UK General Election 2024: What’s at stake in Wales?
The country of 3 million people is one of the most solid Labour strongholds in the United Kingdom – Welsh Labour governs in Cardiff and has done so since the start of devolution.
But the ‘Red Wall’ of traditionally Labour seats that dramatically turned blue in the 2019 election – when voters lent their support to Boris Johnson as he pledged to ‘get Brexit done’ – also stretches into north-east Wales. Those seats could turn back red this time, with some polls suggesting the Conservatives will fail to get any seats in Wales.
This Labour dominance persists despite a recent wave of controversy surrounding the Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, who earlier this year accepted a £200,000 contribution to his campaign to become Welsh Labour leader from a controversial waste company.
Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, is also hoping to edge its seat share up to four, as it strengthens its grasp on the Welsh-speaking heartlands of the north and west. The party can only run in Wales, but leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has managed to build up a profile for himself across the four nations with appearances in national leaders’ debates.
