The ruling British Labour Party suffered a significant loss on Friday, conceding a seat in the regional parliament of Wales, a traditional stronghold of theirs. In the by-elections in Caerphilly, southern Wales, the Labour Party only secured third place, with just 11% of the votes, a disappointing performance considering they had never lost this seat until now. The Welsh nationalist candidate Plaid Cymru won, followed by the anti-immigration party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, which obtained 36% of the votes. Lindsay Whittle, the winning candidate, stated that Labour's votes "have evaporated".
This loss reflects a drastic decline in the popularity of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer's leadership, who faces major challenges ahead of the local elections in May next year, in the context where the Scottish National Party is favored to remain in power.
Sources