What does election result mean for Wales?published at 08:44
Gareth Lewis
BBC Wales political editor
What a story in Wales given what happened five years
ago.
Labour has won big and the Conservatives have been wiped
out.
But beneath that are so many subplots.
Labour has achieved it despite a significant drop in their share of the vote, and the lowest raw number of votes since the 1930s.
It’s one of the oddities of the first past the post system
that you can win by trying to concentrate votes exactly where you need them.
That relative lack of enthusiasm from voters is already
causing some concern, jubilant mood notwithstanding.
One of the Labour campaign mantras has been that Wales will
benefit from two Labour governments working together.
Voters will want to see that in action. Quickly.
Former First Minister Carwyn Jones told us in the small
hours that his party needed to hit the ground running.
The drop in share means they’ll need to “look under the
bonnet”, according to another former FM, Mark Drakeford.
Seats at the 2026 Senedd election will be decided on share – under proportional representation – and Labour’s polling for that election
isn’t looking great.
It’s an open question whether that is down to the unpopularity
of some Welsh Labour government policies such as 20mph or the difficulties of
the current FM, Vaughan Gething.
Other parties are waiting to pounce.
Plaid Cymru had a dream night; and the Lib Dems took their
target seat too.
Reform have emerged as a real contender, coming second in 13
of the 32 seats and pushing Labour incredibly close in Llanelli.
The Conservatives had a shocker; Reform ate into their vote
here as across the UK, although they almost held on in Ynys Môn and Brecon
Radnor and Cwm Tawe.
They are now looking to rebuild, although there are already
clear suggestions that there will be a very Welsh theme to how that’s done
here as opposed to what happens in Westminster.
The dynamics in Wales have always been different because we
have not one but two governments – both now Labour.
Once their celebrations die down we’ll see how that story
will play out, and how its outcome will affect you.
Despite the big win, with a low share and turnout in general
low, voters look like they still need some convincing.
