Welsh party Plaid Cymru, an advocate for independence from the United Kingdom, delivered a major blow to both the Labour Party and Reform UK in a by-election for the devolved parliament, the Senedd. Plaid candidate Lindsay Whittle won 47% of the vote in Caerphilly, leaving Reform behind at 36% and Labour at just 11% – an astonishing 35-point drop compared to the previous election. The result marks Labour’s first loss of the seat in more than a century.

“This result shows that Plaid is no longer just an alternative, we are now the real choice for Wales, the only party able to stop billionaire-backed Reform,” party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said after the result was announced. Ahead of the election, Reform had invested substantial resources into the campaign, with Nigel Farage apparently confident a win in Wales would prove his claim that the far right has become the only true alternative to Britain’s two establishment parties.

In reality, while the by-election confirmed that both Labour and the Conservatives remain in crisis after years of backing austerity, it actually showed that the far right can still be stopped by more progressive alternatives. “In every corner of Britain, people are calling out for an alternative to the misery faced by millions and candidates who will stand up against the hate and division sold by Reform and the shameful parroting of Farage’s rhetoric by Keir Starmer and his weakling Labour government,” the Peace and Justice Project wrote on social media.

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Since the 2024 general election, Prime Minister Starmer’s shift to the right on everything from austerity to migration and Palestine solidarity has alienated much of Labour’s base and beyond. Many polls now predict the party could be shattered in upcoming elections. Although Reform UK has so far benefited the most from the widespread frustration and anger, positioning itself as the main alternative, progressive political forces have also gained significant ground.

The early announcement of a new left party by independent MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana drew more than 600,000 expressions of support, while the Green Party has seen thousands of new members join in recent months. Following the election of a new leadership team headed by Zack Polanski, the Greens announced their membership had doubled to 140,000. Both the groups have rejected Reform’s hate-driven narrative and scapegoating of migrants, while also condemning Labour for failing to address people’s real concerns since taking office.

“This Senedd by-election result shows that people are sick of the Westminster establishment and its persistent scapegoating of marginalized communities instead of effectively dealing with the issues we all face,” the Peace and Justice Project stated. While Reform’s failed bid in Caerphilly suggests that not everyone has accepted the idea that the far right is the only alternative to business as usual in British politics, progressives still face the enormous challenge of mobilizing on a larger scale ahead of future elections – including the 2026 run for the Senedd – to counter far-right narratives and build a vision of hope for working-class communities across Britain.

The post Welsh by-election shows far right isn’t the only alternative to establishment parties appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

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