Sioned Williams
Welsh Deputy First Minister (Social Justice and Equality); Plaid Cymru MS for Neath Port Talbot.
Last refreshed: 14 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does a Plaid Deputy First Minister mean for Welsh Labour's former heartland seats?
Timeline for Sioned Williams
Mentioned in: Plaid takes Cardiff after 27 years
UK Local Elections 2026- Who is Sioned Williams the Welsh politician?
- Sioned Williams is the Plaid Cymru Deputy First Minister of Wales, responsible for Social Justice and Equality, appointed 13 May 2026. She is MS for Neath Port Talbot and a Welsh-language activist.Source: Welsh Government
- What does the Welsh Deputy First Minister do?
- The Deputy First Minister deputises for the First Minister, leads a specific portfolio (in Williams's case Social Justice and Equality), and oversees the government's legislative programme in the Senedd.Source: Welsh Government
- How did Plaid Cymru win Neath Port Talbot?
- Plaid won Neath Port Talbot as part of its 43-seat sweep in the May 2026 Senedd election, overturning decades of Welsh Labour dominance in the south Wales valleys on a collapse in Labour's vote to 9 seats.Source: Welsh Government / Senedd
Background
Sioned Williams became Deputy First Minister of Wales on 13 May 2026, heading the Social Justice and Equality portfolio in Rhun ap Iorwerth's Plaid Cymru minority government. Her appointment to the Deputy FM role marks the first time the position has been held by a Plaid Cymru politician, and places gender equality, anti-poverty and housing rights at the centre of the administration's stated domestic agenda.
Williams is MS for Neath Port Talbot, a constituency that was Welsh Labour heartland for a century and that Plaid won as part of its historic 43-seat sweep in the May 2026 Senedd election. A Welsh-language activist and former broadcaster, she has championed the Welsh Language Act's implementation, disability rights, and women's safety legislation in the Senedd. She has been an MS since 2021.
As Deputy FM she is second in the line of succession to the First Minister and is expected to lead the government's legislative programme on equality and social justice in confidence-and-supply with the Wales Green Party.
