Nigel Farage says 'no question about it' as he claims Reform is a 'serious contender' at Senedd election
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said there's "no question about it" as he claimed his party would be a "serious contender" at the next Senedd election. Speaking to Newyddion S4C the Clacton MP said his party would do well in the next Senedd election which is set to be held in 2026.
In the interview he described the vote for devolution as a "one-sided referendum" with "only a majority of 7,000 people" in 1997. However he argued that "devolution itself is not the problem" but in the "way it's been exercised".
He added: "You've had Labour there now for 27 years in an increasingly, I would say, vulnerable position. You know clearly Plaid, certainly when it comes to the Welsh elections, nipping away a little bit at it.
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"A Conservative party that had an upsurge in 2019 but it disappeared again. And I mean, there's no question about it, Reform is a serious contender in those Welsh elections in two years." For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
In July's general election 223,018 people in Wales voted for Reform UK accounting for 17% of the total number who voted. As a result this meant that Reform was the third-largest party in Wales in terms of vote share. Although Reform came second in 13 constituencies in Wales none of its candidates were elected in Wales. Of the 32 seats here 27 went to Labour, four to Plaid Cymru, and one to the Lib Dems.