Labour Party Pushed Into Third Place in Wales Special Election

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Plaid Cymru, a center-left nationalist party, defeated the right-wing Reform U.K. and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour in a race seen as a test of his popularity.

A center-left nationalist candidate defeated the governing Labour Party and Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform U.K. in a Welsh Parliament special election on Thursday that has been closely watched as a potential bellwether of major upheaval in wider elections next year.

Plaid Cymru, a party that supports Welsh independence from Britain, had been vying with Reform U.K. in polls leading up to Thursday’s vote in Caerphilly — for decades a Labour Party stronghold — amid poor approval ratings for both Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and its main opposition, the center-right Conservatives.

Its candidate, Lindsay Whittle, was elected with 47 percent of the vote. Reform U.K.’s candidate was second on 36 percent, despite a high-profile campaign joined by Mr. Farage, which he had said could be the start of “spectacular” victories for the party in other parts of Wales. Labour’s candidate placed third, with 11 percent.

The election was seen as the latest bruising test for Mr. Starmer’s Labour government, which has had remarkably low approval ratings for a party that won a landslide victory in July 2024, while Reform U.K. has surged in the polls. » | Lizzie Dearden | Reporting from London | Friday, October 24, 2025

As a result of Brexit, Wales would be best served by being an independent country in the European Union. It would bring prosperity to Wales just as it has brought prosperity to the Republic of Ireland. Saying that Wales is too small to be independent might well have been true at one time, but today, with the existence of the EU, it is a nonsense. There are other small, independent countries in the EU. Luxembourg is a great case in point. Luxembourg is very small and very prosperous. Bring true, lasting prosperity to Wales by being an independent country in the EU. Being joined at the hip with England has never brought true, lasting prosperity to Wales. In any case, the Welshman's roots are in Europe. Welsh Celts can be traced back to Austria, to Hallein, apparently. (You can google it.) Is it a coincidence that the very word for salt in Welsh is halen? — © Mark Alexander

Plaid Cymru Says Wales Can Be Cradle of a Global Green Revolution

THE GUARDIAN: At manifesto launch, leader Adam Price compares vision to that of John F Kennedy during space race

The Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, struck a defiant note at the launch of his party’s manifesto, claiming that an independent Wales could become the cradle of a global green revolution.

Price announced a range of ambitious policies including three power-generating tidal lagoons, a barrage and an offshore wind farm as well as new rail lines and metro networks.

Comparing his dreams to those of John F Kennedy at the time of the space race, Price said the plans were audacious but achievable if the people of Wales pulled together and freed themselves from the control of the Westminster government. » | Steven Morris | Friday, November 22, 2019

Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and Greens Launch Pro-remain Electoral Pact

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: parties will step aside for each other in 60 seats to give single pro-remain candidate a free run

The Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens have finalised a plan to step aside for each other in 60 seats across England and Wales in the general election. The alliance is intended to give a free run to one pro-remain party in each constituency.

The agreement, which does not include Labour, covers 49 seats in England and 11 in Wales. It was made under the banner of a cross-party group called Unite to Remain, which has spent several months trying to broker the plan.

A so-called progressive alliance plan, also including Labour, was attempted before the 2017 election but arrangements were only made for a handful of seats, in part because of the difficulty of getting local parties to agree. » | Peter Walker and Heather Stewart | Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Could a No-deal Brexit Push Wales towards Independence?

Boris Johnson may have given himself a new title of Minister for the Union, but how United is the Kingdom?

In Wales, where he was today, the Tories are out in front in the latest opinion poll. But many in the Welsh independence movement see his premiership as the perfect gift for their campaign.

A no-deal Brexit puts new pressures on Scotland and Northern Ireland, could it change the game in Wales too? Just this weekend thousands gathered to march for independence, so how indy-curious is Wales?

Argentina Turns to Wales for Help with Falkland Islands
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Argentina has held talks with Welsh nationalists about trying to win support among British MPs for the country's bid to win sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Diplomats from the Argentinian embassy in London invited senior representatives from Plaid Cymru for talks in the past six months.

Elfyn Llwyd MP, the Westminster leader of the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru party, met two senior Argentinian diplomats for coffee.

Mr Llwyd confirmed the meeting had taken place, but he said he firmly rebuffed the approach to join Argentina’s campaign.

He told The Daily Telegraph that he had “no interest” in helping the South American country with its battle to win support for its claim to the islands.

He said: "I expressed no interest in getting involved in this fraught matter. They were trying to get me to introduce them to sympathetic MPs." Read on and comment » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Wednesday, June 20, 2012