REFORM’S Laura Anne Jones has said its victory in the Torfaen and Monmouthshire constituency was a call for change.
The party gained two of the six seats elected in the Sir Fynwy Torfaen constituency with Pontypool Community Councillor Stephen Senior also elected for Reform in the fourth spot.
The party won 24,155 votes to top the poll and gain two seats while Plaid Cymru was rewarded with two seats for its 18,275 votes securing long-time Cwmbran-based campaigner Matthew Jones second spot and Donna Cushing grabbing the sixth and final seat.
That left the Conservatives and Labour to fill out the list with 13,394 votes securing third spot, and a return to the Senedd, for Tory Peter Fox though the story of the historic day was undoubtedly the collapse of the Labour vote.
The party had topped the poll in every Senedd or Westminster election in Wales for more than 100 years and been in power since the former National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999 but in the combined constituency, of two seat both represented by Labour MPs in Westminster, it could only muster 11,672 votes.
That ensured Lynne Neagle, who had represented Torfaen since 1999, will return to the Senedd but the party couldn’t get its Torfaen council leader Anthony Hunt elected.
Following the results victorious Reform candidate Ms Jones said: “Myself and Stephen Senior are absolutely delighted with the response we got and the votes we received across Monmouthshire and Torfaen. We got the highest share by some margin and we take that as a real sign that people want real change and they’ve put their trust in us.
“We want to do everything we can to deliver change, for communities in Torfaen who’ve been left behind and for rural Monmouthshire that haven’t been listened to.”
Labour’s Ms Neagle said: “It’s been a difficult election for Welsh Labour. Obviously we’re disappointed not to be forming the next government we had a positive and realistic manifesto, it was fully costed, and it’s disappointing we won’t get the opportunity to take that forward.”
She said she was pleased Labour has a group of members who will be returned who she said will work hard “to fight for the best for our constituents and for Wales and we will be vocal in the Senedd in taking forward that agenda and pursuing Labour values.”
Conservative Peter Fox said the party had defied predictions it would be “wiped out” and said its group’s experience would be important in the expanded 96-member Senedd. He said: “That’s the fundamental. We’ve got so many people from different parties going to come to the Senedd without experience of anything so it’s important we have the strong voice of the Welsh Conservatives to bring balance and common sense to the Senedd.”
Full result
- Reform UK 24,155
- Plaid Cymru 18,275
- Conservatives 13,394
- Labour 11,672
- Green Party 6,375
- Liberal Democrats 2,742
- Owen Lewis, Independent 393
- Heritage Party 331
- Gwlad 177
- Open Party 147
- Welsh Pool, Independent 45
- Total ballots rejected 170
- Turnout: 51.9 per cent
Elected and position
- Reform Laura Anne Jones
- Plaid Cymru Matthew Jones
- Conservative Peter Fox
- Reform Stephen Senior
- Labour Lynne Neagle
- Plaid Cymru Donna Cushing