Dafydd Trystan Davies MS

Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution

Dafydd Trystan Davies was born in Aberdare in 1974 and now lives in Grangetown, Cardiff. A long-standing community activist and volunteer with a distinguished and award-winning record of public and voluntary service, he attended Ysgol Rhydfelen before studying at Aberystwyth University, where he gained a doctorate on globalisation and the Welsh economy. He went on to work as a politics lecturer and psephologist at Aberystwyth's Institute of Welsh Politics and was subsequently appointed Registrar at Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol from its inception.

Dafydd has spent much of his political career at the centre of Plaid Cymru's national organisation. He served as the party's Chief Executive from 2002 to 2007, and later as National Chair from 2013 to 2016. As founding Chair of Governors at Ysgol Hamadryad, a new Welsh-medium primary school in Butetown, south Cardiff, Dafydd steered the school to become recognised as Wales' first "active travel by design" school, introducing a car-free zone and walking buses as part of its school travel plan. That work led to his appointment as the Welsh Government's independent Active Travel Board Chair in 2019, a role he was later reappointed to. He also served as a board member of Sport Wales from 2019 to 2025.

In the 2026 Senedd election, Dafydd was elected as the Member of the Senedd for Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution on 13 May 2026. He has committed to using only public transport or active travel for his constituency Senedd duties, recording any car use as an exception.His areas of expertise include the constitution, education, and active travel.