UK Labour Party suffers crushing defeat, loses power in Wales for first time since 1999 devolution
The UK Labour Party has lost power in Wales in local elections, marking the first time it has done so since the Welsh Senedd was established in 1999. Plaid Cymru secured the most seats, signifying a major setback for Labour in its traditional stronghold.
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- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 04:29
- 🔍 Collected: May 9, 2026 at 05:01 (32 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 9, 2026 at 05:23 (22 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency London 8th Comprehensive Foreign Report) According to the BBC, the UK Labour Party today lost power in the Wales local elections, marking the first time Labour has lost power since the Welsh Senedd (National Assembly for Wales) was established in 1999. Plaid Cymru won the most seats.
After all 96 seats were tallied, Plaid Cymru secured 43 seats, the anti-immigrant Reform UK came in second with 34 seats, and the Labour Party only managed 9 seats, falling to third place.
For the center-left Labour Party, this is a significant setback in its traditional stronghold. Labour is not only the ruling party of the UK but has also dominated Welsh politics for over a century.
Eluned Morgan, the leader of Welsh Labour, lost her seat and immediately announced her resignation as leader.
She said: "This marks the end of a century-long era of Labour victories in Wales, and the Labour Party must fundamentally reflect and understand the severity of the challenges we face."
Morgan also pointed out that the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer "needs to change direction." Labour also suffered setbacks in local elections in England and Scotland yesterday.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, stated that the election results show that the people of Wales want "a change in leadership."
The Welsh Senedd was established 27 years ago, when the Labour government led by then-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair devolved powers such as healthcare, transport, and social policy from London to new local assemblies in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast. (Compiler: Hsu Ruei-Cheng) 1150509
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(Central News Agency London 8th Comprehensive Foreign Report) According to the BBC, the UK Labour Party today lost power in the Wales local elections, marking the first time Labour has lost power since the Welsh Senedd (National Assembly for Wales) was established in 1999. Plaid Cymru won the most seats.
After all 96 seats were tallied, Plaid Cymru secured 43 seats, the anti-immigrant Reform UK came in second with 34 seats, and the Labour Party only managed 9 seats, falling to third place.
For the center-left Labour Party, this is a significant setback in its traditional stronghold. Labour is not only the ruling party of the UK but has also dominated Welsh politics for over a century.
Eluned Morgan, the leader of Welsh Labour, lost her seat and immediately announced her resignation as leader.
She said: "This marks the end of a century-long era of Labour victories in Wales, and the Labour Party must fundamentally reflect and understand the severity of the challenges we face."
Morgan also pointed out that the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer "needs to change direction." Labour also suffered setbacks in local elections in England and Scotland yesterday.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, stated that the election results show that the people of Wales want "a change in leadership."
The Welsh Senedd was established 27 years ago, when the Labour government led by then-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair devolved powers such as healthcare, transport, and social policy from London to new local assemblies in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast. (Compiler: Hsu Ruei-Cheng) 1150509
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship of yours is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "Firsthand News" App to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio/video of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.