Questions to be asked despite Welsh Labour wins as Reform votes hint at what's to come

Some elections bring more change than others. This has transformed the political landscape here in Wales as much as it has across the UK.

Labour has won 27 of the 32 seats that were up for grabs here, a resounding victory which overturns the losses of 2019.

However, when the celebration dies down, questions will be asked about how worried it should be about its falling share of the vote.

Is that down to apathy or hostility? Was it because of repeated attacks on Labour’s record governing Wales?

However, the immediate losers are the Conservatives who experienced not just a night of losses but a wipeout in Westminster terms.

There are no Welsh Conservative MPs, as was the case in the last Labour landslide of 1997 and repeated in 2001.

There is now one Welsh Liberal Democrat MP which is something the party has long hoped for.

It will now try to use its base in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe to build back in Wales as it has been able to do in England.

Plaid Cymru’s four seats may seem small beer in the context of the 650 MPs headed for Westminster, but in context it has been a very good night for the party.

Boundary changes and the simple fact that Plaid is often drowned out in the noise of Labour and Conservatives battling each other represented significant hurdles, hurdles that they overcame. Not just that but they increased their vote elsewhere, all of which should stand them in good stead for the Senedd election in 2026.

Also looking ahead to that Senedd election is Reform UK. It didn’t win any seats here in Wales but made gains everywhere and came second in 13 Welsh seats.

With a new proportional system in place for 2026, Reform is certain to win a large number of Senedd members.

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