Former Wales captain Ken Owens considering Labour run

According to BBC Wales, former Wales rugby player Ken Owens is considering running for Labour in the Senedd election in the future.

The 38-year-old is considering whether to run for the newly created Sir Gaerfyrddin constituency.

After Llanelli Member of the Senedd (MS) Lee Waters and Mid and West Wales MS Joyce Watson made their announcements to stand down before the election, Labour did not have a lead candidate there.

The 38-year-old represented Wales in 91 games and five tests for the British and Irish Lions.

Owens also heavily engaged in the political side of Welsh rugby, a subject that never came under the radar.

When he was Wales’ captain in 2023 during a contract dispute between the squad and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), he had what was referred to as a “pivotal” role in preventing a players’ strike.

It was reported that the Six Nations game against England could have been postponed without his actions and influence.

He later acknowledged that Wales was the “laughing stock” of international rugby.

Owens made his Wales debut with an 81-7 victory over Namibia in 2011 at the foot of Mount Taranaki in New Zealand.

At the upcoming May 2026 Senedd election, Welsh Labour might have to climb a mountain.

With the three necks and neck, Reform and Plaid Cymru are currently under real pressure, according to recent polls.

Since the start of devolution in 1999, there has always been a Labour first minister, and Labour has always been the largest party at Senedd elections.

Wales has been divided into 16 new constituencies, a match made up of the 32 used in the 2024 General Election, under the new voting system for the 2026 election.

The county of Carmarthenshire is served by Sir Gaerfyrddin, which was created by the Llanelli and Caerfyrddin constituencies.

Six MSs will be transferred to a 96-member Senedd in each constituency.

Voters will have one vote for the party of their choice as the candidate of their choice among the eight candidates that are listed in each constituency.

Any candidate would have to be first or second on their list to have a good chance of becoming an MS, meaning Labour would hope for one or two of the six seats in Sir Gaerfyrddin.

Owens and team-mate Jonathan Davies received honors from the Gorsedd of the Bards at the 2019 National Eisteddfod for promoting Welsh culture.

He only needs to look over the Loughor Estuary for any advice on how to transition from rugby to politics.