LONDON: Britain’s ruling Labour Party suffered a heavy electoral defeat on Friday in Wales, a traditional stronghold, in a result that highlights the threat posed by the Reform UK party, as the government struggles to revive the economy and ease fears about immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour lost a by-election for the Caerphilly seat in the Welsh parliament to center-left nationalist party Plaid Cymru, falling into a distant third place behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. “I’m not shying away from how disappointing the result is,” Labour minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News.

Plaid Cymru and Reform UK have run fierce campaigns in Labour-run south Wales constituency

Outcome of byelection in historically Labour stronghold could mark historic shift in Welsh politics