Welsh election results 2021: Labour's road to victory in numbers

  • Published
First Minister Mark Drakeford at his count in CardiffImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

First Minister Mark Drakeford at his count in Cardiff

Labour has held on to power in the Senedd with a solid victory in the Welsh Parliament election.

The party held its ground against challenges from the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru to win 30 seats, just one short of the first-ever majority in Wales.

After two days of counting, all 60 seats in the Senedd has been decided by Saturday.

Here are some of the key numbers showing Labour's road to success.

As the final results came in on Saturday afternoon, Labour had won 30 of the 60 seats, matching its best-ever Senedd election result.

Image caption,

Chart showing constituency vote share

This is how the political map for the new Senedd looks. It was an election which eventually saw little change. Only three seats changed hands - those constituencies are shown edged in black.

On the share of the vote in the constituencies, both Labour and the Conservatives improved on 2016. The Liberal Democrats were the biggest losers, with only one seat in the next Senedd.

Key seats in the north

Some target seats in north Wales were a pivotal point of the first day of counting on Friday.

The Vale of Clwyd was taken from Labour by the Conservatives by just 366 votes following a recount. It dealt a blow but was not quite the convincing one the Tories might have hoped for.

Shortly afterwards, Wrexham - another target seat for the Conservatives - was held by minister Lesley Griffiths, while Labour also held Delyn and Clwyd South.

Plaid loses Rhondda and fails to make gains

A "disappointing" day for Plaid Cymru was made worse by former leader Leanne Wood's crushing defeat in Rhondda as Labour won back a traditional Valleys stronghold to Ms Wood in 2016.

Image caption,

Leanne Wood has been a Welsh Parliament member for 18 years before her defeat in the Rhondda

There was no comfort either in the size of the defeat, as Plaid Cymru saw its vote drop by 19% in the constituency.

Ms Wood, in her speech, said the result did not change the need to work for a "better Wales and a better Rhondda".

Image caption,

Labour turned a tiny majority in Llanelli into a 8.7% swing in a Plaid Cymru target seat

Current Plaid leader Adam Price won Carmarthen East and Dinefwr with a reduced majority but, despite also holding onto Arfon, Ceredigion, Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Ynys Mon, Plaid failed to unseat Labour in its main target of Llanelli.

Despite no gains, Mr Price said the party had increased its share of the vote and that all the evidence showed its stance on independence was "a net positive" with voters.

Lib Dems lose constituency seat

The Lib Dems won just one seat in the last Senedd but Kirsty Williams, a former Welsh party leader and outgoing education minister, stepped down from frontline politics after holding the seat - Brecon and Radnorshire - since 1999.

Local councillor and one-time regional member William Powell was the candidate but the party lost a quarter of its vote in a 19% swing to the Tories as the Conservatives won with a majority of 3,820.

A decade ago, the Lib Dems had five Senedd members. However just as the clock struck midnight, Welsh party leader Jane Dodds won a regional list seat, keeping a Lib Dem foothold in Cardiff Bay and ensuring the party - already without a Welsh MP at Westminster - was not destined for political oblivion on the national stage.

A modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. More information about these elections

Note: This lookup covers national elections in Scotland and Wales, the Hartlepool by-election, as well as council and mayoral elections in England and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections in England and Wales. There may be parish council elections or council by-elections where you are. Check your local council website for full details. Last updated: May 11, 2021, 12:35 GMT