Plaid Cymru ousts Labour in Caerphilly byelection | Wales
Plaid Cymru wins Caerphilly by-election in South Wales; This dramatic outcome signals a sharp realignment in Welsh politics and reverberates throughout Britain.
Rhun ap Iorwerth’s party, which wanted Welsh independence, won the Senedd (Welsh parliament) constituency from Labor and withstood a fierce challenge from Reform UK.
Plaid candidate Lindsay Whittle received 15,961 votes, while Reform UK’s Llyr Powell received 12,113 votes. Labour’s Richard Tunnicliffe received 3,713 votes.
Plaid emerged with a majority of 3,848 votes, with Labor leading by almost 27%.
In his acceptance speech, Whittle joked that he wasn’t used to speaking first.
He asked people to remember the late Hefin David, whose sudden death led to the by-election. “It will be a tough act to follow. I will never replace him, but I promise I will walk the same path he walked.”
“I hope this will be an exciting time for Welsh politics. “I am encouraged by the number of young people participating in this campaign.”
He said: “Listen to Cardiff and listen to Westminster. This is Caerphilly. And we tell you we want a better deal. “Wales is at the dawn of new leadership, a new beginning.”
Reform’s Powell did not speak after the result was announced. He later told reporters he was excited about what the party was building in Wales. “We have eliminated the workforce. This is a big gain for us,” he said.
He rejected the idea that the result was a blow for Nigel Farage and said the party would continue to register more voters and do well in next year’s full Senedd elections.
Plaid’s victory is a major boost for the party, which believes it can end Labor’s century-long dominance in Wales by winning next year’s Senedd elections.
This leaves Labor, which holds 29 of the 60 seats in the Senedd and leads the Welsh government. Struggles to pass 2026-27 budgetThis could leave Welsh people facing cuts to public services.
What happened in Caerphilly was also a blow for UK Labor prime minister Keir Starmer, who has been trying to combat the Reformation wave across Britain.
Immigration made headlines during the midterm election. Immigration is not a devolved issue and only 3% of people in the region were not born in the UK, but Reform has promised to end what Labor and Plaid call the “mass immigration agenda”.
But the result shows that Caerphilly people are more interested in issues that are under the control of Labor in Wales, such as health and education.
Reform’s campaign is likely to have been undermined by the admission of its former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, to bribery charges relating to statements he made in favor of Russia in the European Parliament.
Last month the Plaid leader said next year’s Senedd elections would be a two-horse race between Plaid and Reform.
Voting in next year’s Senedd elections That puts Plaid (30% to 29%) just ahead of Reform, while Labor is on 14% and the Conservatives are on 11%.
Ap Iorwerth He told the Guardian: “The landscape of Welsh politics is changing and Plaid Cymru is the voice of progressive Wales. We have consistent polls showing Plaid Cymru ahead. Reform is also polling well and Labor is falling further behind. I think it’s becoming increasingly clear that this is a two-horse race; Plaid’s vision against the division of Reform.”
Labour’s standing in Wales has fallen off a cliff since Vaughan Gething resigned as first minister last year over the donations scandal. His successor, Eluned Morgan, has tried to draw a line between Welsh Labor and the increasingly unpopular UK party, but has so far failed.
Laura McAllister, a professor at the Center for Governance Wales, said Labor could likely be left with fewer than 10 Senedd members under the new voting system that comes into force next year.
He added: “I have no doubt that we are seeing a fundamental realignment of Welsh politics.”
Labor Party in 2021 Won Caerphilly with 46% of the votefollowed by Plaid (28%). Reform gained only 2%.
