Frontbench Team of Ieuan Wyn Jones

This article is about the Plaid Cymru frontbench team under Ieuan Wyn Jones from 2011 to 2012. For the Shadow Cabinet of Wales led by Jones from 2000 to 2007, see Shadow Cabinet of Ieuan Wyn Jones.

Frontbench Team of Ieuan Wyn Jones
Frontbench Team of the National Assembly for Wales
May 2011–March 2012
Jones' official portrait, 2011
Date formed	25 May 2011
Date dissolved	15 March 2012
People and organisations
Leader	Ieuan Wyn Jones
Member party	Plaid Cymru
Status in legislature	Opposition party 11 / 60 (18%)
History
Legislature term	4th National Assembly for Wales
Predecessor	Shadow Cabinet of Ieuan Wyn Jones (2007)
Successor	Frontbench Team of Leanne Wood

Ieuan Wyn Jones, the leader of Plaid Cymru, formed his frontbench team of party spokespeople in the National Assembly for Wales on 25 May 2011 after the dissolution of his party's coalition government with Rhodri Morgan and Carwyn Jones' Welsh Labour following the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election. Jones had previously led a shadow cabinet before entering coalition from 2000 to 2007, when his party had served as the Official Opposition since the 1999 National Assembly for Wales election.

At the 2011 assembly election, Plaid Cymru's share of seats in the assembly fell from 15 to 11 seats to make it the third-largest party in the assembly. The Welsh Conservatives, which had served as the official opposition for the duration of the coalition government, won enough seats to supersede Plaid as the second-largest party with 14 seats and remained the official opposition after the end of the coalition. Jones announced that he would resign as Plaid leader in the first half of the assembly term and on 15 March 2012 Leanne Wood won a leadership election to succeed him as leader before forming a new frontbench team.

Background

Ieuan Wyn Jones was elected president of Plaid Cymru in 2000 following the resignation of the previous president Dafydd Wigley on grounds of ill health. At the time, Plaid Cymru was the Official Opposition in the National Assembly for Wales, so Jones formed a shadow cabinet. After the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election, Jones engaed in coalition talks with the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Conservatives to end Rhodri Morgan's Welsh Labour minority government. After these talks broke drown, Jones entered talks with Labour and in July Plaid Cymru formed a coalition government, with Jones becoming Morgan's deputy first minister. Plaid continued to serve in coalition with Labour after Morgan resigned and was succeeded by Carwyn Jones in 2009, with Ieuan Wyn Jones remaining as deputy first minister.

At the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election, Plaid Cymru share of seats fell from 15 to 11 seats and it lost its place as the second-largest party to the Welsh Conservatives, which won 14 seats and remained the Official Opposition, having gained that status after Plaid joined the government in 2007. After the election, Labour did not renew its coalition with Plaid Cymru and instead formed a minority government. As it was not the Official Opposition, Plaid Cymru did not form the new Welsh Shadow Cabinet, though it could appoint a frontbench team of party spokespeople like other minor opposition parties in the assembly.

History

Jones formed his frontbench team of party spokespeople on 25 May 2011. Jones appointed himself as the spokesperson for finance and the constitution. Jocelyn Davies became the Plaid Cymru Group business manager and also its chief whip and the spokesperson for planning. The other appointments included Elin Jones as spokesperson for health, Simon Thomas as spokesperson for spokesperson for education, higher education and skills, Alun Ffred Jones as spokesperson for business, enterprise, technology and science, Leanne Wood as spokesperson for housing and regeneration, Rhodri Glyn Thomas as spokesperson for Europe, local government, communities and transport, Dafydd Elis-Thomas as spokesperson for environment and energy, Bethan Jenkins as spokesperson for heritage, Welsh language and sport, Lindsay Whittle as spokesperson for social services, children and equal opportunities, and Llyr Gruffydd as spokesperson for rural affairs (inc. agriculture, animal health and welfare).

On 13 May 2011, Jones announced that he would resign as the leader of Plaid Cymru sometime in the first half of the 4th assembly term which would end in 2016 following its disappointing performance at the 2011 assembly election. In October 2011, Jones announced that a leadership election would be held on 15 March 2012 to elect his successor. By December 2011, Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Elin Jones, Leanne Wood and Simon Thomas had all declared their intention to stand for the leadership. Thomas withdrew from the race in February 2012 and on 15 March 2012 Wood defeated Jones and Elis-Thomas and was elected the new leader of Plaid Cymru. She formed a new frontbench team on 21 March 2012.

Members

Portfolio	Spokesperson			Constituency	Term
Leader of Plaid Cymru			Ieuan Wyn Jones AM	Ynys Môn	August 2000–March 2012
Spokesperson for Finance and the Constitution					May 2011–March 2012
Plaid Cymru Group Business Manager Plaid Cymru Group Chief Whip Spokesperson for Planning			Jocelyn Davies AM	South Wales East	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Health			Elin Jones AM	Ceredigion	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Education, Higher Education and Skills			Simon Thomas AM	Mid and West Wales	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science			Alun Ffred Jones AM	Arfon	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Housing and Regeneration			Leanne Wood AM	North Wales	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Europe, Local Government, Communities and Transport			Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Environment and Energy			Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM	Dwyfor Meirionnydd	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Heritage, Welsh Language and Sport			Bethan Jenkins AM	South Wales West	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Social Services, Children and Equal Opportunities			Lindsay Whittle AM	South Wales East	May 2011–March 2012
Spokesperson for Rural Affairs (inc. Agriculture, Animal Health and Welfare)			Llyr Gruffydd AM	North Wales	May 2011–March 2012

See also

• Frontbench Team of Kirsty Williams
• Second Jones government