Wales has been hit by a political earthquake and the UK government is in a very tricky position | Will Hayward

"A crowd of Plaid supporters had gathered to welcome their 43 new MSs. People were giddy with excitement: for the first time since the party was founded just over 100 years ago, it was about to form the next Welsh government. And for the first time in Wales's history, the country's highest-ranking political representative would be from a party committed to securing independence to breaking away from the United Kingdom. Some of the Senedd members were crying. The crowd starting singing the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, and were joined by the assembled politicians."

"As for Welsh Labour, the section of a party often described as having been born in the industrial heartlands of Wales, this was the first time in a century it was not the biggest party here. It was not even second. It was in third place behind Reform UK. The results in Wales will set Reform up very well for the next general election. Its 34 MSs will each have an 80,000 salary and three to four members of staff, and, in the Senedd, they will get 1.2m in funding for their group staff."

"That said, to judge Nigel Farage's party by its own words, it wasn't a great night. Farage had previously said it was aiming to win a majority in Wales or at the very least be the largest party and form the next government. But it fell well short of this. With 34 seats (on 29% of the vote), Reform was far behind Plaid's 43 seats. Perhaps the biggest indication of the party's disappointment was the fact Farage didn't show his face in Wales on results day."

Plaid Cymru welcomed 43 newly elected Senedd members outside the Senedd, with supporters singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau and some members visibly emotional. The moment marked the first time in Wales’s history that the highest-ranking political representative would come from a party committed to independence from the United Kingdom. Welsh Labour’s position weakened, with the party finishing third behind Reform UK for the first time in a century. Reform UK secured 34 MSs on 29% of the vote, giving each member an 80,000 salary and group funding of 1.2m for staff in the Senedd. Despite these resources, Reform did not achieve its stated goal of winning a majority or becoming the largest party, and Nigel Farage did not appear in Wales on results day.

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