’

The Tory recalled the peer approaching him at an event at the Welsh Mountain Zoo and saying: “I’ve come to see you in your natural habitat.”

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds said: “When strong characters pass away it’s a time to remember that we, here, as Members of the Senedd stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Mabon ap Gwynfor, who succeeded Lord Elis-Thomas as the Senedd Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, described his contribution to Welsh politics as immeasurable.

His Plaid Cymru colleague Adam Price told the Senedd: “His truly was a long march through the institutions, an embodiment of that idea that sometimes the most revolutionary act is to take your seat at the table and ever so subtly change the conversation from within.”

He said: “More than anyone else, Dafydd El – and to those of us who knew and loved him, he will always be Dafydd El – expanded the political horizons of Wales’s possibilities.”