Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has quit after a report found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the pro-Welsh independence party.
It follows months of difficulties within Plaid, including allegations of a toxic working culture.
In his resignation letter, Mr Price said he felt “morally bound” to step down as leader following a recent report which revealed the party failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment.
The report, published earlier this month, found cases of sexual harassment and discrimination where women were “especially let down”.
There had been “a lack of collective leadership and governance across the party” which meant issues had “worsened over the last few years” and led to the creation of a “toxic atmosphere”, the report said.
Mr Price said he wanted to resign in the wake of the report, but was initially persuaded by colleagues not to quit.
He was first elected to Westminster in 2001 as MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, where he remained until 2010.
He has been the Senedd member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr since 2016.
In 2018, along with Plaid Senedd member for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth, he challenged Leanne Wood for the Plaid’s leadership.
On Thursday, the party’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said Mr Price was not asked to resign in the wake of the report as “stability” was needed to implement its recommendations.
Speaking on the BBC, Liz Saville Roberts said: “Effective leadership is about balancing conflicting demands. What we felt strongly was that we needed a collegiate approach within the party because it (the report) cuts across all aspects of the party and it requires a change of culture”.
“In order to do that we would need stability”, she added.
Plaid Cymru is the third largest party in the Welsh Parliament, with 12 Members of the Senedd and three MPs at Westminster.
The pro-independence party is currently a co-operation agreement with the Welsh Labour government.
Adam Price had hailed the agreement as “representing a new kind of politics” but it was criticised by the Conservatives who said it was a “stitch-up” and accused Adam Price of propping up Labour.
Reacting to Mr Price’s departure, Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, said: “I have no doubt Adam Price’s departure is a moment of personal sadness for him.
“Following the recent report into the culture within their party, it became clear Plaid Cymru politicians no longer had confidence in his leadership, so his departure became inevitable”.
