Nigel Farage is all smiles after the Caerphilly by-election! Despite Reform UK coming second, Farage isn’t downhearted. Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle snagged victory with 47% of the vote, but Reform made a strong showing by securing 36%, just behind by 3,000 votes. Labour, well-known for holding the seat, found themselves trailing in third place.
Farage isn’t seeing red over the results; he’s seeing opportunity! He thinks Labour’s unexpected shift of votes to Plaid Cymru paved the way for this outcome. Plus, with the upcoming Senedd elections in May, the game is about to change with a new voting system and a bigger Senedd. There will be 96 members instead of 60, and voting will follow a proportional list system using the D’Hondt formula.
Farage expresses confidence, saying, “I thought 12,000 votes would be enough, and indeed we got them!” He’s pointing to strategic voting and Whittle’s strong local presence as influencing factors, but he’s ultimately jubilant about taking such a significant share of the vote. After all, this is a huge leap from less than 500 votes in the 2021 Senedd election to over 12,000 this time!
Farage and Reform UK see these results as a leap towards the future. With D’Hondt in play, if the same vote pattern unfolds across Caerphilly and Blaenau next year, both Plaid and Reform could potentially share the spotlight with equal representation.
In Farage’s words, “36% is pretty bloomin’ good.” As they gear up for May’s elections, he’s ready for the competition. Reform is on the rise, and they’re ready to “crack on” with their momentum. Stay tuned for this exciting political journey!