Incumbent First Minister Eluned Morgan has lost her seat in the 2026 Senedd Election, making her the first head of government in UK history to lose her seat whilst in post.
Following her defeat, Ms Morgan announced she is standing down as the leader of Welsh Labour.
She said: “Welsh Labour has today suffered a catastrophic result.
“It ends a century of Labour winning in Wales, and the party will need to take a really hard look at itself, and understand the depth of the challenge that we face.
“I’ve lost my seat here in Ceredigion Penfro and I will be standing down as leader of Welsh Labour. I take responsibility for the Labour result in Wales.”
Ms Morgan was standing as Welsh Labour’s top candidate in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency but failed to be re-elected as a Member of the Senedd.
Eluned Morgan announced she would be stepping down as the leader of Welsh Labour after losing her seat Credit: ITV Cymru Wales
Instead of Labour winning any seats in that constituency, Plaid Cymru won 3, Reform UK 2 and the Welsh Conservatives 1.
Ms Morgan’s defeat is a major blow for Labour in Wales with latest polling showing not only could the party lose its majority in the Senedd for the first time since devolution but could finish third overall.
Ms Morgan is the first head of government in UK history to lose her seat while in post.
As part of her speech following her defeat she said she was was proud to have been the first woman to have held the job of Welsh First Minister.
She said: “I’m very proud of what Welsh Labour has achieved over all the years we’ve led in the Senedd, but today, the pressures on public services are enormous.
“That change is clearly not coming fast enough. We’re living in turbulent times. There are challenges in all directions.
“Many expect simple answers to very complex questions, but there are no simple answers, and the budgets are limited.”
She added: “We all understand the anger, but Wales is stronger when we stand together. We need to heed the anger, not feed the anger.”
She also said that the Labour Government needed to “change course” in a warning to Sir Keir Starmer.
She said: “It is clear that results across the whole of the United Kingdom have demonstrated deep frustration with the Labour Party.
“We need to go back to being the party of the working-class. We need the Labour Government nationally to change course. We need the wealth of this nation to be more equally distributed away from the South East.
“But I was always clear that this election was about Wales and Keir Starmer was not on the ballot. I am taking responsibility, and I am resigning.”
It comes as former Labour MS Alun Davies described today as a “difficult day for the Labour party and a historic” turning point, as his party failed to gain any seats in the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency.
Labour is predicted to be heading towards a crushing defeat in Wales, as sources within the party confirm they are expecting to win just 10 of the 96 seats.
First Minister, Eluned Morgan has said she would take responsibility for this result, with a party spokesperson saying “she has been the heart and soul of this campaign, leading from the front”.
The party has been the largest at country-wide elections in Wales for more than a century and had won the most seats in the Welsh Parliament since its creation more than two decades ago.
Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said despite his party putting forward a good vision for Wales people want a change. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales
Speaking to ITV News before the declaration, Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said “it’s looking tough.”
He noted a shift in sentiment, saying: “People are sending a message of dissatisfaction…if we fall short today, we must listen to what the electorate has said.”
Pointing to the reasons for this step-change he said it’s because of “bread and butter issues” like the cost-of-living and improving public services.
He added: “People are feeling the squeeze on their household budgets, the opportunity for young people to get into jobs.”
Intelligence from a range of sources within the political parties suggests that the results will show a tussle between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK to become the largest party in the Senedd.
All other parties have reported seeing their support ‘squeezed’ by the two frontrunners. The two formerly big UK parties are facing disaster.
A Plaid Cymru source told ITV News: “From what we have so far. You may not be surprised but it’s looking good – positive. People are coming over to us. Labour’s collapsed. But still really early to tell.”
At the Casnewydd Islwyn’ constituency where he is standing, Reform UK Leader in Wales Dan Thomas said it was “too early to say” but that he was “hearing good things across Wales” and that he was “very encouraged by the results”.
Reform UK leader in Wales Dan Thomas said that is was “too early to say” the result but was confident in his party across Wales Credit: PA Images
He said: “I think the polls and the way they’ve managed to predict our seats across Wales will be accurate, I think that will be proven.
“We all know that Labour are finished, that’s the big story for tonight. And after 27-years of failure and letting the people of Wales down they deserve it.
“Reform won 1% of the vote in 2021 and we’re now a main contender for the government in Wales so I think we’ve done really well whatever the result.”
Labour is heading towards an historic defeat, with a result possibly even worse than polls predicted. Similarly the Conservatives could be facing wipeout.
Darren Millar told ITV News he is confident, but that it will be “very close” for his colleagues across Wales. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales
Despite these projections, Welsh Conservative Leader Darren Millar said he is “very confident” of being re-elected in his constituency of Clwyd.
He added: “There will be a clutch of Welsh Conservatives in the next Senedd, working hard for their communities and the people of Wales. We will do everything we can to secure the goals we set out in our manifesto.”
Greens appear to have suffered from anti-Reform voters swinging behind Plaid Cymru.
The Lib Dems could be left with a single seat or wipeout.
Voting turnout for this year’s Senedd Election has been recorded as 51.8%.
This is a historic turnout for Wales, as nationally it has never been above 50% before.
Unlike some previous elections, votes were not counted overnight and will instead be calculated throughout Friday 8 May.
The first results are expected at around 2pm, with more due to be announced throughout the afternoon.
This year’s election has seen a major transformation in how the Senedd operates and how voters elect their representatives.
The number of Members of the Senedd (MSs) has increased from 60 to 96 in one of the biggest changes since devolution began in 1999.
Wales has also been divided into 16 new super-constituencies, replacing the previous 40.
Each constituency will elect six MSs under the proportional D’Hondt voting system, where even small shifts in vote share can significantly affect seat distribution.
Today’s count will determine the 96 politicians who will shape decisions on health, education, transport and other devolved issues over the next four years.
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