Jane Dodds has announced she is standing down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats after nearly nine years in the post, saying the work of rebuilding the party in the Senedd "should be led by a new generation".
Ms Dodds, the party's only Member of the Senedd, confirmed the decision in a written statement on Tuesday and in an interview with ITV Cymru Wales. She will stay on as MS for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd.
The announcement comes five months after May's Senedd election, at which the Welsh Liberal Democrats again returned a single member, this time to an enlarged chamber of 96 seats. The party has held one seat in Cardiff Bay since 2016, first by Kirsty Williams and then by Ms Dodds since 2021.
Nominations to replace her open on 23 October and close on 16 November, the party said. At this first stage, according to the party, the only person other than Ms Dodds eligible to seek nomination is David Chadwick, the MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe and the party's deputy leader. Mr Chadwick has not said whether he will stand, and the party has not given dates for a ballot or a declaration.
"Leading the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been the honour of my life," Ms Dodds said in her statement. "After May's election, I've thought hard about what our party needs," she said, adding: "Wales needs more than one liberal voice in the Senedd."
"Building that team will take years of hard work in communities across the country, and I believe that work should be led by a new generation."
"Now is the right time to hand it over," she said.
Speaking to ITV Cymru Wales's political editor, Adrian Masters, Ms Dodds gave two reasons for going. "There are two main reasons. One is that I want to give the next generation of leaders the opportunity to bring their ideas and to lead the party, and I want to be there to support them."
"And the second is a really personal one, which is that I came into politics in order to tackle child poverty and to help care-experienced children. And I want the time and space in order to focus on that."
Her statement signalled that she intends to use her remaining time in the Senedd on that issue. "The new Welsh Government has promised to make tackling child poverty its priority. I will hold them to that promise, every single day," she said. "I'm not going anywhere."
The decision follows a difficult period in her relationship with the UK party leadership. In November 2024, Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Ms Dodds "needs to think about her responsibility" after a 2021 Church of England report resurfaced. ITV Cymru Wales reported that the report found she had made "a grave error of judgement" by not pursuing a meeting about a sexual abuse case while she worked for the Church.
Sir Ed said at the time that she had apologised. Asked whether she should consider resigning, he said she needed to "reflect on this very carefully". Ms Dodds remained in post, saying the Welsh Board had expressed its confidence in her leadership.
Asked by ITV whether that intervention had influenced her decision, she said: "Not all. Ed knows about my decision to step down and not put myself forward." She added: "In Wales, members backed me, and the leadership backed me."
She also rejected the suggestion that the party's continued single seat showed her leadership had failed. "We've increased the number of councillors. We've got an MP into Brecon Radnor and Cwm Tawe, so that's a real success," she said.
Tim Sly, the president of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to her. "Jane has led our party with warmth, determination and integrity through some of the most turbulent years in Welsh and UK politics," he said. "She leaves the Welsh Liberal Democrats stronger in our communities and ready to build," he added. "On behalf of every member, I want to thank her for her extraordinary service."
Ms Dodds was elected leader on 3 November 2017, defeating the Ceredigion councillor Elizabeth Evans. She won the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election in August 2019 and lost the seat to the Conservatives at the general election that December, before entering the Senedd in 2021 as a regional member for Mid and West Wales.
Mr Chadwick, who took Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe from the Conservatives at the 2024 general election, is the party's only MP in Wales. If he does not seek nomination, the contest will open to people on the party's approved parliamentary candidates list, according to Nation.Cymru.
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