Conservatives

The Welsh Conservatives were founded in 1921 as a regional branch of the UK Conservative Party.

For most of its history, the Conservatives have been the dominant party of the Welsh right. However, they have never outright won an election in Wales and have occasionally ended up with no Welsh UK Parliament representation.

Under the leadership of Nick Bourne, between 2003 and 2011 the Conservatives enjoyed moderate yet growing success at successive Senedd elections, having abandoned their opposition to devolution. They came close to forming a governing coalition (“Rainbow Coalition”) with Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats in 2007, but this proposal failed to secure approval from the Lib Dems.

The Conservatives’ popularity in Wales appeared to have peaked in the years immediately following the 2016 EU referendum. During this period, the party adopted a more populist, devolution-sceptic stance under the leadership of Andrew RT Davies and Darren Millar.

However, the electoral collapse of the Conservatives at the 2024 UK Parliament election saw their popularity plummet, with the party doing well to win as many seats as they did in 2026.

The Conservatives are a centre-right, British nationalist party. They are strongly pro-Union (UK, not trade unions), pro-business and anti-bureaucracy.

They have historically enjoyed a great deal of support from the farming community, communities close to the border with England (or with large numbers of English-born residents) and wealthier suburban areas.

In previous years, some senior members have adopted a more “compassionate conservative” stance on issues such as housing, disability, equality and welfare, but this has largely been dropped. One of the few examples where this hasn’t been the case is the environment, where the Conservatives have shown less scepticism of climate change and its impacts (particularly flooding) than Reform UK.

The party in Wales has long taken a strong line against what they criticise as “wasteful spending” by Welsh and local governments alike. They usually oppose change for change’s sake and are the first to criticise radical policy proposals. Although there have been historic differences within the party on the European Union, the Welsh party has settled strongly in favour of Leave and the UK staying outside the EU.

The Welsh Conservatives are a regional branch of the UK Conservatives and enjoy limited autonomy – though they do largely set their own policies for Senedd and local elections.

The UK Conservative Leader is the recognised leader of the party in Wales.

The Leader of the Welsh Conservatives is a courtesy title given to the leader of the party’s Senedd group. They are elected by the party’s Welsh membership.

The Welsh Conservative Party has its own board, led by a Chair, with senior officials elected for three-year terms.

The Board members of the Welsh Conservatives are represented on the National Conservative Convention – the main body representing the membership. The Chair of the Welsh Conservatives has a seat on the UK Conservative Board, which is the main day-to-day decision-making body.

As of 2026, sitting candidates seeking re-election were given preference for Senedd elections, meaning they were automatically placed higher up the constituency lists.

The Conservatives oppose further devolved powers to Wales, while some grassroots members of the party (and senior candidates) have openly supported the abolition of devolution.

The Conservatives oppose Welsh independence.