Plaid CymruFormer Plaid Cymru chief and Senedd Presiding Officer Lord Elis-Thomas has died on the age of 78, his circle of relatives has introduced.
Dafydd Elis-Thomas led Plaid between 1984 and 1991 and served as MP for Meirionydd after which Meirionydd Nant Conwy between 1974 and 1992, when he used to be appointed to the Space of Lords.
He used to be the first presiding officer, or speaker, of the brand new Welsh Meeting when it opened in 1999.
Lord Elis-Thomas used to be described because the “Senedd’s founding father”, and flags will fly at half-mast outdoor the Senedd construction on Friday in tribute.
Identified for being independently minded, Lord Elis-Thomas later clashed with the Plaid management and left the celebration in 2016, sooner or later serving as a minister – despite the fact that no longer a celebration member – in Carwyn Jones and Mark Drakeford’s Labour governments.
He retired from the Senedd and front-line politics in 2021.
In a observation, his circle of relatives mentioned he died “peacefully at his house” on Friday morning following a brief sickness.
“The circle of relatives request privateness at this hard time.”
Tributes to Lord Elis-Thomas have are available in from around the political spectrum in Wales.
First Minister Eluned Morgan mentioned: “Wales has misplaced certainly one of its biggest servants, and many people have misplaced an irreplaceable buddy.
“Dafydd used to be a real large of Welsh politics and a passionate champion of our country, our language, and our tradition.”
Morgan praised his “infectious enthusiasm”, “smart recommend” and “mischievous sense of humour”, including “our country is immeasurably richer for his life of carrier”.
Plaid Cymru chief Rhun ap Iorwerth mentioned his demise “shall be an enormous loss to Welsh politics and the civic lifetime of Wales”.
He described Lord Elis-Thomas as “one of the crucial influential figures of his era” who made a “precious contribution in laying the company foundations of devolution”.
“We be mindful Dafydd as a ground-breaking MP when he become the youngest Member of the 1974 UK Parliament ahead of main Plaid Cymru with pastime and difference.
“Dafydd used to be a non-public buddy to my circle of relatives and I, and used to be an influential determine throughout my youth,” ap Iorwerth mentioned, including Elis-Thomas’ “love for our country, its language and tradition used to be unwavering”.
Elin Jones, the present Senedd Presiding Officer, mentioned it used to be “onerous to believe Welsh political existence” with out Lord Elis-Thomas, describing him because the “Senedd’s founding father”.
“For the reason that early Nineteen Seventies he has been omnipresent, having served within the Space of Commons, the Space of Lords and our Senedd,” she mentioned.
“He used to be willing to determine a contemporary democracy from the beginning, finding out from different Parliaments what to do, and what to not do.
“He become the keeper of the Welsh charter however used to be at all times ready to assume outdoor the field.”
Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, described Lord Elis-Thomas as “an incredible determine within the public lifetime of Wales”.
“I’ve spoken to such a lot of other folks within the constituency, and particularly in Meirionnydd, who inform me how Dafydd’s politics had passionately impressed them as younger other folks,” she mentioned.
“His tireless paintings and his dedication to Wales, its other folks, and its democracy has left an enormous mark on our historical past.”
Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid MS for North Wales, mentioned he had “blessed reminiscences” of Lord Elis-Thomas.
“Due to him for all of the paintings he did for Wales,” he mentioned.
Former Welsh Labour minister Lee Waters described him as “an ideal persona” who performed crucial position in Welsh politics.
“I favored him so much, despite the fact that he may well be maddening. Very unhappy information,” he mentioned.
Welsh Conservatives chief Darren Millar MS mentioned: “Lord Elis-Thomas used to be a titan of Welsh politics; his passing is a smart loss.
“No person may just ever argue that he did not have a deep love for Wales and Welsh other folks.”
His predecessor Andrew RT Davies added he used to be “deeply saddened” to listen to of Lord Elis-Thomas’s demise.
“He used to be at all times forthright and powerful when expressing his perspectives, and for that I admired him strongly,” he added.
