Humiliating defeats for Reform UK in Welsh council by-elections

Martin Shipton

Reform UK has suffered humiliating defeats in two council by-elections caused by the election of previous Reform councillors to the Senedd.

In both seats, Reform was pushed into third place.

The results reflect a recent dip in polling figures for Reform, likely to have been caused by a combination of factors, including concerns about extremist statements made by many of its politicians, chaos at councils in England that the party controls and continuing revelations about the £5m donation made to Nigel Farage by billionaire crypto currency businessman Christopher Harborne who lives in Thailand.

At Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, Plaid Cymru’s candidate Iwan Griffiths won with 483 votes (41.4%), ahead of Labour’s Jordan Sargent with 338 (28.9%) and Reform’s Gavin Rashbrook 283 (24.2). Conservative candidate Craig Griffiths got 38 votes (3.3%), Independent Sean Hogan 11 (0.9%), the Green Party’s Michael Willis 8 (0.7%) and the Liberal Democrats’ Justin Griffiths 7 (0.6%).

In the last full Carmarthenshire County Council elections in 2022, Labour won both seats in the two-seat ward.

Following the death of Labour councillor Gary Jones, who was a well-known anti-fascist campaigner, Reform’s Carmelo Colasanto won a by-election in August 2025 to become his party’s second member of Carmarthenshire County Council. On May 7 this year, Mr Colasanto was elected to the Senedd to represent Sir Gaerfyrddin. As required by law, he resigned his seat on the council, causing the latest by-election.

Reform was also defeated in Merthyr Tydfil’s Dowlais and Pant ward, where Labour’s Dean Barrett became the new councillor after getting 356 votes (40.1%). Independent candidate Nick Meaney got 215 votes (24.2%),

Reform’s Terry Donegan got 160 (18.0%), Plaid Cymru’s James Cushen got 125 (14.1%), the Green Party’s Janeen Davies 20 (2.3%) and Conservative candidate Roxanne Richardson 11(1.2%).

The by-election was caused by the resignation of the previous councillor, David Hughes, who was elected last month as an MS in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr. In 2022 Mr Hughes was elected as an Independent councillor, but defected to Reform in June 2025, being unveiled personally as a prestigious new recruit to the party by Nigel Farage at a rally in Port Talbot.

In Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Plaid Cymru’s candidate Richard Clarke had a landslide victory with 1147 votes (70.8%). Reform’s Craig Ford, a former Welsh Conservative press officer who defected to Reform immediately before the by-election, came a distant second with 260 votes (16.0%), followed by Labour’s David Morris with 164 (10.1%), Conservative candidate Cerys Walker with 27 (1.7%) and the Green Party’s Daniel Buck with 23 (1.4%).

The by-election was caused by the election of previous Plaid councillor Sera Evans to the Senedd, where she represents Afan Ogwr Rhondda.

Plaid Cymru did, however, suffer a setback in a Denbighshire County Council by-election at Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch for the seat previously held by the party’s Elfed Williams, who resigned after winning election to the Senedd, where he represents Bangor Conwy Mon. The council by-election was won by Independent candidate Ian Evans with 283 votes (46.2%), ahead of Plaid Cymru’s Hefin Edwards on 242 (39.5%), Reform’s Nigel Deed on 47 (7.7%), Independent Cai Williams on 24 (3.9%) and the Conservatives’ Beryl Wynne on 17 (2.8%).

There was some consolation for Reform at a by-election in Denbighshire County Council’s Rhyl South ward, where it took a seat previously held by Labour. Reform’s Tony Thomas won with 44.3% of the vote, followed by Plaid Cymru’s Bleddyn Rhys on 23.9%, Labour’s Crispin Jones on 19.6%, the Conservatives’ Gloria Lambert on 10%, the Liberal Democrats’ Keith Kirwan on 1.5% and the Greens’ Desmond Rooney on 0.7%.