A Plaid Cymru candidate has sparked divide after suggesting she would be unable to work traditional hours despite standing for a Senedd role set to pay close to £80,000. This comes as salaries for members of the Senedd are due to rise significantly after the 2026 election. The Senedd's independent remuneration board has confirmed the base salary for politicians will be £79,817 following the election, up from £67,694 at the start of the current term in 2021, with further increases for those holding senior positions.
Kayleigh Unitt is the third-place candidate for Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales in Flintshire in the Senedd Cymru elections. A social media influencer with a significant online following, she has used her platform to highlight local concerns and engage younger voters who are often less involved in traditional political campaigning. She has built a platform of over 119,000 followers and occasionally shares her own life online, including her own experiences with a chronic illness as part of her disability advocacy.
In a video shared on social media, candidate Kayleigh Unitt, who is standing in Fflint-Wrecsam said her health prevents her from committing to a conventional working pattern. In the clip she spoke about what living with a disability means. She said: "I would love to work a 9 to 5, but my health just won't let me."
"When it comes to like oh we'll go out and we'll canvas, I would love to commit to doing every single session but I'm not reliable because my health is not reliable."
She added: "We don't live in a society that is set up for me to exist at a 9 to 5 level.
"I think it's the billionaires who actually don't want to work cause they just rake in the money. They don't do anything do they. They're all building rockets to leave."
The remarks have drawn criticism online, with some questioning whether someone who cannot commit to regular hours should seek elected office.
A social media user called Jonathan Wong, who shared the clip online, wrote: "If she wins her seat, she will be on an £80,000 salary, not working 9 to 5 for her constituents. Can't wait for the celebratory TikTok dance videos though..."
Another added: "Meanwhile, her constituents will be working 8am-6pm days a week on 30 grand a year while she's dancing around doing f**k all on 80 grand a year."
Another commented: "She would love to work 9 to 5, yet a lot of us HAVE to work 9 to 5, and more, just to bloody exist."
Others were more sympathetic to the challenges facing Ms Unitt.
One social media user using the name Hugh_Jolley said: "I think she's describing mental health issues. Depression and anxiety can be debilitating and play havoc with your life. It isn't a 24/7 presentation. It is peaks and troughs. It is nothing to do with her upbringing & we shouldn't ridicule people for their honesty when talking about these things.
"Whilst her hours may not be consistent 9-5, the overall effort may well be equal to or greater than others. We shouldn't write these people off for flexible working hours."
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson hit back at the outrage, insisting that Ms Unitt's openness about the impact of her condition should be celebrated, revealing that she had sadly been on the receiving end of a tirade of abuse following her comments.
The spokesperson said: "Kayleigh has been open about living with a disability and how it can affect her energy and working patterns. That transparency should be recognised as a strength, not used to question her worth.
"Disability is a protected characteristic, and implying that disabled people are less deserving of public office or fair pay risks reinforcing outdated and harmful stereotypes."
Because the 2026 election uses a 'closed proportional list system,' voters in Fflint-Wrecsam will vote for a party rather than an individual. If Plaid Cymru wins enough of the vote share in that region to secure three seats, Unitt would be elected to the Senedd.
Fflint-Wrecsam is one of 16 new six-member constituencies created as part of the Senedd reform which increased the total number of members from 60 to 96.
