The party says the victory is symbolic ahead of the May local elections.
Reform UK has hailed victory in the backyard of Plaid Cymru’s leader, saying the overnight by-election result is a great sign ahead of the May local elections. The party stormed to a win in the Ynys Gybi council by-election, a large constituency comprising over half of Holy Island off Anglesey.
Reform took 43.9% of the vote from a standing start, after having not fielded a candidate in 2022. Plaid Cymru won just 25%, down 3.7 points, despite the party’s leader, Run ap Iorwerth, representing Anglesey in the Welsh Parliament since 2013.
Labour lost 11 points, collapsing to just 12.5% of the vote, while the Tories also shed 13.1 points, down to 8.2%.
Reform benefited from no independent candidate standing, who won 26.3% of the vote the last time an election was held in the ward four years ago.
Reacting to the win, Reform’s new leader in Wales Dan Thomas said: “This is a sensational victory for Reform, and it shows that we can win absolutely anywhere here in Wales.
“From the former Labour heartlands to the former Plaid heartlands, we are fighting for every single vote so we can deliver the change Wales desperately needs.”
He said Mr Thomas would “keep a calm head through the good and bad, because you’re always going to get both in a campaign”.
Meanwhile, Reform was deprived of a second council by-election win overnight in North Somerset as they fell just 1.3 points shy of taking Clevedon South from Labour.
Many Reform supporters online accused the Tories of handing Labour the win, as the Conservatives took 18.6% of the vote, which would have seen Reform comfortably beat Labour.
The party’s deputy, Richard Tice, said: “Vote Tory get Labour… vote Reform get Reform.”
