The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met.(May 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of Wales
The Crown
The Monarch
Charles III
Heir Apparent
William, Prince of Wales
Prerogative
Royal family
Succession
Privy Council
King-in-Parliament
Lord-lieutenant
Llwynywermod
England and Wales
Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542
Principality of Wales
Welsh republicanism
Government
Welsh Government Gething government (list)
First Minister (list)
Rt Hon Vaughan Gething MS (L)
Cabinet
Civil Service
Welsh Budget
Taxation
Directorates
Sponsored bodies
State-owned enterprises
Crown Buildings, Cathays Park
Counsel General – Mick Antoniw MS (L)
Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L)
International relations
Internal diplomatic missions
Welsh Government international offices
Legislature
Senedd
Sixth Senedd
Llywydd (Presiding Officer)
Elin Jones MS (PC)
Leader of the Opposition
Andrew RT Davies MS (C)
Shadow Cabinet (current)
Primary legislation (list)
Acts
Measures
Statutory instruments
Members (MSs)
Current members
Elections (by-elections)
Constituencies and electoral regions
First Minister's Questions
Devolution referendum (2011 referendum)
Government of Wales Act 1998
2006 Act
2014 Act
2017 Act
Senedd estate, Cardiff Bay
(Senedd building
Tŷ Hywel
Pierhead Building)
Wales and the United Kingdom
HM Government
Sunak ministry
Prime Minister
Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP (C)
Secretary of State for Wales
Rt Hon David TC Davies MP (C)
UK Parliament
58th Parliament
House of Commons
Wales Office
Under-Secretary
Welsh Grand Committee
Welsh Affairs Select Committee
Interministerial Standing Committee
Government of Wales Act 2006
Elections
Constituencies
Current Westminster MPs
Diplomatic missions
Barnett formula
Devolution
Devolved matters
Reserved matters
Legislative consent motion
Unionism
Independence
Politics of the United Kingdom
Law and justice
Welsh law
English law
Wales-only laws
Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542
Wales and Berwick Act 1746
Capital of Wales: Cardiff
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Courts of England and Wales
President of Welsh Tribunals
Police forces
Police and crime commissioner (list)
Local administration
History
Subdivisions of Wales
Historic counties (list)
Preserved counties (list)
Principal areas (list)
Former districts
list pre-1973
list 1974-1996
Communities (list)
Local government
Principal councils (leader list)
Corporate Joint Committees
Cities (list)
Cardiff (Mayor / Council)
Swansea (Mayor / Council)
Newport (Mayor / Council)
Wrexham (Mayor / Council)
Community council (list)
Communities with city status
Bangor
St Asaph
St Davids
Local twinning
see also: Regional terms and Regional economy
Elections and referendums
Senedd elections
1999
2003
2007
2011
2016
2021
Next
United Kingdom Parliament elections
1801 co-option
1802
1806
1807
1812
1818
1820
1826
1830
1831
1832
1835
1837
1841
1847
1852
1857
1859
1865
1868
1874
1880
1885
1886
1892
1895
1900
1906
1910 (Jan)
1910 (Dec)
1918
1922
1923
1924
1929
1931
1935
1945
1950
1951
1955
1959
1964
1966
1970
1974 (Feb)
1974 (Oct)
1979
1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
2010
2015
2017
2019
European Parliament elections (1979–2020)
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
2009
2014
2019
Local elections
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1999
2004
2008
2012
2017
2022
Police and crime commissioner elections
2012
2016
2021
Referendums
1975
1979
1997
2011
2011
2016
1915–16 Anglican border polls
2004 Ceredigion mayoral
Senedd constituencies and electoral regions
UK parliamentary constituencies in Wales
Political parties
Represented in the Senedd
(Labour
Conservatives
Plaid Cymru
Liberal Democrats)
Think tanks
Category
Wales portal
Other countries
v
t
e
Welsh independence (Welsh: Annibyniaeth i Gymru) is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom.
Wales was conquered during the 13th century by Edward I of England following the killing of Llywelyn the Last, Prince of Wales. Edward introduced the royal ordinance, the Statute of Rhuddlan, in 1284, introducing English common law alongside Welsh law and custom and causing the recently established Welsh principality to be incorporated into the Kingdom of England.[1] Owain Glyndŵr restored Welsh independence c. 1400–10, but Henry IV of England put down the revolt.
Henry VIII of England introduced the Laws in Wales Acts between 1535 and 1542, English law replaced Cyfraith Hywel (Welsh medieval law), and the Welsh principality and Marches were integrated into England.[2] and Wales gained representation in parliament and a new equality under the law.[3] The Wales and Berwick Act defined "England" to include Wales in 1746, but the Welsh Language Act 1967, partly repealed this with the term "England and Wales".[4]
The modern Welsh independence movement emerged during the mid-19th century, as did a movement for "home rule". Since 1999, Wales has been granted some legislative power as part of Welsh devolution from the UK parliament, and contemporary Welsh law within the English legal system. At present, the political parties Plaid Cymru,[5] Propel, Gwlad, and the Wales Green Party support Welsh independence, as does the non-partisan YesCymru campaign group.[6] Support for independence has increased from 14% in 2014 to its highest support of 46% in April 2021 when excluding don't knows.[7][8] A YouGov poll in January 2021 found that 47% of people in Wales opposed holding a referendum on Welsh independence within the next five years with 31% supporting,[9] and in March 2023, support for independence dropped to its lowest level since 2019 at 18%; the drop was potentially attributed to the prospect of a Labour UK Government.[10]
^Jones, Francis (1969). The Princes and Principality of Wales. University of Wales P. ISBN 978-0-900768-20-0.
^"The 1536 Act of Union". BBC Wales. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
^"Laws in Wales Act 1535 (repealed 21.12.1993)". HMSO.
^"The Welsh Language Act of 1967". BBC Wales. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
^"Aims//Our History". Plaid Cymru. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
^Pitt, Ellie (6 November 2020). "Thousands join YesCymru and say "Westminster isn't working for Wales"". ITV News. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
^Henry, Graham (19 April 2014). "Wales says no to Scottish independence: our exclusive YouGov poll". WalesOnline. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
^"Wales Voting Intention" (PDF). Savanta ComRes. 29 April 2021.
^"YouGov / Sunday Times Survey Results" (PDF). YouGov. January 2021.
^Hayward, Will (1 March 2023). "Support for Welsh independence at its lowest level for three years". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
and 27 Related for: Welsh independence information
Welshindependence (Welsh: Annibyniaeth i Gymru) is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United...
Opinion polling on Welshindependence is continually being carried out by various organisations to gauge public attitudes to independence. The dates for these...
referendum on Welshindependence from the United Kingdom (UK) has been proposed by pro-independence supporters, including independence campaign group...
Welsh devolution, meaning increased powers for the Senedd, or full Welshindependence. Through most of its history before the Anglo-Norman Conquest, Wales...
left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welshindependence from the United Kingdom. Plaid was formed in 1925 and won its first...
Ireland, whilst the Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru has described devolution as a stepping stone towards full Welshindependence. Wales was conquered...
debate. English independence has been seen by its advocates as a way to resolve the West Lothian question in British politics: Scottish, Welsh and Northern...
[better source needed] Following the deaths of Llywelyn and Dafydd, Edward ended Welshindependence, introducing the royal ordinance of the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284...
Welshindependence, but one possible form of government, as Wales before English rule had native monarchies, and most of the prominent independence organisations...
showed a record 39 per cent support for Welshindependence when excluding don't knows. The Welsh language (Welsh: Cymraeg) is an Indo-European language...
leave in the EU referendum. However, historically the support for Welshindependence has predominantly been low, ranging between 10% in 2013 and 24% in...
at the previous election: Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Seven...
Gwlad ([ɡwlaːd]; lit. 'country' or 'nation' in Welsh) is a centre-right Welsh nationalist and pro-independence political party. Its current leader is Gwyn...
Welsh Football Fans for Independence are a non-partisan group of association football fans campaigning for Welshindependence. The group organised its...
Constitution of 1961 Welshindependence Balfour Declaration of 1926 Constitutional history of Australia Sue v Hill § Australian independence from the United...
independence referendum. Other major independence or related movements Yes Scotland All Under One Banner Welshindependence YesCymru Proposed Welsh independence...
across Scotland and were convinced that was the best way forward for Welshindependence as well. The official launch of YesCymru took place in Cardiff on...
The flag of Wales (Welsh: Baner Cymru or Y Ddraig Goch, meaning 'the red dragon') consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with...
have been adopted for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), the Northern Ireland Assembly, the London Assembly and (until...
Cymru in Senedd elections in Wales. Church is also a supporter of Welshindependence. Church was born Charlotte Maria Reed in Llandaff, a district of Cardiff...
time since 2003. During the Welsh dates of the band's world tour, Brown expressed support for Scottish and Welshindependence from the United Kingdom, showing...
and dependencies Ulster nationalism United Ireland Scottish independenceWelshindependence Unionism in Ireland Unionism in Wales Unionism in Scotland...
over Welshindependence. Almost 70% of people in Wales supported remaining part of the UK in 2007 whilst 20% were in favour of Welshindependence. While...
The Wales men's national football team (Welsh: Tîm pêl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football...
Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, Edward's conquest marked the end of Welshindependence. Following a series of invasions beginning shortly after their conquest...
published in May 2022. Hurcum supports Welshindependence, but has been hugely critical of transphobia in the independence movement, including abuse they have...
since the mid-18th century. In 1406 Owain Glyndŵr set out a vision of Welshindependence in his Pennal letter, sent to Charles VI King of France. The letter...