Devolution in Wales

The referendum on Welsh devolution in 1997 was a close-run thing. The majority was only 50.5–49.5 on a low turnout of around 50%, so only a quarter of the Welsh electorate actually voted in favour of devolution. It was therefore no surprise that considerably fewer powers were devolved to Wales than to Scotland.

Assembly Members (AMs) are elected by the Additional Member System. Their role is to represent the Welsh people, to make laws on the areas devolved to Wales, and to hold the Welsh government to account. However, with only 60 members the Assembly is much smaller than its Scottish counterpart. The Welsh government was originally located within the Assembly but the two were formally separated in 2006. The government is headed by a first minister, a post held by Carwyn Jones, leader of a minority Labour administration, from 2009. -2018 followed by Mark Drakeford

Unlike in Scotland, police and justice are not devolved areas and the Welsh Assembly has not gained powers over income tax and borrowing. Since the 2011 referendum the Assembly has been able to pass laws in all 20 devolved areas, without regard to the views of the UK government.

The Government of Wales Act 1998 set up an elected Welsh National Assembly, and a Welsh Executive to be drawn from the largest party in the assembly and headed by a first minister. The assembly had no powers to make or pass laws and the country was given no financial control. In other words, devolution to Wales in 1998 was purely administrative. The Welsh government now runs a number of services, but could not pass laws relating to those services. It did, however, have the power to decide how to allocate the funds it receives from central government between various services.

The main areas of government devolved to Wales included:

Health
Education
Local authority services
Public transport
Agriculture

Without its own means of raising fnance, the Welsh government relies on an annual grant from the UK government.

Developments in Devolution in Wales

Government of Wales Act 1998: set up the Welsh Assembly, which lacked primary legislative powers but did have the ability to devise secondary legislation in specified areas, including agriculture, fisheries, education, housing and highways. Such powers were broadly equivalent to those previously held by the secretary of state for Wales.

Government of Wales Act 2006: enabled the Assembly to request further powers from Westminster and to gain primary legislative powers if approved by a referendum. It also set up a proper executive body, the Welsh Assembly government (as of May 2011, called the Welsh government).

2011 referendum: following approval in the referendum, which asked the direct question ‘Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for?’, the Welsh Assembly gained the power to enact primary legislation in 20 devolved areas of policy. These included important areas such as health, transport and agriculture. The referendum delivered a resounding ‘Yes’ vote of 64%, a clear indication of how support for a Welsh government had grown since 1997.

Wales Act 2014: represented the first major transfer of some tax-raising powers to the Welsh government. These included stamp duty, business rates and landfill tax, and enabled the Welsh government to replace them with taxes specific to Wales.

Wales Act 2017: represented a further transfer of important powers to Wales. It gave the Welsh government considerably greater primary legislative powers in additional policy areas, including control over its own electoral system (subject to a two-thirds majority in the government), and policy areas such as road signs, onshore oil and gas activity, harbours, rail franchising and energy efficiency. It could also vary the rate of income tax 5 Devolution 129 by up to 10p in the pound, and it set up the Welsh Revenue Authority. The government also gained the power to change its name. It put Welsh devolution on largely the same footing as that in Scotland. The only key policy areas omitted were policing and justice.

Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020: this Act, passed by the Welsh government using the powers devolved to it by earlier Westminster legislation, formally changed the name of the legislature to Senedd Cymru, or the Welsh Parliament. It also gave the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds for Welsh parliamentary and local elections, as in Scotland.

The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 has introduced the most significant institutional changes since 1999, which will take effect at the May 2026 election:

Increased Size: The number of Senedd members (MSs) will rise from 60 to 96.
New Voting System: The current system will be replaced by 16 six-member constituencies using a closed-list proportional representation system.
Boundary Changes: The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru will pair 32 UK Parliament constituencies with these 16 new Senedd seats.

Government Control in Wales

1999–2003: Labour initially formed a minority administration but later entered a formal coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2000.
2003–2007: Labour governed as a majority administration after winning exactly half the seats (30 of 60).
2007–2011: Following a period of minority rule, Labour formed a coalition with Plaid Cymru (the "One Wales" agreement).
2011–2016: Labour returned to minority government after winning 30 seats.
2016–2021: Labour led a minority government with support from a Liberal Democrat minister and a "confidence and supply" arrangement with Plaid Cymru.
2021–Present: Currently a Labour minority administration led by First Minister Eluned Morgan. They previously operated under a three-year Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru (2021–2024).

Mair Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely, is a Welsh politician who has served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2024

Party Roles & Recent Shifts

Welsh Labour: Has won the most seats in every Senedd election since 1999, typically securing between 26 and 30 seats.
Plaid Cymru: Traditionally the second or third largest party, advocating for independence. They recently won a "historic" by-election in Caerphilly (October 2025), a former Labour stronghold.
Welsh Conservatives: Currently the second-largest party in the Senedd with 13 members. They achieved their best result in 2021 but lost all their Welsh Westminster seats in the 2024 UK General Election.
Emerging Parties: Reform UK has seen a surge in polling and recently gained its first seat in the Senedd (via a party defection or regional seat).

The 2026 Turning Point

The next election on 7 May 2026 will use a new closed-list proportional system, increasing the Senedd's size from 60 to 96 members. Recent polling suggests Labour's long-term dominance may be challenged by Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.