Caerphilly By-Election 02/11/25

This Week on Westminster Weekly...

The Caerphilly By-Election

Welcome back to Westminster Weekly. Apologies that it's been a while. A lot has been happening here at Y&P and we cannot wait to start sharing it with you again. This week's blog will centre on the recent by-election in Caerphilly and the victory of Plaid Cymru against Reform.

Recently, the political spotlight turned to South Wales as voters in Caerphilly went to the polls in a by-election that drew national interest. The result saw Plaid Cymru's Lindsay Whittle win the seat in a strong performance for the party in a contest closely watched by all the main political players. It was a night that reaffirmed Plaid's foothold in the Valleys but one that also raised questions about how the wider political landscape in Wales — and the UK — is shifting.

What was perhaps most striking, however, was not just the result, but the reaction. Despite Plaid Cymru’s clear win, many journalists and cameras quickly gravitated to the Reform UK candidate who had been expected but failed to take the seat. The scene sparked debate about media focus and narrative-building — whether the story of a party’s rise is seen as more newsworthy than a victory that reinforces the status quo. It also raised questions about how the media can shape public perception of political momentum, at a time when the next general election is looming and the polls are looking very uncertain.

From a purely analytical standpoint, Reform UK's growing visibility cannot be ignored. Even in defeat, their vote share demonstrated that the party continues to resonate with certain sections of the electorate frustrated with the traditional parties. But neither can the growing visibility of the usually sidestepped Green Party and Plaid Cymru, with new support for them recently, after Zack Polanski, the new Green Party leader, won the Green leadership contest, their members have skyrocketed to over 150,000. But for Plaid Cymru and the Greens, the challenge now will be how to build on this success, translating local loyalty into broader national support while navigating the competing narratives from across the U.K.

The by-election has also acted as a reminder of both opportunity and risk for young people. On one hand, lively debate around parties and identities shows that democracy in Wales is very much alive. On the other, it's the media emphasis on controversy over achievement that risks discouraging younger voters from trusting political reporting altogether. At a time when youth turnout remains low, and disillusionment high, one lesson is clear: if young people don't tell their own political stories, others will do it for them — and not always fairly. In the end, Caerphilly's result was not just a win for Plaid Cymru but a reflection of the complex, shifting politics of modern Wales. The cameras might have looked elsewhere, yet the real story lies in what the voters - and particularly the young voters - decide to make of it.

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Written By Gruffydd Morris,

Chief Political Editor,

Young & Political

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