Fri, 7th August Cardiff 17°
Nation.Cymru wordmark
Advertisement

News

Plaid Cymru claims 'Labour’s ship has sailed in Wales' after Caerphilly drubbing

By Mark Mansfield
Liz Saville Roberts, MP

Plaid Cymru has accused Labour of taking Wales for granted after the party’s crushing defeat in the Caerphilly by-election.

The party’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP also hit back at comments made by Health Secretary Wes Streeting who, while describing Labour’s performance in Caerphilly as “terrible”, suggested the loss in part was because the public were “not yet feeling the change” the party had promised.

Mr Streeting compared the defeat on Thursday to Labour’s shock loss of Hartlepool in 2021, which he said had been a “shock to Labour’s core” and forced the party to rethink its message.

But Ms Saville Roberts said the Caerphilly result, which saw Plaid’s Lindsay Whittle win the seat with 15,960 votes, ahead of Reform UK on 12,113, while Labour trailed in third with just 3,713 votes, showed a deeper shift in Welsh politics.

[mid-content-banner]

'Compelling'

Reacting to the result, Mr Streeting said: “If I have one criticism of us collectively as a team, we are not telling a compelling enough story about who we are, who we’re for, and what it is we are driving to do.

"Take that result in Caerphilly on the chin, take it to heart, and show the same level of ambition and drive the public are crying out for.”

Responding to the comments on Sky News’ Sunday with Trevor Phillips, Ms Saville Roberts said: “Wes Streeting says Labour lost because they aren’t telling a compelling story about who they are and who they’re for.

“No! Voters in Caerffili know exactly who Labour is — a party that takes Wales for granted and refuses to take bold action to improve people’s lives.

“Voters supported Plaid Cymru because of our moral clarity in opposing Reform’s toxic rhetoric and they believed it because, unlike Labour, we never equivocated or copied Reform’s policies for months.

“The catastrophic result for Labour proves their ship has sailed in Wales. It is now Plaid Cymru’s task to fix their mess and build a brighter future for our nation.”

[lower-mid-content-banner]

Significant

The Senedd by-election, triggered by the death of long-serving Labour MS Hefin David, has been described as one of the most significant in the history of the Senedd.

Caerphilly has been a Labour stronghold for decades, but Thursday’s result marks the first time Plaid Cymru has won the seat.

The outcome has also deepened Labour’s internal unease, coming just months after its general election landslide in Westminster, with an opinion poll earlier this month placing Reform UK on 36pc, ahead of Labour on 21pc and with the Conservatives trailing on just 15pc at the next Westminster election.

Based on these figures, Reform is predicted to secure 367 seats with an outright majority of 84, leaving Labour on 117 seats and the Liberal Democrats on 58.

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News

9 comments

Amir

I am ecstatic that PC won. Now, the new MS needs to start talking up and getting things done for Caerphilly. But if labour want any chance of securing any seats at the next election, they need to devolve crowns estates to Wales and start spending money. Or the change mantra spouted by deform will overshadow any change mantra by labour not that I heard much from them.

Reply
Rob W

I suspect the next Westminster election could see the same sort of tactical voting that we saw in Caerphilly last week. There will be a whole host of localised polling results published in different constituencies that will pinpoint which particular progressive party that is best placed to beat Reform in their constituency.

Reply
Fanny Hill

Hopefully., but then again we may be looking at a Reform party which has fallen apart if further evidence comes to light of further collusion with Russia.

Reply
Mab Meirion

Do Plaid have the brains, ability and talent to govern Cymru... A team sheet with the players' skills laid out... Oh! closed lists and other secrets, it is going to be hard to be impartial enough to do the right thing for Cymru at all times... Due Diligence must be taught to degree level and integrity foremost in making choices for Cymru's environmental future...

Reply
Gary225

Plaid have more brains than I've witnessed from Labour. If they want to win it's a no brainer : devolve police and justice, transfer crown estates, pay us the HS2 and Varsity Line consequentials, and sack Jo Stephens for a start. Then become in indelendent Welsh Socialist party.

Reply
Undecided

The acid test is whether Plaid are doing the “boring” stuff behind scenes to prepare for government. A clear message from Caerphilly is that people are fed up with the inaction of Labour (at both ends of the M4) replaced by endless consultation, process and rule by lawyers. Plaid needs to change that system quickly or they will become trapped in it.

Reply
Richard Lice

The reality is east of Caerphilly Plaid do not have boots on the ground and little presence. . They hardly feature in Newport and didn't even have a candidate to stand in the council by -election in Trevethin in Torfaen., That was unlikely to have been won but nevertheless a valuable opp. missed to engage directly with the community. It was significant as It was Reform's first elected seat in Wales which they have used as a platform . In fact many from there were bussed into Caerphilly to support Reform

Reply
Garycymru

We knew all of the above about labour, and good riddance, but Plaid cannot rest on their laurels. We need to see far more of them in Monmouthshire, they need to start making solid plans to drive forward successfully and also, as we saw by the result, there are a significantly dangerous amount of Wales haters who have been duped by our Russian owned media.

Reply
Ernie The Smallholder

In Wales as elsewhere both the Labour and Conservative parties have been conducting their message on UKIP/Reform terms. Learn from the lessons of Germany 1920s, when the old conservative party were completely eaten live by the Nazis. Labour and Conservative in Wales and England are losing to UKIP/Brexit/Reform because they accept reform's terms of debate. Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru, The Green party, and Liberal Democrats are presenting a real alternative to the monopolised economic system of growing inequality that is the real causes of disillusionment in politics today. That's why Plaid Cymru, Green party and Liberal democrats are growing support and in the best position to stop fascism in its tracks.

Reply

Leave a reply

Replying to Gary225 Cancel

Plaid have more brains than I've witnessed from Labour. If they want to win it's a no brainer : devolve police and justice, transfer crown estates, pay us the HS2 and Varsity Line consequentials, and sack Jo Stephens for a start. Then becom...

Comments are reviewed before they appear.