Welsh manifesto commitments 2026
Safeguarding communities through Hate Crime law enforcement
In 2024/25, Police in Wales recorded over 6,000 hate crimes in Wales. of which approximately 17% were based on hostility towards the victim’s sexual orientation and 4% were based on hostility towards the victim’s transgender identity.
While policing and legislation around hate crime is not devolved in Wales, hate crime prevention programmes such as Hate Hurts Wales have been designed to help support the victims of hate crime in Wales. The LGBTQ+ Action Plan also contained numerous actions to tackle hate crime in Wales.
Many of the main political parties have included manifesto commitments around safeguarding communities and working to reduce hate. The below details the manifesto commitments of the main parties in Wales:
- Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru commit to ‘Strengthen hate crime reporting and victim support, ensuring incidents are addressed promptly and effectively’ in relation to racist abuse.
- Reform Wales / Reform Cymru
There is no reference to Hate Crime in the Reform Wales Manifesto.
- Wales Green Party / Plaid Werdd Cymru
There is no reference to Hate Crime in the Wales Green Party Manifesto
- Welsh Conservatives / Ceidwadwyr Cymreig
Committed to “work with faith communities and other stakeholders to antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred and other hate crime”. (Page 14)
- Welsh Labour / Llafur Cymru
Committed to “use every tool to tackle hate crimes, including continuing support for our Hate Hurts Wales campaign. We will also promote cohesive communities by safeguarding funding for community cohesion workers and continuing to support the Faith Communities Forum.” (Page 60).
- Welsh Liberal Democrats / Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru
Committed to “Improving data on hate crime prevalence to inform services, funding, and strategies to prevent crimes.” (Page 32)
Working with Westminster to Ban Conversion Practices
LGBTQ+ people have nothing to be ashamed of and there is nothing wrong or broken about who they are. Their sexual orientations and gender identities are diverse and should be celebrated. Yet conversion practices – that seek to change, ‘cure’ or suppress them - are still legal in the UK today.
While Wales does not have the devolved power to ban conversion practices directly, a key commitment in the LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales, published in 2023, was to ‘ban all aspects of LGBTQ+ conversion practices that are within our current powers and seek the devolution of any necessary additional powers to enable us to achieve this’.
The below details the manifesto commitments of the main parties in Wales:
- Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru commit to ‘Press the UK Government on a full, trans-inclusive ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’, maximising Welsh Government action to tackle these harmful practices and support survivors.’
- Reform Wales / Reform Cymru
There is no reference to Banning Conversion Practices in the Reform Wales Manifesto.
- Wales Green Party / Plaid Werdd Cymru
There is no reference to Banning Conversion Practices in the Wales Green Party’s Manifesto.
- Welsh Conservatives / Ceidwadwyr Cymreig
There is no reference to Banning Conversion Practices in the Welsh Conservative’s Manifesto.
- Welsh Labour / Llafur Cymru
There is no specific reference to banning Conversion Practices, but the manifesto does commit to refreshing the LGBTQ+ action plan which currently includes this commitment.
- Welsh Liberal Democrats / Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru
There is no reference to banning Conversion Practices in the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ manifesto.
Supporting all LGBTQ+ young people to thrive
Every young person, including those who are LGBTQ+, needs to be, and feel, safe and seen at school. We cannot allow another generation to grow up with the invisibility, silence and discrimination that so many in the LGBTQ+ community felt in the past.
That means a continued commitment to Wales’ existing high quality relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), as well as excellent pastoral help and support whenever they need it, including relating to issues on sexual orientation and gender. The below details the manifesto commitments of the main parties in Wales:
- Plaid Cymru
Commitment to ‘Ensure that education – including on sex and healthy relationships – is LGBTQ+ inclusive, and embed antibullying measures in schools.’ (Page 62)
Commitment to ‘Support the development of the Welsh Gender Service in line with best international practice, ensuring that people – including young people – can access appropriate and timely care in Wales without needing to travel to England.’ (page 62)
- Reform Wales / Reform Cymru
Commitment to “raise the minimum age at which explicit sexual content can be taught in schools and make curriculum materials accessible to parents” (Page 18).
- Wales Green Party / Plaid Werdd Cymru
Commitment to ensure the curriculum is “inclusive of LGBTQIA relationships” (Page 33).
Commitment to “improve placement stability, particularly for LGBTQIA children” in relation to children’s care.
Commitment to ‘establish a dedicated gender service for young people under 17 to access support and therapy, provide resources such as voice training, and offer advice to parents, alongside dedicated routes to healthcare provision (both mental health and physical). The service will also provide support for accessing adult youth services to avoid facing gaps in support.’ (pp. 20-21).
The Wales Green party has also stated their belief that ‘Talking therapies, HRT, and puberty blockers should all be accessible. …puberty blockers have been shown to be safe and effective as a treatment method.’ (page 21)
- Welsh Conservatives / Ceidwadwyr Cymreig
Commitment to “re-establish the right for parents to withdraw their children from sex education and religious education lessons” (Page 9).
- Welsh Labour / Llafur Cymru
There is no specific reference to LGBTQ+ young people in the Welsh Labour manifesto.
- Welsh Liberal Democrats / Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru
There is no specific reference to LGBTQ+ young people in the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ manifesto.
Specific references to LGBTQ+ communities
- Reform Wales have pledged to end Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) roles across the public sector, and to reverse the use of inclusive terminology across the NHS.
- The Welsh Conservatives have committed to adopt a zero-tolerance culture across Welsh Government to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.
- The Wales Green Party have a dedicated section of their manifesto on LGBTQIA+ Equality on page 42.
- Plaid Cymru have a dedicated section of their manifesto on LGBTQ+ commitments on page 62.
- Welsh Labour have committed to refreshing the LGBTQ+ Action Plan to make Wales the best place in Europe to be an LGBTQ+ person, including considering the evidence on the LGBTQ+ pay gap.
- Welsh Liberal Democrats have committed to 'Respect and defend the rights of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including access to lifesaving medical care'. They have also committed to 'Work across nations to establish a consensus for reforming equalities and gender recognition laws to protect trans people's rights.'
Read the full manifestos (CYM):
