Dafydd Wigley

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title: "Dafydd Wigley" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1943-births", "alumni-of-the-victoria-university-of-manchester", "leaders-of-plaid-cymru", "leaders-of-political-parties-in-wales", "living-people", "members-of-the-parliament-of-the-united-kingdom-for-caernarfon", "members-of-the-privy-council-of-the-united-kingdom", "people-associated-with-the-university-of-wales", "politicians-from-derby", "plaid-cymru-members-of-the-senedd", "plaid-cymru-mps", "uk-mps-1974", "uk-mps-1974–1979", "uk-mps-1979–1983", "uk-mps-1983–1987", "uk-mps-1987–1992", "uk-mps-1992–1997", "uk-mps-1997–2001", "wales-ams-1999–2003", "welsh-speaking-politicians", "plaid-cymru-life-peers", "life-peers-created-by-elizabeth-ii"] description: "Welsh politician (born 1943)" topic_path: "politics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dafydd_Wigley" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Welsh politician (born 1943) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
honorific-prefix	The Right Honourable
name	The Lord Wigley
honorific-suffix
image	Dafydd Wigley.jpg
caption	Wigley in 2006
office	Leader of Plaid Cymru
term_start	24 September 1991
term_end	3 August 2000
predecessor	Dafydd Elis-Thomas
successor	Ieuan Wyn Jones
term_start1	1 November 1981
term_end1	27 October 1984
predecessor1	Gwynfor Evans
successor1	Dafydd Elis-Thomas
office2	Member of the Welsh Assembly
for Caernarfon
term_start2	6 May 1999
term_end2	1 May 2003
predecessor2	Office Created
successor2	Alun Ffred Jones
office3	Member of Parliament
for Caernarfon
term_start3	28 February 1974
term_end3	14 May 2001
predecessor3	Goronwy Roberts
successor3	Hywel Williams
office4	Member of the House of Lords
status4	Lord Temporal
termlabel4	Life peerage
term_start4	19 January 2011
birth_date
birth_place	Derby, England
birthname	David Wigley
party	Plaid Cymru
spouse	Elinor Bennett
alma_mater	Victoria University of Manchester
::

| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable | name = The Lord Wigley | honorific-suffix = | image = Dafydd Wigley.jpg | caption = Wigley in 2006 | office = Leader of Plaid Cymru | term_start = 24 September 1991 | term_end = 3 August 2000 | predecessor = Dafydd Elis-Thomas | successor = Ieuan Wyn Jones | term_start1 = 1 November 1981 | term_end1 = 27 October 1984 | predecessor1 = Gwynfor Evans | successor1 = Dafydd Elis-Thomas | office2 = Member of the Welsh Assembly for Caernarfon | majority2 = | term_start2 = 6 May 1999 | term_end2 = 1 May 2003 | predecessor2 = Office Created | successor2 = Alun Ffred Jones | office3 = Member of Parliament for Caernarfon | parliament3 = | majority3 = | term_start3 = 28 February 1974 | term_end3 = 14 May 2001 | predecessor3 = Goronwy Roberts | successor3 = Hywel Williams | office4 = Member of the House of Lords | status4 = Lord Temporal | termlabel4 = Life peerage | term_start4 = 19 January 2011 | term_end4 = | birth_date = | birth_place = Derby, England | death_date = | death_place = | restingplace = | birthname = David Wigley | nationality = | party = Plaid Cymru | otherparty = | spouse = Elinor Bennett | relations = | children = | residence = | alma_mater = Victoria University of Manchester | occupation = | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | religion = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = Dafydd Wynne Wigley, Baron Wigley, (born David Wigley; 1 April 1943) is a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2000. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Caernarfon from 1974 to 2001 and as the Member of the Welsh Assembly for Caernarfon from 1999 to 2003. In 2010, Wigley was granted life peerage, taking his seat in the House of Lords in 2011, making him one of the party's only two Lords in the HOL (alongside Carmen Smith, Baroness Smith of Llanfaes).

Early life

Wigley was born in Derby, England, the only child of Welsh parents Elfyn Edward Wigley and Myfanwy Batterbee. He attended Caernarfon grammar school and Rydal School before going on to the Victoria University of Manchester.

Before becoming a Plaid Cymru MP for Caernarfon, Wigley worked for Ford Motor Company, Mars and Hoover.

Political career

In May 1972 Wigley became a councillor on the pre-1974 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, winning in the Park, Merthyr Tydfil ward, with the sitting Labour councillor in third place.

UK Parliament

Wigley was elected as a Plaid Cymru councillor for Merthyr Tydfil in 1972 and was then the MP for Caernarfon from 1974 until 2001, first elected at the February 1974 general election.

The election for president was seen as instrumental in deciding the future direction of Plaid Cymru. Wigley represented a moderate, pragmatic social democracy, in sharp contrast with rival candidate Dafydd Elis-Thomas's socialism. In 1981 Wigley won the presidency, but Elis Thomas had greater influence over the party's ideology throughout the 1980s. In 1984 Wigley resigned from the presidency because of his children's health, but he returned in 1991 for a second term after the resignation of Elis Thomas. Wigley led Plaid until 2000. He stood down as a Member of Parliament at the 2001 General Election to concentrate on his role in the Assembly. Having served 27 years as an MP, Wigley is the longest-ever serving post-war MP from a nationalist party.

National Assembly for Wales

Wigley was the Assembly member for Caernarfon from 1999 to 2003.

House of Lords

He secured a Plaid Cymru nomination for a peerage alongside Eurfyl ap Gwilym and Janet Davies. He initially withdrew his candidature after complaining about how long the process was taking.

On 19 November 2010 it was announced that he had been granted a life peerage by the Queen, and he took his seat in the House of Lords as Baron Wigley, of Caernarfon in the County of Gwynedd on 24 January 2011, supported by fellow Plaid peer Lord Elis-Thomas and by Lord Faulkner of Worcester. He made his maiden speech on 27 January during a debate on tourism. Having been one of the first MPs to take the House of Commons oath of allegiance in the Welsh language in 1974, he took the oath of allegiance in Welsh on entering the Lords.

In 2015, Wigley was accused of Holocaust trivialization for comparing the Trident base in Scotland to Auschwitz concentration camp. He later apologised for his remarks.

In 2024, Wigley criticised the Senedd Reform Bill due to the introduction of a closed list PR system for elections to the Senedd.

Personal life

He married the Welsh harpist Elinor Bennett. The couple had four children, son Hywel Wigley and daughter Eluned Wigley as well as two sons, Alun and Geraint, who died of a genetic illness. His sons' condition influenced the direction of his career, and he took a strong interest in the affairs of disabled people, being vice-chairman of the Parliamentary all-party disablement group, vice-president of Disability Wales, vice-president of Mencap (Wales), former president of the Spastics' Society of Wales and sponsor of the Disabled Persons Act in 1981. In 2003 Wigley became Pro-Chancellor of the University of Wales.

Awards

In 2008, Wigley was awarded an Honorary Chair in Business at Bangor University.

Notes

References

References

1. (14 January 2008). "Wigley accepts Plaid peerage call". BBC News.
2. Live, North Wales. (2008-07-30). "Dafydd Wigley honoured by Bangor University".
3. (5 May 1972). "Labour sweep in with big gains". [[South Wales Echo]].
4. (2022-06-12). "Dafydd Wigley: Ex-Plaid leader to retire from House of Lords". BBC News.
5. McAllister, L, ''Plaid Cymru: The Emergence of a Political Party'', (2001), Seren
6. Shipton, Martin. (20 November 2010). "Wigley's Lords appointment nearly three years after nomination".
7. (7 September 2009). "Dafydd Wigley withdraws Lords nomination".
8. (19 November 2010). "Peerage for former Plaid Cymru leader Dafydd Wigley". bbc.co.uk.
9. {{London Gazette. (25 June 2011)
10. (24 January 2011). "Introduction: Lord Wigley".
11. (27 January 2011). "Tourism".
12. (24 January 2011). "Plaid peer Dafydd Wigley to champion disability rights".
13. (2015-01-28). "Lord Wigley sorry for linking Trident jobs with Auschwitz". BBC News.
14. (2024-02-03). "New Wales political system poses great danger – Wigley". BBC News.
15. Live, North Wales. (5 December 2003). "University honour for Dafydd Wigley".
16. (24 January 2011). "Plaid peer to champion disabled". BBC News.
17. "Honouring Dafydd Wigley's contribution with Business Chair". Bangor University.

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