First Minister: I’ve spoken to Sir Keir and we need to stand up for Wales

THE First Minister has said she has spoken to Sir Keir Starmer about the future of their party in Wales after the party's humiliation in Caerphilly and admitted: “It was a bad result.”

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Labour's vote share plummeted in the by-election held after the death of Hefin David from 13,289 votes to 3,713 votes. It means that 72% of the people who voted for the late Labour MS in the 2021 election decided to vote for another party this time around.

Four years ago, some 46% of the total electorate of the area voted for Labour. This time around, it was just 11%. The collapse in the party's vote brought to an end more than a century when it has held the seat in Westminster and Senedd elections. The seat was won by Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle with 15,961 votes, or 47% of the electorate.

Speaking to the Western Mail as she went to a meeting of the Senedd group, First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan said she had already spoken to the Prime Minister.

“There's no question, it was a bad result. I think this result demands really serious thinking on all levels of government and that’s certainly what we'll be doing in the next few days and weeks.

“We've got to stand up for Wales. I will be making sure that everybody understands that for me it's country before party. I will be asking and demanding more respect and more resources from the UK Government.