Labour wins by-election to keep Cardiff council Reform-free
Martin Shipton
Labour has fended off a by-election challenge to ensure Reform UK did not gain a foothold in Cardiff council.
Reform had high hopes of winning in the predominantly white working class ward of Llanrumney, but local community activist Lexi Pocknell retained the seat for Welsh Labour with 755 votes.
Reform’s Sidney Malik was in second place with 630 votes, followed by Wayne Street of the Welsh Liberal Democrats on 281, Plaid Cymru’s Joseph Gnagbo (138), Ffin Elliott, Welsh Conservative (64) and David Fitzpatrick, Wales Green Party (47).
Jubilant
After the result was declared, Cardiff council’s jubilant Labour leader Cllr Huw Thomas posted a message to social media stating: “@WelshLabour HOLD Llanrumney!! Huge congrats to our brill candidate, Lexi Pocknell. It’s a massive blow to Reform (and to Plaid candidly). If current polls were accurate, they should be sweeping us aside – NOT TODAY NIGEL, not in Cardiff.”
@WelshLabour HOLD Llanrumney!!
Huge congrats to our brill candidate, Lexi Pocknell.
It’s a massive blow to Reform (and to Plaid candidly). If current polls were accurate, they should be sweeping us aside – NOT TODAY NIGEL, not in Cardiff!Lab 755
Ref 630
LD 281
Grn 47
Plaid 138 pic.twitter.com/3UhN1LRWBr— Huw Thomas (@huwthomas_Wales) July 24, 2025
Despite Labour’s victory, the party won with 39.4% of the vote – 20.5 percentage points down on the last election in 2022.
Reform, which didn’t stand in 2022, won 32.9% of the vote.
The Liberal Democrats on 14.7% were 9.3 points up on the last election.
Plaid Cymru and the Green Party also didn’t stand in 2022. This time Plaid got 7.2% of the vote and the Greens 2.5%.
The Welsh Conservatives, with 3.3% of the vote, were 14.2 points down on 2022.
On the eve of poll, Reform UK’s Cardiff branch chairman Lee Canning told Nation.Cymru: “We’ve had a lot of activists out in the ward and they’ve learned a lot. Whatever the result it’s clear that Labour is frightened of Reform. They’ve poured people in, put out leaflets not only saying why people should vote for them, but also why they shouldn’t vote for Reform.”
Fantasist
During the campaign the Reform candidate Sidney Malik was exposed by Nation.Cymru as a fantasist.
His website asserts that he is the founder of ERA Film Studios, whose headquarters is in St Albans, Hertfordshire, but according to Companies House its registered office is in Bristol.
ERA is described on its website as “a global media and cultural powerhouse leading a new era in film, music, talent, wrestling, real estate, consultancy and global impact. We redefine storytelling, creative excellence, industry innovation, and global influence by merging future technologies, immersive, extended reality and virtual production and artificial intelligence.”
However, returns to Companies House show that the company does not appear to have traded since it was incorporated in 2008. At the outset it had £10,000 in share capital not paid, and that remained the case until the most recently filed set of accounts for the year ending September 30 2023.
Accounts for the year ending September 30 2024 should have been filed by the end of June 2025, but are overdue.
Between 2018 and 2025 there were seven applications made by the Registrar of Companies for the company to be struck off the register of companies at Companies House. All of the applications to dissolve the company were withdrawn, most recently on May 31 2025.
According to the most recent Companies House return, ERA has just one employee, presumably Mr Malik.
This week, despite the contrast between his website claims and reality, Mr Malik sent an email threatening legal action against Nation.Cymru and its CEO and claiming up to $2bn (two billion US dollars) in damages.
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You are wrong about Plaid and Greens not standing in 2022. They stood together and had 218 votes.
Plaid used to be very competitive in Llanrhymney coming a decent second in 2004 and 2008. A very poor result for them last night.
Yes well said while Plaid and the Greens weren’t on the ballot in 2022, their members were under the label ‘Common Ground’ (alongside Plaid and Green logos).
Common Ground did quite well in terms of votes in 2022 across the city, it didn’t translate into seats. This is a poor show for Plaid (and Reform).
It’s disingenuous of you to say Plaid’s vote went down. It’s true that there was a joint Plaid/Green candidate but that candidate only got 4% of the vote. This time, a Plaid candidate standing in his own right got 7.2% of the vote (nearly doubling their percentage from three years ago). Meanwhile, Labour’s numerical vote fell by more than 500 votes with a percentage drop of more than 20 %. If that pattern continues nationwide next year, Plaid will have a very good Senedd election and Labour a disastrous one.
In 2008 Plaid got 28% of the vote in Llanrhymney. In 2004 had 23% of the vote. This is not a Plaid surge. The polls are not reflected in reality in the by elections. Their vote has collapsed in Llanrhymney. Let’s see how they do in Grangetown, a seat were they previously won.
It’s disingenuous of you to say that Plaid’s vote went down. It’s true to say that there was a joint Plaid/Green candidate but she only got 4% of the vote. This time, a Plaid candidate standing in their own right got 7.2% of the vote (nearly double the percentage from three years ago). Meanwhile, the Labour candidate’s numerical vote dropped by more than 500, with a huge percentage drop of more than 20%. If that pattern continues nationwide at next year’s Senedd election, Plaid will have a very good result and Labour a disastrous one.
In 2022 the sole Common Ground candidate won 218 votes.
Yesterday Plaid won 138 and the Greens a further 47.
Meanwhile the Lib Dem candidate who stood in 2022 went from 89 to 281 votes and Reform from a standing start won 630.
By-elections are a different animal and turnout is down, but this was a poor show from Plaid given events in Westminster and Cardiff Bay over the last 12 months.
I disagree. You’re forgetting that the turnout was much smaller for this by-election. That is why the percentage share is more relevant. Nearly doubling your percentage share of the vote is a very decent performance in anyone’s books. However, losing more than 20% of the vote is a horrendous result for Labour in one of their biggest strongholds in Wales.
You’re ignoring the fact that Plaid’s vote is down 20% here since 2008. The Lib Dems actually performed well but this is poor from Plaid. Especially from a party that is claiming to be leading in the polls.
They may have been on a downward trajectory since 2008, but now they’re back on an upward trajectory after yesterday’s result. However, a drop of more than 20% by Labour puts them on a huge downward trajectory since 2022. You’re right about one thing, though, we’ll have a better idea of where Labour and Plaid are at after the Grangetown by-election.
I’m not sure if that’s right, Rob. Plaid needs to win Grangetown if polls are to be believed especially because they have recently won the seat. The fact that there is no real growth in a seat where plaid used to gain 28% is worrying
Nearly doubling their percentage of the vote isn’t bad at all. It’s a lot better than losing over 20% of your vote.!! It sounds like you’re resigned to Labour losing a large percentage of the vote in Grangetown but you’re hoping that they cling on to the seat by the tips of their fingers. A swing of 14.6% is needed for Plaid to win the seat, which would be a very big swing indeed. If Labour manage to lose there, the writing will really be on the wall for them.
The title of this article shows why the electorate voted in this way.
It was a vote to keep the far right reform (fascists) out of Cardiff council.
The electorate saw Labour with all its ills and holding the seat as the best way to do this.
They had no alternative vote they would have had with STV.
It was the less of the evils with first past the post elections.
This is why Plaid Cymru needs to work closely with the Lib Dems (and Greens) to force the governments to switch to the Single Transferable Vote (STV) PR system.
You’re right there Ernie, FPTP often compels people to vote for the lesser of two evils, forcing people to compromise their own principles.
The party of imperialist genocide wins again
Only keep them free, if not following UK Labour policies and positions. Labour has one leg in that grave of hate already. Building for war, funding murders and obsessing about few in boats while the economy has rotted 15 yrs.
“This week, despite the contrast between his website claims and reality, Mr Malik sent an email threatening legal action against Nation.Cymru and its CEO and claiming up to $2bn (two billion US dollars) in damages.“
😂😂😂 On the one hand this British MAGA lot are hilariously pathetic, but on the other they’re so bonkers it makes them terrifyingly dangerous.
Just rejoice in Reform losing two by-elections on the trot.
Is the tide starting to return?
Actually, it’s four county council by-elections Reform have lost in the last two weeks (losing to Plaid Cymru in Pontypridd, losing to Labour in Baglan, and coming third behind the Tories in Prestatyn, as well as last night’s result).
Have they really lost? They’ve had a good result in the by elections
Ever the optimist, heh?
Even better, cheered me up no end!
I’ve really got to get a grip on my comments, “the tide starting to return” indeed.
“TURN” !
Was Canning leafletting for BOTH Reform UK and Welsh Labour? That way, he earns, whether any of his sides win, lose or draw! Bunsen Burner, nice little earner!!
No he certainly did not deliver Labour leaflets! My sore feet and blisters can vouch for the fact that every single leaflet and letter in Llanrumney – as they will be in Grangetown – will be delivered by Labour volunteers
If he wants to bankrupt himself on a bogus lawsuit, let him. Never interrupt a narcissistic imbecile when he’s making a mistake. Let him realise the error of his ways after he can’t do anything about it.
But 633 people still voted for a complete fantasist. What’s that all about?
Given the calibre of recent candidates, successful or not, Reform appears to be struggling to find reputable or even capable people to fill candidacies.
That is why Reform prefer the Party Lists PR system. Not to concentrate the attention on the calibre of the individual candidate.
I wonder who else wanted the Party List system ?
I’m not particularly surprised that Labour won here. Reform don’t poll as well in the major cities in England; their big gains have come in the largely ignored rural and or post industrial counties of the Midlands and the North. They poll well in former coalfield areas (Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Durham, Kent, Doncaster) and my big concern lies in the Valleys. Blaenau Gwent voted strongly to Leave the EU and is a classic Reform hunting ground; Farage will no doubt try to use things like the Welsh language to create a wedge issue (he’ll argue it’s wasting money) in the… Read more »