Darren Millar: Standing up for Wales, our Union and our official languages means taking on the language zealots

Darren Millar MS is Leader of the Welsh Conservatives

I was deeply concerned to learn last week that Gwynedd County Council is proposing to, in its own words, “remove bilingualism and bilingual teaching” from all of the county’s schools.

In effect, should the plans be implemented, English-medium education will be being phased out entirely in Gwynedd’s schools irrespective of the views of parents and pupils in the local authority area or the best interests of their children.

Let me be clear: I am proudly pro-Wales and pro-Welsh language. I use Welsh, and I fully support the Welsh Government’s ambition to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050. But the way to promote the Welsh language is through encouragement and choice – not compulsion.

Parents and pupils in every part of Wales must have the right to be educated through either of our country’s two official languages: English or Welsh. That is what true bilingualism means – equal respect, equal opportunity, and genuine choice.

There would quite rightly be outrage if a predominantly English-speaking local authority sought to phase out Welsh-medium education. The same principle must apply here.

This policy is fundamentally wrong – and risks doing real damage not only to pupil outcomes but to levels of support for the Welsh language itself.

Research has shown that pupils tend to perform better when taught in the language in which they feel most confident.

A 2020 study, published in the Wales Journal of Education using PISA data, found that secondary schools teaching through Welsh were outperformed by English-medium schools in maths, reading, and science – despite the latter having a greater proportion of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Labour’s abysmal record on education in Wales – with the steepest PISA score declines in the UK – makes this decision all the more concerning. Now is not the time to reduce parental choice or disrupt the learning environment for pupils.

This policy will also worsen the Welsh Government’s teacher recruitment crisis. The Council’s Cabinet Member for Education has indicated that non-Welsh-speaking teachers may need to learn the language to continue in their roles. That will push talented professionals out of the local authority area – especially in critical subjects like maths and science, where recruitment is already a serious challenge.

It’s not just bad for education – it’s unfair on teachers and damaging and divisive for communities.

And sadly, it’s part of a broader pattern of inward-looking policies in Gwynedd.

Plaid Cymru councillors have a long history of linguistic dogmatism. From hostile comments about “English immigrants” in the early 2000s in Gwynedd, to a councillor in Caerphilly in South Wales posing with a rifle and joking about “keeping the English out” in 2022, there’s an unfortunate track record of divisive rhetoric.

These attitudes are not representative of most Welsh speakers, and they do a disservice to the genuine cultural pride many of us share.

I don’t place the blame solely on Plaid Cymru. Welsh Labour Ministers have pandered to similar sentiments – introducing damaging regulations like the 182-day minimum occupancy threshold for self-catering businesses, which has hit the tourism sector hard. Small business owners across Wales tell me they’re struggling, despite advertising year-round. Instead of supporting these vital parts of our economy, Labour is burdening them with unfair taxes.

The Welsh Conservatives would reverse this trend. We would cut the occupancy threshold to 105 days – in line with HMRC’s definition – and block excessive council tax premiums that hurt local jobs and services.

But back to education: it’s time for the Welsh Government to intervene and stand up for the English-speaking minority in Gwynedd – just as it should stand up for the Welsh-speaking minority in other parts of Wales.

This isn’t about taking a side in some language war. It’s about defending fairness, choice, and the principle that bilingualism should work for communities – not be used as a tool to divide or exclude.

Gwynedd’s approach risks pushing people away from the Welsh language, rather than bringing them in. That undermines the goal of reaching one million Welsh speakers – a goal I continue to support wholeheartedly.

That’s why I’ve written to the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, to request urgent intervention. If the Welsh Government fails to act to protect the rights of citizens, then UK Government must step in to do so.

I am proud to be a Welsh Conservative and a Unionist. I believe in a confident, bilingual Wales – one that respects its history and embraces its future. I will always stand up for our Union and for a Wales where both Welsh and English thrive side by side.