![\"Plaid](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1c84e25d-69b7-46e7-a333-0333c205670a.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNigel Farage\u2019s party was hoping to win its first seat at the ballot box in the Caerphilly constituency and pledged to \u201cthrow everything\u201d at its campaign.<\/p>\n
But Plaid has emerged victorious with a majority of 3,848 votes, and a swing of almost 27pc from Labour, on a high turnout of more than 50pc.<\/p>\n
The result will embolden Plaid in its efforts to enter government in Wales next year, and is a bitter blow for Labour, which had held the seat since the Senedd was first established in 1999.<\/p>\n
Lindsay Whittle received 15,961 votes, more than 47pc of the total, which is up almost 19pc from the 2021 result in the constituency with a swing from Labour of almost 27pc.<\/p>\n
Reform candidate Llyr Powell got 12,113 votes \u2013 the party had only 495 four years ago \u2013 with Labour\u2019s Richard Tunnicliffe trailing on 3,713, down from 13,289 in 2021, when there was a lower turnout.<\/p>\n
Conservative candidate Gareth Potter received just 690 votes, with the Greens and Liberal Democrats getting 516 and 497 respectively.<\/p>\n
Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, said: \u201cTonight, the people of Caerphilly have spoken loud and clear.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle celebrates after being declared winner for the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, at Caerphilly Leisure Centre. Andrew Matthews\/PA Wire<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve chosen hope over division, and progress over the tired status quo, and backed Plaid Cymru\u2019s positive, pro-Wales vision.<\/p>\n
\u201cLindsay Whittle is a tireless local champion who knows every community in this constituency inside out and will deliver real change for the people of Caerphilly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cThis result shows that Plaid is no longer just an alternative.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now the real choice for Wales, the only party able to stop billionaire-backed Reform and offering a better future that works for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message from Caerphilly is clear: Wales is ready for new leadership, and Plaid Cymru is leading the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Whittle said: \u201cI\u2019ve spent my whole life fighting for this community, and I won\u2019t stop now.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight\u2019s result shows what\u2019s possible when people come together to back practical solutions and protect what matters most.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve beaten billionaire-backed Reform and, with the same determination, we can do it again in May 2026. Caerphilly has shown the way \u2013 now Wales must follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Plaid](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/e38c9ab9-a14f-4b2e-88f9-547bb1595517.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle (left) after being declared winner for the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, at Caerphilly Leisure Centre. Andrew Matthews\/PA Wire<\/p>\n
In his victory speech, he paid tribute to Hefin Wyn David, who had served as Member of the Senedd for Caerphilly since 2016, and died in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that this will be now an exciting time for politics in Wales,\u201d Mr Whittle added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been absolutely heartened by the number of young people who\u2019ve been involved in this campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen Westminster, this is Caerphilly, and Wales, telling you we want a better deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are at the dawn of new leadership, we are at the dawn of a new beginning and I look forward to playing my part for a new Wales, and in particular for the people of the Caerphilly constituency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank you with all of my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Powell said Reform was the one party surging in Caerphilly and he thought it would form a government in Wales in 2026.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think, next May, we\u2019re going to form a Reform government, so I\u2019m looking forward to that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what we\u2019re seeing, we\u2019ve got more people turning out to vote now when they\u2019ve got a party they believe in, and that\u2019s what Reform is offering.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat my goal in the next coming weeks is going to be is to register more people to vote, to encourage more people to use their democratic right, and we will see different results.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m very excited for what we\u2019re building here in Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving forward, you can see Labour in decline, and there\u2019s one party that\u2019s surging here, and you can see from tonight\u2019s result that\u2019s Reform UK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labour has led the Welsh Parliament since the devolved administration was first established in 1999.<\/p>\n
But in recent polling, Plaid Cymru and Reform UK were forecast to be the two biggest parties in Wales next year.<\/p>\n
The victory for Plaid Cymru comes in the run-up to a vote on the Welsh Government budget, which has been a source of anxiety for the Labour administration.<\/p>\n
When passing its last budget in March, the Government needed the help of an opposition member to get it through by a tight margin.<\/p>\n
While Labour is the largest party, it does not have a majority, and the next budget vote will be even more difficult after losing the Caerphilly seat.<\/p>\n
First Minister Eluned Morgan said: \u201cThis was a by-election in the toughest of circumstances, and in the midst of difficult headwinds nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cWelsh Labour has heard the frustration on doorsteps in Caerphilly that the need to feel change in people\u2019s lives has not been quick enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take our share of the responsibility for this result.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are listening, we are learning the lessons, and we will be come back stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nigel Farage\u2019s party was hoping to win its first seat at the ballot box in the Caerphilly constituency…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,13,14,6,11,23,12,15,16,5,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-143780","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-featured-news","11":"tag-featurednews","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-latest-news","14":"tag-latest-news-ticker","15":"tag-latestnews","16":"tag-main-news","17":"tag-mainnews","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-top-stories","20":"tag-topstories","21":"tag-world","22":"tag-world-news","23":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115432096052563348","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}