Welsh voters believe Plaid Cymru is more likely to stand up for Wales than Labour, says poll

Martin Shipton

New polling results show that only 29% of Welsh voters think Eluned Morgan would challenge Westminster, while Plaid Cymru is seen as the strongest defender of Wales.

The More in Common poll also showed that Reform UK was seen as the party most willing to stand up to Starmer, but the least likely to stand up for Wales itself, compared with 37% of Scots who say the same of Anas Sarwar.

In the context of a leaked memo from Keir Starmer to UK Cabinet members in which he spelled out that the UK Government was happy to encroach on devolved policy areas in Wales and Scotland, More in Common polling examines the challenge facing Welsh and Scottish Labour in demonstrating independence from Westminster.

Scots are more likely to believe Welsh Labour leader Anas Sarwar would challenge Westminster than Welsh voters think Eluned Morgan would. This follows Sarwar’s call for Starmer to stand down - a position that Morgan refused to endorse.

Among all Scots, 37% say Sarwar would prioritise Scotland’s interests and be willing to oppose Labour in Westminster, compared to 35% who think he would prioritise party unity. In Wales, only 29% think Morgan would stand up to Westminster, while 36% think she would prioritise party unity.

Among Labour voters, the gap widens: 63% of Scots who backed Labour in 2024 say Sarwar would prioritise Scotland’s interests, compared to fewer than half (49%) of Welsh Labour voters who say the same of Morgan. So far as Wales is concerned, this ties in with other polling that suggests significant numbers of Labour voters are prepared to switch support to Plaid Cymru.

Both Welsh and Scottish Labour face a credibility challenge on independence from Westminster. Only 28% of Welsh voters say Welsh Labour would stand up to Keir Starmer, compared with 49% for Plaid Cymru and 52% for Reform UK. In Scotland, just 36% say Scottish Labour would stand up to Starmer, well behind the SNP (51%) and Reform (50%).

Proud

Nationalist parties are seen as much more proud and more willing to stand up for their nations than Labour. In Wales, 69% of voters say Plaid Cymru stands up for the country, compared with 45% for Welsh Labour. In Scotland, 74% say the SNP is proud to be Scottish, compared with 46% for Scottish Labour.

The results are based on nationally representative surveys of 851 Welsh adults (16+) and 1,003 Scottish adults (16+) fielded by More in Common from February 15 - March 3, 2026.