Tributes paid to 'nation's perfect son', Plaid AM Steffan Lewis

Tributes have been paid to the assembly member Steffan Lewis, who died at the age of 34 last week after suffering with terminal bowel cancer.

AMs stood for a minute's silence in the Senedd in honour of the Plaid AM.

They praised the impact Mr Lewis had made in his short time in public life.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price led tributes, calling the politician the "nation's perfect son" who had the qualities to become "the father of the nation".

First minister Mark Drakeford called him a "sensitive, committed" and "funny person, somebody whose company you wanted to be in".

"Steffan was both ordinary and extraordinary", said presiding officer Elin Jones. "He was kind and sincere and completely serious about the ambition of his country."

Steffan Lewis, who was elected as an AM less than three years ago, is survived by his wife Shona and his son Celyn.

"Wales is a small nation, but every now and then we breed giants," said Mr Price.

He said Mr Lewis addressed Plaid Cymru conference for the first time at the age of 14. "There was incredible depth to his character from the outset," he said.

"Steffan was every bit the definition of a passionate Welshman. But, he was also a man of Gwent, and he saw in the triumphs and tragedies of that great county the key to understanding the problems and possibilities of the nation as a whole."

"You made us all proud, Steffan," Mr Price said, adding: "Steffan had all the qualities to become, one day, the father of the nation. That, sadly, cannot be, but he was the nation's perfect son."

Mark Drakeford, first minister, told the chamber: "He was, as you all know, a thoughtful, sensitive and committed individual, but he was a funny person, somebody whose company you wanted to be in, somebody who you learnt a lot from even in those more casual moments."

Mr Drakeford had worked with Mr Lewis in forging the joint Welsh Government-Plaid Cymru Brexit policy.

The first minister said it was a "document that has served us so well in the past two years and will go on, I know, being a touchstone of the sort of nation that we want to be in the context we find ourselves in today".

The first minister was one of a number of Labour AMs who shared their memories of Mr Lewis. Mr Drakeford's predecessor Carwyn Jones said he "found his contribution to the debate on Brexit to be invaluable".

"It's difficult to conceive that Steffan was a member of the assembly for such a short time, so great was his contribution," he said.

Fighting back tears Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood, who had employed the activist as an adviser before he joined the assembly, turned to Mr Lewis' family who were sat in the public gallery.

"All of us in the Plaid Cymru family are beyond devastated that we've lost our friend and colleague, and our hearts go out to his family, who I know are in incredible pain at his loss," she said.

"As others have said, his contributions, especially on Brexit but on other matters too, were always considered, measured, well informed, and more often than not - not always, but more often than not - Steffan would end up being proved right," he said.

Conservative party group leader Paul Davies said not only did Mr Lewis "put forward powerful and intelligent arguments, he also had always something new to add to the debate".

David Melding, Tory AM for South Wales Central, said Mr Lewis' knowledge and use of parliamentary process allowed him to promote the concept of the Continuity Act - a proposal for EU law to be maintained in Welsh law.

The proposal was eventually put forward by the Welsh Government and briefly made law, as part of the negotiations with the UK government over Brexit legislation.

Mr Melding said this "put pressure on the Welsh and the UK Governments at a key moment in our history as an institution". Mr Jones told the chamber Mr Lewis was the first AM to raise the idea.

UKIP's David Rowlands said "all in this Chamber will agree with me that we have lost one of our most able AMs."

Elin Jones closed tributes. Steffan Lewis "didn't type," she said. "He had his computer disabled when he took his seat so he could listen to debates and take part in debate."

"Of course, he learnt there was a downside to that, as he then couldn't message me to ask to be called in a debate.

"However, he quickly learned that a cheeky smile or a phone text, or Siân Gwenllian, was just as persuasive to get himself called to speak.

"And who wouldn't call Steffan Lewis? What he had to say was worth hearing." Ms Lewis said Mr Lewis was the one to "challenge the orthodoxy of the day, and that happened as much within Plaid Cymru as it did within this Chamber".

"His example will drive a number of us to work harder for the nation and the country and the community, in his name", she added.