Plaid Cymru fought off a challenge from Reform UK to win the Caerphilly by-election on Friday, securing more than 45 per cent of the vote, with Nigel Farage’s party in second and Labour – who have led the Welsh parliament since its inception – coming third.
The result comes ahead of crucial elections to the Senedd in 2026, with Labour trailing in the polls.
What have Plaid said about the election result, and what could happen next?
What happened in Thursday’s vote?
Plaid Cymru won the Senedd by-election, with Lindsay Whittle elected to represent the seat of Caerphilly with 47 per cent of the vote.
They beat Nigel Farage’s Reform UK into second place, while Labour trailed in third with only 11 per cent of the vote, and the Conservatives in a distant fourth.
What has the party leader said?
Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has hailed the by-election result as “real evidence” that people are putting their “faith” in the party.
Speaking on Friday in the wake of the by-election result, he said that Welsh Labour “do nothing to stand up for the people of Wales”.
“It’s clear from the results here in Caerphilly that the momentum is with Plaid Cymru now, it hasn’t come from thin air,” he said.
“We had our best-ever general election results last year, we’ve seen Plaid Cymru topping the polls for some time now.
“What we have now is that real evidence through the ballot box of people putting their faith in Plaid Cymru in ways that they’ve never done before, and that all points to people embracing the chance of having a Plaid Cymru-led government for the first time.”
He suggested that people are “disillusioned” with the Westminster government, with cuts to winter fuel payment among the issues.
“All the time Welsh Labour do nothing to stand up for the people of Wales,” he said.
“It’s a catalogue of reasons why people now have recognised that it’s time for Labour to go, and it’s Plaid Cymru now that’s ready to replace them as a government of Wales.”
What are some of Plaid’s policies?
Plaid Cymru think that independence is the “best way to deliver real fairness” in Wales and have said that they want to prepare papers on how the country could work towards independence. They also believe that the power to call a referendum should lie with the parliament in Cardiff Bay, rather than in Westminster.
They also want to raise the “status” of the Welsh language and commit extra funding to support more people to speak Welsh. They want to give targets to increase for the number of subjects taught in Welsh in schools and develop the use of Welsh in healthcare.
What could happen in 2026?
Next year voters across Wales will go to the polls to elect members of the Senedd, and polling guru Sir John Curtice has said that Plaid are “now well placed to provide Wales with its next first minister”.
Labour have run the Senedd since its inception in 1999, but are now polling in third position behind Plaid and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, according to figures from YouGov released in September.
Sir John said that while Reform will be “disappointed” to have not won Thursday’s vote, he told the BBC: “I don’t think we should run away with the idea that this, in any way, suggests that Nigel Farage’s bubble is burst.”
Voters are due to go to the polls on May 7 2026, the same day as elections for the seats in the Scottish parliament and all London borough councils.
What happened at the last general election?
The party have four MPs in Westminster, led by Liz Saville Roberts who represents Dwyfor Meirionnydd.
Plaid’s 2024 general election manifesto said that the party offers “a real alternative for Wales” compared to Labour and the Conservatives.
Their election pledges included “fair funding for Wales”, as they pledged to push on money for Wales to invest in public transport, as well as promises to push on more money to help families deal with the cost of living and redressing what they called “ecomomic unfairness”.
The manifesto promised that Plaid is “a party for the whole of Wales” with candidates “rooted in their communities and passionate about overcoming the challenges facing our economy and public services”.
Among their other policies were a national care service for Wales, and “fair rents” to help people not be priced out of where they live.
