It has been the absolute privilege of my life to serve the community that shaped me as the Member of the Senedd for Delyn from 2016 to 2026.  I worked hard day in, day out and I hope I have made a difference, from supporting individual constituents, to holding regular street surgeries and organising my annual Christmas Cheer box campaign.

In government I am proud to have established Wales’ Transforming Towns programme, moved us to a more circular economy, introduced the UK’s first LGBTQ+ Action Plan and legislated on social partnership which will support working people in Wales for years to come.

Closer to home, I’m particularly proud to have played a significant part in securing the funding from a Welsh Labour Government that enabled the transformation of Theatr Clwyd, leaving a legacy for future generations.

Wales-wide, the result of the recent Senedd election really was catastrophic for the Labour Party and a range of factors will have played a part. In Clwyd, I know we fought a strong campaign locally – from the end of March to polling day we managed to speak to more than 11,000 people.

Sadly, this wasn’t enough and the Plaid Cymru messaging on tactical voting cut through in the end. People in our communities voted for Plaid Cymru in good faith to try to stop Reform. But under the new proportional voting system, tactical voting does not work in the same way. In fact, that messaging created the opposite effect here, resulting in three Reform Members of the Senedd and our constituency narrowly missing out on having any Labour representation.

As we continue to take on board the results, I think it is important that we take a step back and recognise that many people voted in anger or against something, rather than being motivated by hope for a better Wales (and world).

We all have a responsibility to reflect and act on that.

For me, I am grateful for the chance to serve both community and country and I remain committed to forging a fairer future for us all.