Neil John McEvoy (born 1970) is a Welsh nationalist politician, serving as leader of Propel since 2020, and as a Cardiff Councillor for the Fairwater ward since 2008.

He was elected to the Senedd, then known as the Welsh Assembly, on the Plaid Cymru regional list, under the Additional Member System, and later sat as an independent.

McEvoy stood as a Plaid Cymru candidate in the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election in Cardiff West.

[10] McEvoy did not stand, Plaid did not put forward a candidate, and subsequently former MP Alun Michael won the position for Welsh Labour.

[12] McEvoy also stood as a constituency candidate for Cardiff West once more in the 2016 Assembly elections, which saw Plaid Cymru's share of the vote increase by 11.9%.

His Labour Party opponents described this as hypocrisy, saying that he had previously said it was wrong for people in public office to be a councillor and to work in another job.

[2] In the run-up to the 2017 Cardiff Council election, Wales Online described McEvoy as "arguably the most divisive frontline elected politician in Wales right now" who, despite being "at the forefront of an unprecedented growth of Plaid support and membership in Cardiff" had a "sometimes difficult relationship" with his adopted party, Plaid Cymru.

[18] In August 2019 McEvoy gave an Assembly speech informing First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford of costs of up to £245 to change lightbulbs under the Welsh Government Warm Homes/Arbed Am Byth scheme.

[19] McEvoy responded by accusing the First Minister of discussing the matter with Arbed Am Byth alone, and not investigating contractors directly.

[19] Also in August 2019, McEvoy was included in a list of the AMs with the largest budgets for staff and constituency office costs in the Assembly.

[46] Candidates nominated by the Cardiff West constituency party included a former barrister who had represented McEvoy, and others perceived[clarification needed] as allies.

[45] In response to these proposals, Jones argued that the role of the Chair did not extend to re-admitting expelled members, and that the Plaid National Conference would need to discuss issues such as McEvoy's membership of the party.

[50] In response, McEvoy described the decision as representing "a shameful day for democracy" and said that the party was seeking 'urgent legal advice' as well as a statement from the Speaker's Committee, who oversee the Electoral Commission.

[52] In July 2019, McEvoy's membership dispute with the party became particularly acute, given his stated intention to stand again in Cardiff West in the 2021 Senedd election, challenging Labour’s Mark Drakeford, now First Minister.

After the hearing, Mr McEvoy described the panel proceedings as a "farce", but Plaid chairman Alun Ffred Jones said the matter was "serious because it involves bullying".

[46] Plaid AM Helen Mary Jones however stated that the process was fair, and that the issue had consumed too much of "our time and our resources".

[47] Senedd Commissioner for Standards Sir Roderick Evans resigned on 11 November 2019 after audio transcripts were published containing what McEvoy described as "bias", "really sexist views" about "female lawyers"[48] as well as comments that former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood should "wind her neck in".

[48] The transcripts were quoted in the chamber by Assembly Brexit Party leader Mark Reckless, who later withdrew the comments on the request of the speaker, Elin Jones.

[48] Sir Roderick said McEvoy's conduct was "wholly unacceptable", and Jones requested that South Wales Police investigate the recordings.

[50][51] In 2021, Cardiff Magistrates' Court issued McEvoy with a single justice procedure notice for breaching COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions.

[53] His sister Lisa Ford was a Cardiff councillor for Propel, having resigned from Plaid Cymru at the same time as McEvoy.