A Game of Thrones star who lives on the Pembrokeshire coast has urged voters to back Plaid Cymru or the Green Party on Thursday – saying the Senedd election could be the best chance to block a controversial US military radar project from being built on the Pembrokeshire coastline.
Jerome Flynn – best known for his roles in Soldier Soldier, Robson and Jerome and as Bronn in Game of Thrones – posted a video to social media on Tuesday calling the election “probably the most crucial vote we’ve made in 25 years.”
Flynn lives within a few miles of Cawdor Barracks in Pembrokeshire, where the US military’s Deep Space Advanced Radar Concept – known as DARC – has been proposed.
The Ministry of Defence submitted a planning application to Pembrokeshire County Council earlier in April for 27 radar dishes on the site.
The application is currently in its publicity phase and open for public objections until 20 May.
In his video, Flynn described DARC as “the most unspeakably abominable planning application led by the US military, backed by Donald Trump to place 27 radar dishes right on the edge of our beloved coastal national park.”
He said the election was crucial because whoever forms the next Welsh Government will have the power to “call in” the planning application – a mechanism that applies to planning applications of national significance, giving the Welsh Government the power to override Pembrokeshire County Council and take responsibility for the decision itself.
Flynn said only two parties had made firm commitments to oppose DARC. “It’s not a done deal because Plaid Cymru and the Greens have both made party-led decisions to say no to Westminster,” he said. “We’re not having such a thing on our beloved coast.”
First Minister Eluned Morgan earlier called for a pause to the DARC project while Donald Trump remains in the White House, but stopped short of calling for the project to be abandoned entirely.
The PARC Against DARC campaign – which was set up in 2024 to oppose the radar – said it had delivered 22,000 leaflets across Pembrokeshire in recent weeks. Campaigners argue that Morgan’s position does not go far enough, and that only Plaid Cymru and the Greens have made a full party-level commitment to stop the project.
The campaign is also directing residents to submit objections to the planning application before the 20 May deadline, using a one-click tool at parcagainstdarc.com.
The planning application was lodged earlier in April and has already drawn significant public attention, with campaigners arguing the project would make Pembrokeshire a priority military target and give the US military the ability to track space assets from Welsh soil.
Flynn – who is known for speaking out on environmental and ecological issues and has previously backed the campaign to devolve the Crown Estate in Wales – described St Davids as “the spiritual home of Wales” in his video.
He concluded with a direct appeal to voters. “Vote with your heart because we can make a difference here – we could put in a government that cares about our land, our people and our environment,” he said.
The Senedd election takes place on Thursday 7 May. The count and results are expected on Friday 8 May.
Anyone wishing to submit an objection to the DARC planning application can do so at parcagainstdarc.com/planning before 20 May.
