List of political parties in Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are a number of political parties registered to the Electoral Commission in Wales. Some of these parties have elected representation in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru) and/or in Westminster (UK Parliament) and some have elected representation in one or more of the 22 Welsh local authorities, while others have entirely no elected representation. This Wikipedia page lists all of the above and some relevant Welsh political parties that formerly existed but have since disbanded. The largest political parties typically reside[clarification needed] in either the House of Commons or the Senedd, the current largest party in Wales is Plaid Cymru, followed closely by Reform UK Wales. With Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, the Wales Green Party and Welsh Liberal Democrats all having representation in the Senedd.
House of Commons/Senedd
House of Commons
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is a legislative body in the United Kingdom and creates primary legislation.[1] There are two chambers within the Parliament of the United Kingdom: the House of Commons (the elected chamber) and the House of Lords. This article focuses on the House of Commons. Three parties have elected representatives in that house (MPs): Welsh Labour, Welsh Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru. Since the 2024 general election, there has been no elected MPs from the Welsh Conservatives.[2]
Senedd
The Senedd was formed under the Government of Wales Act 1998, by the Labour government, following a referendum in 1997. It was given greater powers under the 2011 Welsh devolution referendum. As of 2026, six parties have representation in the Senedd with Plaid Cymru being the largest party, albeit short of a majority with 43 seats. The Welsh Labour Party, traditionally dominant in Wales, holds 9 seats. Reform UK Wales is currently the second largest party with 34 seats. In the 2026 Senedd election the Welsh Greens obtained their first seats, winning two. The Welsh Liberal Democrats currently have only one seat, held by Jane Dodds. The Welsh Conservatives have a comparatively low seat share, having only seven seats.
House of Commons/Senedd parties
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Local government
Several parties in Wales have no national representation, but have elected representation at the local government level.
County councils
| Party | Translation | Elected members of local government | Political position | Ideology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llantwit First Independents | Welsh: Annibynwyr Cyntaf Llantwit | 4 (Vale of Glamorgan Council) | N/A | ||
| Newport Independents Party | Welsh: Plaid Annibynwyr Casnewydd | 3 (Newport City Council) | N/A | ||
| Uplands Party[9] | Welsh: Plaid Uplands | 2 (Swansea Council) | N/A | ||
| Propel | 1 (Cardiff Council) | None[10] | Welsh nationalism Welsh independence Sovereignism | ||
| Gwlad | English: Country | 1 (Ceredigion County Council) | Centre-right[11] | Welsh nationalism Welsh independence | |
| Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 1 (Wrexham County Borough Council) [12] | Left-wing[13][14] to far-left[15] | Socialism Trade unionism | ||
Community and town councils
| Party | Translation | Elected members of local government | Political position | Ideology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwlad | English: Country | 2 | Centre-right[16] | Welsh nationalism Welsh independence | |
Council control
| Council | Control | Web | Total | LAB | PC | CON | LD | GP | REF | Other | Vacant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | LAB | maj | URL | 33 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 12[w 1] | ||||
| Bridgend | LAB | maj | URL | 51 | 26 | 1 | 24[w 2] | |||||
| Caerphilly | LAB | maj | URL | 69 | 42 | 19 | 1 | 7[w 3] | ||||
| Cardiff | LAB | maj | URL | 79 | 50 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6[w 4] | |
| Carmarthenshire | NOC | IND+PC | URL | 75 | 15 | 37 | 1 | 2 | 20[w 5] | |||
| Ceredigion | PC | maj | URL | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10[w 6] | |||||
| Conwy | NOC | IND+PC+LAB | URL | 55 | 7 | 8 [w 7] | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 25[w 8] | |
| Denbighshire | NOC | LAB+PC | URL | 48 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Flintshire | NOC | IND+LAB | URL | 67 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 31[w 9] | 1 | ||
| Gwynedd | PC | maj | URL | 69 | 45 | 1 | 23[w 10] | |||||
| Isle of Anglesey | PC | maj | URL | 35 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 11[w 11] | |||
| Merthyr Tydfil | NOC | LAB min | URL | 30 | 14[w 12] | 1 | 15[w 13] | |||||
| Monmouthshire | NOC | LAB min | URL | 46 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 5[w 14] | ||||
| Neath Port Talbot | NOC | IND+PC | URL | 60 | 26 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 19[w 15] | |||
| Newport | LAB | maj | URL | 51 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 8[w 16] | |||
| Pembrokeshire | IND | IND+LAB+PC | URL | 60 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 33[w 17] | 1 | |
| Powys | NOC | LD+LAB | URL | 68 | 9[w 18] | 4 | 13 | 22[w 19] | 1 | 4 | 15[w 20] | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | LAB | maj | URL | 75 | 58 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 6[w 21] | |||
| Swansea | LAB | maj | URL | 75 | 43 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 11[w 22] | 2 | |
| Torfaen | LAB | maj | URL | 40 | 28 | 4 | 8[w 23] | |||||
| Vale of Glamorgan | NOC | LAB+IND | URL | 54 | 24 | 8 | 13 | 9[w 24] | ||||
| Wrexham | NOC | IND+CON | URL | 56 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 27[w 25] | |||
| Total[17] | 1,234 | 482 | 201 | 102 | 67 | 14 | 23 | 340 | 5[18] | |||
Parties with no elected representation
Notable registered parties
| Party | Translation | Political position | Ideology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party | Welsh: Plaid Diddymu Cynulliad Cymru | Single-issue | Welsh Parliament abolition Anti-devolution | |
| Communist Party of Britain | Welsh: Plaid Gomiwnyddol Prydain | Far-left[19] | Communism Marxism–Leninism | |
| Social Democratic Party | Syncretic | Social democracy Social conservatism Communitarianism Euroscepticism | ||
| Socialist Party Wales[20] | Welsh: Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru[20] | Far-left[21] | Revolutionary socialism Trotskyism Marxism | |
| UK Independence Party | Welsh: Plaid Annibyniaeth y DU | Right-wing to far-right | Euroscepticism Right-wing populism National conservatism Economic liberalism British nationalism | |
| Welsh Christian Party | Welsh: Plaid Gristnogol Cymru | Right-wing[22] | Christian right Social conservatism British unionism Euroscepticism | |
Defunct parties
- South Wales Socialist Society (1911–1920) - amalgamated with the Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1920s.
- Communist Party of South Wales and the West of England (1920) - set up by those who opposed amalgamation with the Communist Party of Great Britain.
- Cynon Valley Party (2016–2020).
- Welsh Republican Movement (1949–1966) - most members either returned to Plaid Cymru or joined the Labour Party.
- Welsh Socialist Republican Movement (1979–1986) - succeeded as a political party in 1986 by Cymru Goch, however it still exists as a publication.
- Cymru Goch (1986–2003) - evolved into Forward Wales.
- Democratic Alliance of Wales (1999–2008).
- John Marek Independent Party (2003) - short lived party which became Forward Wales.
- Forward Wales (2003–2010).
- Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group (2005–2010) - party set-up in Blaenau Gwent. Its leader, Dai Davies, retired from politics and the party disbanded.
- Putting Llanelli First (2011–2016)[23] - Siân Caiach (now a councillor for Gwlad) ran for the party in the Welsh Assembly seat of Llanelli in 2011 and 2016.
- Respect - The Unity Coalition (2004–2016) - a party established by Salma Yaqoob and George Monbiot and built out of the Stop the War Coalition, its most notable candidate was George Galloway.
- Welsh Socialist Alliance (1999–2016) an alliance between the Socialist Party and Cymru Goch and some independents, which fell apart when the Socialist Party left the grouping.
- Women's Equality Party (2015–2024) a feminist political party in the United Kingdom.
See also
Notes
- 11 Independents
- 21Independents
- 6 Independents
- 19 Independents
- 9 Independents and 1 Gwlad
- 1 ex-Independent
- 23 Independents including 1 ex-Plaid, 2 ex-Conservative
- 34 Independent Alliance including Plaid Cymru and Independents
- 21 independents, 6 Llais Gwynedd
- 12 Independents
- 1 ex-Independent
- 16 Independents
- 5 Independents
- 19 Independents leading administration
- 8 Independents, 5 Non aligned & 3 Newport Independents
- 19 Independents, 16 non-aligned
- 1 ex-Conservative
- 1 ex-Conservative
- 17 Independents
- 6 Independents
- 12 Independents, 4 non-aligned Uplands Party
- 8 Independents and 3 Reform UK
- 8 dependents, 4 Llantwit Independents and 1 non-aligned in administration with Labour, 4 non-aligned.
- 23 Independents, 22 ruling Independent Group & 3 non-aligned
- Political parties are under no legal obligation to publish membership statistics and there is no uniformly recognised definition of membership.
- Some candidates stand as Labour and Co-operative joint candidates due to an electoral alliance with the Co-operative Party.
- The Wales Green Party is not an individually registered party, but rather a subdivision of the Green Party of England and Wales