Open SeneddCymraeg

The Sixth Senedd

The Senedd elected on 6 May 2021, which sat until the election of 7 May 2026: who sat in it, who changed party, who held the senior posts, and the main events of the term.

Seats at the start and at the end

When it first met, 12 May 2021

At the end of the term

61 people sat as Members during the term. See them all.

Seats are counted under each Member's party on the day.

Party changes, arrivals and departures

In date order, from the spells recorded for each Member.

DateMemberBeforeAfter
Rhys ab OwenSouth Wales CentralPlaid CymruIndependent
Rhianon PassmoreIslwynWelsh LabourIndependent
Rhianon PassmoreIslwynIndependentWelsh Labour
Russell GeorgeMontgomeryshireWelsh ConservativesIndependent
Laura Anne JonesSouth Wales EastWelsh ConservativesReform UK
Hefin DavidCaerphillyWelsh LabourNo longer a Member
Lindsay WhittleCaerphillyNot a MemberPlaid Cymru
James EvansBrecon and RadnorshireWelsh ConservativesIndependent
James EvansBrecon and RadnorshireIndependentReform UK

Independent includes Members who sat outside their party's group in the Senedd while suspended from it, as well as those who left their party or were expelled from it.

Who held the senior posts

First Minister

Deputy First Minister

Llywydd

Deputy Presiding Officer

  • David Rees12 May 2021 to the end of the term

Leader of the Opposition

Party leaders

Plaid Cymru

Welsh Labour

Welsh Conservatives

  • Andrew RT DaviesFrom the start of the term to 5 December 2024
  • Darren Millar5 December 2024 to the end of the term

Welsh Liberal Democrats

  • Jane DoddsThroughout the term

Posts already held when the term began are shown from its start. The dates come from our researched list of Sixth Senedd Members, which gives a source for each Member.

Timeline

The main events of the term, each with a link to its source.

  1. Election of the Sixth Senedd. Welsh Labour won 30 of the 60 seats, the Welsh Conservatives 16, Plaid Cymru 13 and the Welsh Liberal Democrats 1.

    Source

  2. At its first meeting the Senedd elected Elin Jones as Llywydd and David Rees as Deputy Presiding Officer, and nominated Mark Drakeford as First Minister.

    Source

  3. Mark Drakeford and Adam Price, the leader of Plaid Cymru, signed the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru: a three-year agreement covering 46 policy areas.

    Source

  4. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 received Royal Assent. The Senedd had passed it on 28 June 2022.

    Source

  5. The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023 received Royal Assent. The Senedd had passed it on 14 March 2023.

    Source

  6. The Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 received Royal Assent. The Senedd had passed it on 27 June 2023.

    Source

  7. A default speed limit of 20mph came into force on restricted roads in Wales, under an order made on 13 July 2022 after the Senedd approved it.

    Source

  8. Mark Drakeford announced that he would stand down as leader of Welsh Labour in March 2024, staying on as First Minister until a successor was chosen.

    Source

  9. The Senedd nominated Vaughan Gething as First Minister. Andrew RT Davies and Rhun ap Iorwerth were also nominated.

    Source

  10. The Senedd passed the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill by 43 votes to 16. It enlarges the Senedd from 60 to 96 Members, elected in 16 constituencies of six Members each, where voters choose a party list or an independent candidate, with elections every four years.

    Source

  11. Plaid Cymru ended the Co-operation Agreement with immediate effect.

    Source

  12. Vaughan Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the Senedd. He said he would not resign.

    Source

  13. The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 received Royal Assent.

    Source

  14. Four ministers resigned from the Welsh Government, and Vaughan Gething announced that he would stand down as leader of Welsh Labour and as First Minister.

    Source

  15. Eluned Morgan was confirmed as First Minister, the first woman to hold the post.

    Source

  16. The Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025 received Royal Assent. The Senedd had passed it on 8 July 2025. It lets councils charge a levy on overnight stays.

    Source

  17. Lindsay Whittle of Plaid Cymru won the Caerphilly by-election, held after the death of Labour's Hefin David on 12 August 2025. Reform UK came second and Labour third.

    Source

  18. Election of the Seventh Senedd, the first under the new system, with 96 Members elected in 16 constituencies. Plaid Cymru won 43 seats, Reform UK 34, Welsh Labour 9, the Welsh Conservatives 7, the Wales Green Party 2 and the Welsh Liberal Democrats 1.

    Source

The Sixth Senedd on Open Senedd

Transcripts, votes and written questions from the Sixth Senedd haven't been imported yet. They will appear here, and on the pages below, once the archive import has run.