Liz Saville Roberts

MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd

Plaid Cymru

Liz Saville Roberts is the Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, having first been elected to parliament at the 2015 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Saville Roberts won 21,788 votes, representing 53.9% of the vote. The Labour candidate, Joanna Stallard, received 5,912 votes (14.6%), while the Reform UK candidate, Lucy Murphy, secured 4,857 votes (12.0%). Saville Roberts was duly elected with a majority of 15,876 votes.

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency is located in North West Wales, within the county of Gwynedd, and includes large parts of Snowdonia National Park. It is considered a Plaid Cymru stronghold.

Political Career

Saville Roberts has been the leader of Plaid Cymru in the House of Commons since June 2017.

Saville Roberts has served as the party’s spokesperson at Westminster on transport (2020-2024), business, energy and industrial strategy (2017-2024), home affairs (2015-2024), women and equalities (2015-2024), justice (2015-2024), education (2015-2017), a health (2015-2017), environment, food and rural affairs (2015-2017), local government (2015-2017), and energy and natural resources (2015-2017).

Saville Roberts was reprimanded by the speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, after wishing MPs a “Happy St Patrick’s Day” in Welsh and Irish. Hoyle said that speaking in Welsh was “against the rules”.

The speaker stated: “Can I just say to the honourable lady, no, let’s just stop, I don’t mind the beginning but to now start extending the sentence in Welsh does go against the rules of the House?”

After Saville Roberts appeared to object, Hoyle added: “Can I just say I have no arguments with it whatsoever, but unfortunately the House made the rules, I’m only here to make sure the rules are kept?”

Saville Roberts subsequently argued that the incident reflected Westminster’s “disdain” for the language.

She said: “Today I wished the House of Commons a Happy St Patrick’s Day in Cymraeg and Gaeilge – unwittingly committing an act of dissent. Westminster’s disdain for minority languages knows no bounds.

“This is not a criticism of the speaker, who only enforces the rules. But those rules were specifically designed to exclude the speakers of languages other than English. It’s high time they are amended to reflect the reality of our modern society.

“Even better would be for Wales to follow the example of our Celtic cousins in Ireland and build an independent nation that gives full respect to our native language.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the then leader of the House of Commons, described Welsh as a “foreign language” in reaction to the incident. In response, Saville-Roberts posted to social media: “Jacob Rees-Mogg may not be aware, but Welsh is not a ‘foreign language’. It had been spoken in Britain for hundreds of years before English even existed.”

Saville Roberts was a member of the Welsh affairs committee (2015-2019).

Saville Roberts is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for Greenland, heritage rail, miscarriages of justice, nuclear energy, perpetrators of domestic abuse and women affected by the criminal justice system.

Saville Roberts delivered her maiden speech on 22 June 2015 during a debate on the Education and Adoption Bill.

In it, she said: “Although a region must play to its strengths, we should be alert to the disturbing truth that, while official unemployment is relatively low at 1.7%, more than 50% of employed people earn less than the living wage.

“Well-paid employment prospects remain greatly dependent on the public sector. Regardless of whether that is sufficiently ‘aspirational’, in the popular vernacular of Westminster, the prediction of ongoing job losses as all publicly funded bodies see their budgets slashed will stifle economic growth across the constituency.”

She added: “Welsh is often referred to as the oldest language of Britain. That is quite true, but we should be wary of the implications of romantic archaism and redundancy. Where I live, Welsh is not an optional extra; the majority of people speak and use the language in every aspect of their lives.

“Someone who speaks both Welsh and English inherits two cultures and two societies, and is the wealthier for it. Welsh is not my first language, but it is my home language.”

Before entering parliament, Saville Roberts served as a Plaid Cymru councillor for Morfa Nefyn ward on Gwynedd County Council from 2004 to 2015.

Political views

Plaid Cymru, officially Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales, is a social-democratic political party in Wales that advocates for Welsh independence.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Saville Roberts supported Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore agreed with a majority of her constituents, 52.6% of whom also voted to Remain.

Article 50: In February 2017, Saville Roberts voted against the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Saville Roberts voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Electoral reform

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, Saville Roberts voted in favour of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill – introduced by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Sarah Olney under the 10-minute rule procedure. The bill sought to “introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections and for local government elections in England”.

A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s bill.

Introducing the bill, Olney told the House: “First past the post is a broken and unfair system. This summer, the Labour party won a landslide election victory, securing 63% of seats in the House of Commons in return for just 34% of the vote.

“The system leaves millions of voices unheard and creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

Welfare

Winter fuel payment EDM: In September 2024, Saville Roberts signed an early day motion (EDM) expressing concern over the government’s proposed changes to the winter fuel payment. The motion called on the government to “postpone the ending of winter fuel payments and establish a comprehensive strategy to tackle fuel poverty, health inequality and low incomes among older people.”

Assisted dying

Assisted dying: Saville Roberts voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Saville Roberts voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Lying amendment: In January 2026, Saville Roberts was listed as a supporter of an amendment to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, often referred to as the “Hillsborough Law”, that would extend the proposed criminal offence of misleading the public to include MPs and peers. Luke Myer, the Labour MP behind the proposal, argued that his amendment would mean “no-one in parliament would be above the law”, adding: “If politicians deliberately lie to the public, there should be consequences.”

Myer stated: “This amendment is a proportionate, carefully safeguarded response to a real democratic risk. It is not about stifling debate or political disagreement, it is about ensuring that those who seek or hold public office cannot deliberately and knowingly mislead the public without consequence.

“The polling shows that voters across the political spectrum expect parliament to act.”

Myer’s amendment won the support of 30 cross-party MPs.

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Saville Roberts voted against a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons. Labour was split over the issue with 140 of its 230 MPs going against leader Jeremy Corbyn and backing the motion.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Saville Roberts voted against a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Saville Roberts was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Ceasefire vote (November 2023): Saville Roberts voted for a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment to the king’s speech in the House of Commons calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war. Labour had tabled a rival motion, making a more moderate appeal for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict.

Before Politics

Saville Roberts was born in Eltham on 16 December 1964. She studied languages at Aberystwyth University, where she learned Welsh.

Before her political career, she worked as a journalist in London and North Wales. She later became a further education lecturer at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, focusing on developing Welsh-medium post-16 education and staff training, eventually becoming Director of Bilingualism at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.