{{short description|Welsh politician}} {{use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Carolyn Thomas | image = Carolyn-thomas.jpg | image_size = 200px | alt = | caption = Thomas in 2021 | office = [[Member of the Senedd]] <br /> for [[North Wales (Senedd electoral region)|North Wales]] | term_start = 6 May 2021 | term_end = 7 April 2026 | predecessor = ''Multi-member constituency'' | successor = ''Constituency abolished'' | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|11|3|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Cheshire]], England | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = | party = [[Welsh Labour|Labour]] and [[Co-operative Party|Co-operative]] (Since 2015) | other_party = [[Independent politician|Independent]] (2008 - 2015) | spouse = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Postal worker | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = {{official website|https://www.carolynthomas.wales}} | footnotes = }}
'''Carolyn Thomas''' (born 1965) is a [[Welsh Labour Party|Welsh Labour]] and [[Labour Co-operative|Co-operative]] politician who was a [[Member of the Senedd]] (MS) for [[North Wales (Senedd electoral region)|North Wales]] from 2021 to 2026.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mosalski |first1=Ruth |title=The 16 politicians who lost their seats at Senedd 2026 |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/16-politicians-who-lost-seats-33915840 |work=Wales Online |date=8 May 2026 |language=en}}</ref>
==Early career and election==
Before being elected to the [[Senedd]], Thomas worked as a postal worker until 2020 and was a member of the [[Communication Workers Union (United Kingdom)|Communication Workers Union]] (CWU). In 2008, she was elected to [[Flintshire County Council]] as an independent representing [[Treuddyn]] before joining Labour in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flintshire councillor defects to Labour after politically 'maturing' |url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/flintshire-councillor-defects-labour-after-8699748 |website=Daily Post |access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref> In 2019, Thomas became Deputy Leader of the council.<ref name="county">{{cite web |title=Councillor details - Cllr Carolyn Thomas |url=https://committeemeetings.flintshire.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=176&LLL=0 |website= |publisher=Flintshire County Council |access-date=11 May 2021 |language=en-gb |date=11 May 2021}}</ref><ref name=randall>{{cite web|title=Flintshire: Deputy leader of Flintshire Council aiming to become Labour's lead regional list candidate for next year's Senedd elections|url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18628186.flintshire-deputy-leader-flintshire-council-aiming-become-labours-lead-regional-list-candidate-next-years-senedd-elections/|last=Randall | first=Liam|date=4 August 2020|accessdate=8 May 2021}}</ref><ref name="why">{{cite web |title=Why Vote for Me? |url=https://www.carolynthomas.wales/why-vote-for-me |website=www.carolynthomas.wales |access-date=11 May 2021 |quote=Up to last year I was ... a part time post woman |archive-date=11 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511072208/https://www.carolynthomas.wales/why-vote-for-me |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Whilst Deputy Leader, Thomas delivered a petition to the [[Senedd]], calling for buses to be run 'for people, not profit'. The petition asked the Welsh Government to regulate commercial bus companies and allow local authorities to run their own bus services.<ref>{{cite web |title=Deputy council leader handing in 3500 signature petition calling for local authorities to be given greater control over bus services |url=https://www.deeside.com/deputy-council-leader-handing-in-3500-signature-petition-calling-for-local-authorities-to-be-given-greater-control-over-bus-services/ |website=Deeside.com |access-date=9 August 2022 |date=18 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
Thomas was selected to lead the [[North Wales (Senedd electoral region)|North Wales]] regional list for [[Welsh Labour|Labour]] in the [[2021 Senedd election]] and was elected as [[Welsh Labour|Labour]]'s first ever Member of the Senedd for the North Wales region.<ref name="nuttall">{{cite news |last1=Nuttall |first1=Andrew |title=Labour, Conservative and Plaid Cymru claim regional MS spots for North Wales |url=https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/19288288.labour-conservative-plaid-cymru-claim-regional-ms-spots-north-wales/ |access-date=8 May 2021 |work=North Wales Pioneer |date=8 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
==Parliamentary career== In February 2022, Thomas was one of three Labour MSs to support introducing rent controls in Wales.<ref name="wilks">{{cite news |last1=Wilks |first1=Rebecca |title=Rent controls: Welsh Senedd members react to snub|url=https://www.thenational.wales/news/19915634.rent-controls-welsh-senedd-members-react-snub/|access-date=3 July 2022 |work=The National |date=10 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Thomas is a supporter of public ownership. In August 2022, she called for energy companies to be nationalised in response to increased bills.<ref name="wilks2">{{cite news |last1=Wilks |first1=Rebecca |title=Carolyn Thomas MS calls for energy firms to be nationalised over soaring bills |url=https://www.thenational.wales/news/20604107.carolyn-thomas-ms-calls-energy-firms-nationalised-soaring-bills/ |access-date=6 August 2022 |work=The National |date=5 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
Since being elected, Thomas has spoken of her experience of working as a postal worker in the Royal Mail following its privatisation in 2013. She has called for Royal Mail to be returned to public ownership, saying that privatisation had 'wrecked' the business because of an 'unhinged profit-obsessed mantra'.<ref name="thomas">{{cite news|last1=Thomas |first1=Carolyn |title=As a former postal worker, the privatised wrecking of Royal Mail breaks my heart |url=https://nation.cymru/opinion/as-a-former-postal-worker-the-privatised-wrecking-of-royal-mail-breaks-my-heart/ |access-date=26 October 2022 |work=Nation.Cymru |date=26 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
Amidst the [[Gaza war]], Thomas supported an opposition motion from Plaid Cymru calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, triggering a debate and vote in the Senedd, which subsequently backed calls for a ceasefire.<ref name="mosalski">{{cite news|last1=Mosalski |first1=Ruth |title=Welsh Parliament calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza as Labour members go against party line |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/labour-mss-go-against-party-28069198 |access-date=18 November 2023 |work=Wales Online |date=8 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
Thomas has been an outspoken critic of [[Carbon capture and storage|carbon capture]] and storage, and opposed plans for an underground carbon capture pipeline being built through North Wales, describing it as an 'exhaust pipe' which will 'serve to entrench fossil fuel reliance'.<ref name=cthomas2>{{cite news |title=Labour politician attacks Wales 'exhaust pipe' plan |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kjpkp73l4o |access-date=17 December 2024 |work=BBC News |date=4 October 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=cthomas>{{cite news|last1=Thomas |first1=Carolyn |title=Carbon Capture in North Wales – An Expensive White Elephant? |url=https://nation.cymru/opinion/carbon-capture-in-north-wales-an-expensive-white-elephant/ |access-date=17 December 2024 |work=Nation.Cymru |date=5 January 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
In the [[2026 Senedd election]], she was an unsuccessful candidate in the [[Clwyd (Senedd constituency)|Clwyd constituency.]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-12 |title=Senior Labour figure comes third in selection contest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0dvplz7eno |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Personal life== Thomas is married and has three children.<ref name="mosalski2">{{cite web |last1=Mosalski |first1=Ruth |title=These are the 18 new Members of the Senedd in Wales |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/18-new-members-senedd-wales-20532559 |website=WalesOnline |access-date=11 May 2021 |language=en |date=8 May 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|https://www.carolynthomas.wales/}}
{{Welsh MSs 2021–2026|state=collapsed}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Carolyn}} [[Category:1965 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Labour Co-operative members of the Senedd]] [[Category:Female members of the Senedd]] [[Category:21st-century Welsh women politicians]] [[Category:Wales MSs 2021–2026]] [[Category:British postal officials]]