Caerphilly byelection result live: Plaid Cyrmu beats challenge from Reform UK to win pivotal Welsh parliament vote | Byelections
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Plaid beats challenge from Reform to win byelection
Plaid candidate Lindsay Whittle has been announced as the byelection winner.
White received 15,961 votes, it was announced at the counting centre, while Reform’s Llyr Powell received 12,113.
Whittle has spoken – we’ll bring you his comments in a moment.
“It’s 14th time lucky for Lindsay Whittle,” the audience at the counting centre is told of the candidate, who has been a local councillor for half a century.
Key events
Welsh Labour’s leader, Eluned Morgan, says it has “heard the frustration on doorsteps in Caerphilly” and that it takes its share of the responsibility for the byelection loss.
A statement from Morgan said:
This was a byelection in the toughest of circumstances, and in the midst of difficult headwinds nationally. I want to thank our candidate, Richard Tunnicliffe – a good man who stood because of his desire to serve his community.
I congratulate Lindsey Whittle on his victory tonight. He returns to the Senedd, continuing his many decades of elected service to people in Caerphilly.
Welsh Labour has heard the frustration on doorsteps in Caerphilly that the need to feel change in people’s lives has not been quick enough. We take our share of the responsibility for this result. We are listening, we are learning the lessons, and we will be come back stronger.
Plaid Cymru’s byelection win in south Wales is a dramatic result signalling a sharp realignment in Welsh politics with repercussions for the whole of Britain, writes Steven Morris his full report on the win.
Rhun ap Iorwerth’s party, which wants Wales to become independent, seized the Senedd (Welsh parliament) constituency from Labour and resisted a fierce challenge from Reform UK.
“Listen Cardiff and listen Westminster,” Plaid’s Lindsay Whittle said after his win. “This is Caerphilly. And we are telling you we want a better deal. Wales is at the dawn of a new leadership, a new beginning.”
See the full report here:
Steven Morris
The most senior Labour figure at the count, Huw Irranca-Davies – the deputy first minister of Wales – accepted the party would have to think deeply about the result but struck a defiant tone.
He said:
Some people are now writing us off. I have to paraphrase Mark Twain: rumours about death are greatly exaggerated. We are a formidable force and there are deep roots of Labour in these communities.
Going forward, what we need to do is actually be very bold, very brave and on the front foot and actually deal with the doom-mongers that only want to sow the politics of discord and discontent and get on the front foot again. Politics is always won by hope and aspiration and being on the side of people and saying you can have a better future.
Irranca-Davies also said:
There have been occasions before where Wales has lost seats that are deep red and on those occasions we’ve come back and we’ve bounced back. And the reason we’ve bounced back is we’ve come back having listened and come back with a compelling vision for people that is better than the doom and discord of people like Reform.
Reform is utter doom, utter misery, utter everybody else’s fault. And what we need to say to people is actually there is a different type of politics here. You’ve seen this not just within the UK over decades but internationally, the best leaders are the ones that can lift people’s heads up and say we can be better so much better than this. So it’s all to play for.
I have no difficulty being written off as my party as the underdog in this. Underdogs could bite back.
Steven Morris
The Plaid leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said the result meant his party was in the driving seat to take control of the Welsh government at next year’s Senedd elections.
He said:
We had a very clear message that we wanted to get across to people – the strength of our candidate, our commitment to this area where Plaid Cymru has roots going back so so many years and the fact that we as a party are in a place where we are setting sights on leading government from next year.
Plus also of course there was the element of wanting to stop Reform and showing that we could stop Reform here in Wales.
Ap Iorwerth said the party would now set its sights on winning power.
There is deep, deep disillusionment with Labour, both on a UK level and at a Welsh government level, and the people are looking for new leadership. A Plaid Cymru win here tonight is the clearest evidence yet of who is in the driving seat to lead government for next year. I want people to see Plaid Cymru as being that positive alternative.
We’ve known throughout this campaign that the results here would have a real bearing on how people would consider their options ahead of next May. This is about the future of Wales, about us, as a Plaid Cymru team, working with the people of Wales to change Wales forever.
Ap Iorwerth said Plaid had to show voters there was an alternative to Reform. “
What we are trying to do is persuade them that there’s a positive alternative. We need parties with ideas, with the energy, with the drive, and a focus on the future of Wales. And I don’t think Reform have shown in anything that they’ve done that they are particularly interested in Wales. It’s all about getting Nigel Farage to Downing Street.
Steven Morris
The losing Reform candidate, Llŷr Powell, made no speech from the stage after the result was announced. Speaking to reporters, he said he was excited at what the party had built in Wales.
We decimated Labour. It’s a massive gain for us here.
Powell rejected the idea the result was a blow for Nigel Farage and said the party would continue to get more voters registered and would do well at next year’s full Senedd elections.
Steven Morris
The losing Labour candidate, Richard Tunnicliffe, said his party had run a positive campaign and had knocked on 75,000 doors.
He said Labour would campaign hard ahead of next year’s full Senedd elections.
Steven Morris
In his acceptance speech, the winning Plaid candidate, Lindsay Whittle, joked he was not used to speaking first.
He asked people to remember the late Hefin David, whose sudden death led to the byelection. “He will be a hard act to follow. I will never fill his shoes but I promise I will walk the same path that he did.
“I hope this will be an exciting time for politics in Wales. I’ve been heartened by the number of young people who have been involved in this campaign.
Whittle also said:
Listen Cardiff and listen Westminster. This is Caerphilly. And we are telling you we want a better deal. Wales is at the dawn of a new leadership, a new beginning.
How each candidate polled
The vote numbers for the eight candidates in the byelection have been reported as:
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Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle – 15,961
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Reform UK’s Llyr Powell – 12,113
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Labour’s Richard Tunnicliffe – 3,713
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Conservatives’ Gareth Potter – 690
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Greens’ Gareth Hughes – 516
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Liberal Democrats’ Steve Aicheler – 497
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Gwlad’s Anthony Cook – 117
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Ukip’s Roger Quilliam – 79
Whittle to Westminster: ‘Don’t take us for granted’
Lindsay Whittle has said the message to Westminster from his byelection win is:
Don’t take us for granted. That’s what’s happened in the past.
More on this shortly.
Plaid beats challenge from Reform to win byelection
Plaid candidate Lindsay Whittle has been announced as the byelection winner.
White received 15,961 votes, it was announced at the counting centre, while Reform’s Llyr Powell received 12,113.
Whittle has spoken – we’ll bring you his comments in a moment.
“It’s 14th time lucky for Lindsay Whittle,” the audience at the counting centre is told of the candidate, who has been a local councillor for half a century.
The byelection candidates are being summoned to the stage at the Caerphilly leisure centre – a result could be immindent.
