Welsh politics undergoes a seismic shift as Labour loses its historic grip on power

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The 2026 Senedd election marked a historic turning point for Wales. For the first time since devolution began in 1999, Welsh Labour lost its status as the largest party. Plaid Cymru surged to victory, while Reform UK secured second place, signaling a dramatic realignment of the nation's political landscape.

The 2026 election was the seventh devolved general election in Wales, but it operated under a radically transformed system. Following the Senedd Reform Act, the parliament expanded from 60 to 96 members. The electoral process shifted to closed-list proportional representation across sixteen new constituencies, each electing six members. Voters cast a single ballot for a party rather than an individual, and the D'Hondt method determined seat distribution. This overhaul was designed to modernize the legislature, though it also meant that if a member left office, they were replaced by the next candidate on their party's list rather than through a by-election.

The results represented a collapse of Welsh Labour’s long-standing dominance, which had persisted since the 1922 UK general election. Labour fell to third place with only 9 seats, while Plaid Cymru claimed 43 seats, and Reform UK followed with 34. The Wales Green Party also entered the Senedd for the first time with 2 seats. This outcome was particularly notable as First Minister Eluned Morgan became the first UK government leader to lose her own seat while in office. The election saw a record turnout of 51.72%, reflecting the high stakes of the contest.

The political atmosphere leading up to the vote was volatile. Labour had struggled through leadership transitions and scandals involving former First Minister Vaughan Gething, while the cost-of-living crisis and broader UK-wide issues weighed heavily on the electorate. Plaid Cymru’s rise was bolstered by a strong campaign and a shift in voter sentiment that saw Labour lose traditional heartlands. With the Scottish National Party holding power in Scotland and Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, the 2026 result meant that all three devolved nations were led by administrations critical of the UK government, creating a unique constitutional dynamic across the British Isles.

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