Jane Dodds to Step Down as Leader of Welsh Liberal Democrats

Jane Dodds has announced she will step down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

Dodds stated she will remain the party’s only Member of the Senedd (MS), but that efforts to increase its presence in the Welsh Parliament “should be led by a new generation”.

“Leading the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been the honour of my life,” she said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that “now is the right time” to hand over the role.

The party said that David Chadwick, its only Welsh MP, is currently the only person eligible to seek nomination to replace Dodds.

The Liberal Democrats have been represented by just one member in Cardiff Bay since 2016, initially by former Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams and later by Dodds from 2021.

Dodds, who represents Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd in the Senedd, is a former social worker who was appointed her party’s Welsh leader in November 2017.

She made headlines last year after securing an agreement from the previous Welsh Labour government to ban greyhound racing and introduce £1 bus fares for under-21s, in return for supporting the passage of its budget.

Nominations to replace Dodds will open on 23 October and close on 16 November.

“After May’s election, I have thought hard about what our party needs,” she said.

“Wales needs more than one liberal voice in the Senedd.”

“Building that team will take years of hard work in communities across the country, and I believe that work should be led by a new generation.”

“Now is the right time to hand it over.”

Tim Sly, president of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to Dodds, saying she had “led our party with warmth, determination and integrity through some of the most turbulent years in Welsh and UK politics”.

“She leaves the Welsh Liberal Democrats stronger in our communities and ready to build,” he said.

“On behalf of every member, I want to thank her for her extraordinary service.”

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