Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards announced his decision not to run in the next general election. The former Plaid Cymru MP was considering running as an independent candidate. However, he decided to step down after “deep reflection.” The MP was suspended from his party after he was accused of assaulting his wife in May 2020. Two years later, he was reinstated, causing his ex-wife Emma to criticize Plaid Cymru for letting him return, as it exposed a disregard for the survivors of domestic abuse.
Edwards accused his party of exploiting the incident “in my personal life to try and destroy me” in his statement announcing his decision. The MP has been serving as the representative of Carmarthen East and Dinefwr. The seat will be broadly in Caerfyrddin, which will include the whole of Carmarthen town. Welsh Secretary Simon Hart is expected to be the Conservative’s candidate in Caerfyddin, while Labour is fielding Martha O’Neil. Plaid Cymru has picked Carmarthenshire councillor Ann Davies as its candidate.
Folk singer Dafydd Iwan, who was Plaid Cymru president until 2010, tweeted before Edwards made his announcement that he hoped he would not stand against the party. Iwan said Edwards could “hold his head high and return to politics if he wanted to in the next election to the Welsh Parliament.” Plaid Cymru said the “area has a proud history of electing dedicated and independent-minded representatives who always put their constituency first.” The party’s statement did not reference Mr. Edwards
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More