By Tomos Evans, Wales reporter
The first minister of Wales has said it’s important to “take stock” of the results in Wales after a surge in support for Reform UK.
Labour won 27 out of 32 seats in Wales, but the party’s overall vote share here dropped by 3.9%.
Reform finished second in nearly half of Labour’s seats in Wales – 13 in total – and increased their vote share by 11.5%.
“I think all of us need to take stock of the results,” Vaughan Gething told Sky News. “But the [Senedd] election in nearly two years’ time has not been fought yet.
“We look forward to going into that with a record of delivery from the last 25 years and more.
“But much more than that, to renew faith yet again with the people of Wales, not to take them for granted, and to have a really positive offer about what we can do for Wales.
“We have always stood up for Wales, I look forward to doing that again and showing real ambition for our future.”
‘Feeling on the doorstep has been very, very different’
But Mr Gething said Labour had turned a corner after a “devastating” result for the party in 2019, crediting that with Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
“[His leadership is] a really big factor in why people have chosen to trust the Labour party again,” Mr Gething added.
“2019 was a devastating defeat for us. I remember knocking doors through the cold and the rain and the dark, and knowing the election results wouldn’t be good.
“This time around, the feeling on the doorstep has been very, very different.”
Plaid Cymru won four seats for Wales and secured their best ever vote share at a general election, while the Liberal Democrats won back the seat of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe.
