Labour Loses Welsh Seat After Century as Farage’s Reform Shakes Old Loyalties

Caerphilly residents said they believed Labour had lost touch.

Reform UK's Llyr Powell (L) looks on as Plaid Cymru's Lindsay Whittle makes a speech after being declared winner for the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, at Caerphilly Leisure Centre, Wales, on Oct. 24, 2025. Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Labour has lost a parliamentary seat in Caerphilly, Wales, for the first time in more than a century, a result some locals say reflects a collapse in the party’s traditional working-class support.

In ballots counted late on Oct. 23, Plaid Cymru’s 72-year-old candidate, Lindsay Whittle, won the seat in the Welsh Parliament by-election with 47 percent of the vote. Reform UK’s Llyr Powell was second with 36 percent, and Welsh Labour’s Richard Tunnicliffe came in third with 11 percent. Welsh Conservative candidate Gareth Potter finished with 2 percent.