JOINT MP PUBLIC STATEMENT
TUESDAY MAY 27 2025
Issued by: Stephen Kinnock MP, Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Torsten Bell MP, Nia Griffith MP, Henry Tufnell MP, Ann Davies MP, Ben Lake MP, Carolyn Harris MP and Chris Elmore MP
On Friday (May 23) we met as a group of MPs with the Chair and Group Chief Executive of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to discuss our concerns over recent developments around the Professional Rugby Agreement as representatives of the constituencies linked with Ospreys and Scarlets regions.
Both Ospreys and Scarlets had committed to signing the new PRA before the collapse of Cardiff Rugby and its subsequent rescue by the WRU. Following that event the clubs requested assurances of fairness and equality for all clubs. The request from clubs was not with a mind to gaining an advantage for themselves, but to help ensure a positive future for the whole of Welsh rugby.
Rugby is central to our communities, not just at a professional level, but in schools, local clubs, and grassroots settings across the country. Wales’ professional clubs understand that they play a critical role in supporting the rugby ecosystem as well as the social and economic fabric of Welsh communities.
Rugby is a game that is built on respect. It is imperative that the WRU treats each of Wales’ professional clubs with respect and fairness and that no club is handed an advantage at the expense of others. Without our professional clubs everyone – schools, local rugby clubs and the wider community – suffers.
The uncertainty that the WRU’s actions and announcements have caused is leading to further destabilisation of Welsh rugby and everything which relies upon it.
Both clubs have both assured us they remain committed to working collaboratively with the WRU to reach an agreement that gives fair treatment to all.
We urge the WRU to return to the discussion table to provide the assurances of fairness and equality for all clubs that Ospreys and Scarlets have requested in the best interests of Welsh rugby.