Plaid Cymru have chosen their candidate to stand in Torfaen for the next general election.
Matthew Jones, a Cwmbran resident, said: “I’m building a coalition of people all across Torfaen who want a positive change.”
“Every single person and every single place in Torfaen is important to me. In some shape or form, we have all felt the effect of the Conservative UK Government over the last 15 years, and of the Labour Welsh Government over the last 25 years.
“It’s so important to me that all of us in Torfaen are represented well in Westminster. It is a time of huge change, but voting Labour doesn’t mean change for us.
“We need a positive change for Torfaen. I want to be the community champion that we need, and put Torfaen on the agenda in Westminster.”
Matthew was born in Pontypool and attended George Street School in Wainfelin, Ysgol Bryn Onnen in Varteg and Ysgol Gwynllyw in Trevethin, before studying at Aberystwyth University.
He was raised in a single parent household by his father after his mother passed away due to cancer when he one. He worked as a caseworker for Elin Jones MS for five years and continuese to work in Senedd for Plaid Cymru.
The 35-year-old said: “Plaid Cymru is an effective opposition. In the Senedd, we have managed to co-operate in a positive way with the Labour Welsh Government, managing to get free school meals for every single primary school child, despite Labour voting against this several times. We’ve also managed to increase the free childcare offer, giving parents more free hours to go back to work.
“But the Labour Welsh Government is complacent. They avoid scrutiny, they’ve denied us an inquiry into the decisions they made during Covid, and they seem to exist simply in order to get Keir Starmer into Downing Street. In the meantime, our NHS is under huge strain, attainment levels in our education system are below those of neighbouring our countries, and a third of children in Wales are in relative poverty.
“In Torfaen, we know that Labour is not the answer to our problems. We deserve better.
“I do not trust that a Keir Starmer Prime Minister would ever consider what people in Torfaen think. In Westminster, I will put Torfaen on the agenda. I will raise questions on behalf of Torfaen, and be the community champion for every corner of our constituency.
“I’m building a coalition of people in all parts of Torfaen who want that positive change for our area, however you’ve voted before, whether or not you’ve even voted before. So when the time comes, I ask that you vote for a positive change for Torfaen, by this time voting for Plaid Cymru.”
You can follow Matthew’s campaign on Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter.
Liz Saville Roberts MP, Plaid Cymru Leader in Westminster, said: “I’m delighted that Matthew has been selected as the candidate for Torfaen in this desperately needed general election. Over the years that I’ve known him, Matthew’s commitment to the people of Torfaen has been clear.
“I know that if he was to join the team of Plaid Cymru MPs in Westminster, he would be a hard-working champion for Torfaen and for Wales.
“We are in a time of change, but Labour does not mean change for people in Torfaen.
“There is a real need for challenging voices like Matthew’s in Westminster, standing up for his community and asking ‘What does this mean for Torfaen?’
“So when the election comes, please vote for Matthew Jones and for Plaid Cymru.”
Plaid Cymru Leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, said: “Matthew would be a fantastic MP for Torfaen. I’ve no doubt he would be a strong, local champion for Torfaen in Westminster.
“In all parts of Wales, we can do things differently in this election. We can kick the Tories out. We can put the interests of our communities in all parts of Wales first.
“At the same time say we can tell Labour that we won’t let them take Wales for granted.
“In Plaid Cymru, we stand apart from UK establishment politics. We don’t want the future to look like the past. We want people to feel hope about politics once again. A vote for Plaid Cymru is a vote for fairness, for ambition, and for Wales.”