𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Labour has suffered a humiliating wipeout in Wales as the party lost there for the first time in 100 years. Support for Keir Starmer’s party collapsed, potentially leading to a third-place finish and a total demolition in its traditional heartlands. Labour’s share of the vote vanished to just 11.5%, plunging the party into crisis. And the vote was particularly damning, as the politicians who survived the onslaught will sit on an expanded 96-seat Senedd.

The Welsh First Minister, Eluned Morgan, was among those to be booted out of office as Labour even lost the seat which was home to former leader Neil Kinnock and the birthplace of Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS. Baroness Morgan revealed last night she was quitting as Welsh Labour leader, before blasting the Prime Minister. She said: “It ends a century of Labour winning in Wales, and the party will need to take a really hard look at itself and understand the depth of the challenge that we face. Today’s politics is faster and harder. It rewards noise over truth. We need to understand that world. We need to hold onto our values. Our values in the Labour Party are those of fairness, solidarity and community.

“It is clear that results across the United Kingdom have demonstrated deep frustration with the Labour Party. We need to go back to being the party of the working class. We need the Labour Government nationally to change course. We need the wealth of this nation to be more equally distributed away from the South East.”

Labour won just nine seats in the Senedd elections. Plaid Cymru were victorious with 43 seats, nine ahead of Reform’s 34.

Alarmingly for Labour strategists, they only won 2 more seats than the Conservatives.

The Greens won 2, while the Liberal Democrats claimed a solitary seat.

And Sir Keir’s disastrous local elections continued north of the border, with Labour suffering a bruising defeat in Scotland at the hands of the Scottish National Party.

SNP chiefs felt so confident of success that they effectively declared victory before all of the votes had been counted, while Labour’s Anas Sarwar conceded defeat.

The scale of the defeat in Wales has threatened to open up a new civil war in the party. Mainstream, a body backed by Andy Burnham, said that the defeat was “manufactured in Westminster”.

Kerry Postlewhite, chairman of the Mainstream Interim Council, said: “Labour and Wales have shared a political bond forged over generations, and Welsh Labour has achieved things that matter deeply to communities across the country.

“These results are painful for many people. But we should be honest: this is not simply a verdict on Welsh Labour or the work of the Welsh Government. It reflects a much wider frustration with politics and with Labour nationally

“People want to know that Labour understands the pressures they’re under, and that we are prepared to change. This is not the time for defensiveness or excuses from Westminster; this is a defeat manufactured in Westminster.”

Reform UK’s leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, declared: “For decades the Welsh Valleys and cities such as Islwyn and Newport have been ignored, let down and forgotten by the old parties of Wales. Today, the people have spoken, and now in Reform, they finally have a voice.

“Labour’s historic demise in their heartland is a lesson for all politicians to never forget the people who elected you. We must always work for the people, not against them.”

Mr Thomas added: “In just five years, Reform has gone from winning 1% of the vote in the Senedd elections to being the main contender for government, smashing Labour in the process.

“It has taken Plaid Cymru decades to come anywhere near to the same. The momentum is with Reform because we are the people’s army.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said Wales “demanded change” in this election.

He said: “Today is about the future of our communities here and our nation as a whole. As the story of this election has emerged today, it has become clear that Wales demanded that change of leadership, and I look forward to saying more about this later, as the full picture becomes complete.

“My sense of service to my community and my belief in our nation drives me every single day, and Plaid Cymru is ready to serve not just those who entrusted their votes to us here, but all of the citizens of Wales that have a stake in our nation’s future.”

In Scotland, the SNP is projected to win the most seats but fall narrowly short of a majority. First Minister John Swinney accused Sir Keir Starmer’s party of running a negative campaign. He said: “They have essentially said to people to vote against the SNP, they’ve not given people any reasons to vote for the Labour Party.

“I set out an ambitious agenda to continue the improvements in the National Health Service, to deliver practical support, to tackle the cost of living challenges that members of the public face, and offer people in Scotland the opportunity of a fresh start with independence. You’ve got to motivate people with your message and your ideas and your hopes. The SNP has done that, and the Labour Party hasn’t.”

Elsewhere the SNP saw current Westminster leader Stephen Flynn elected as the MSP for Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine, with fellow SNP MP Stephen Gethins also swapping Westminster for Holyrood after being elected in Dundee City East.

And Mr Flynn vowed to push for another independence referendum.