Roberts served as Organising Secretary for Plaid from 1957,[2][3] then in 1960, became its General Secretary, serving for four years.[4]
In 1964, Roberts left politics to take a prominent civil service job, but he quit this in 1972 to stand as the party's candidate in the Merthyr Tydfil by-election. He took a strong second place with 37% of the vote, providing hope for the party that they would gain seats in the next general election.[4] He stood again in Merthyr Tydfil in the February and October 1974 general elections, gradually losing vote share. However, he was elected to Merthyr District Council, where he led the group of Plaid councillors. Under the leadership of Roberts, in 1976, Plaid took control of the council,[5] the first authority it had ever run.[6] They retained control until 1979.[2]
In 1979, Roberts was elected as Vice President of Plaid, serving until 1981.[2]
In 2016, Roberts supported Brexit and subsequently wrote regular letters to the Western Mail in support of leaving the European Union.[7]