List of political parties in Wales
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
Politics of Wales |
---|
There are a number of political parties registered to the
Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru
.
House of Commons/Senedd
House of Commons
The
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 Conservatives and Plaid Cymru. The constituencies are due to change for the 2024 general election.[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. In 2021, four parties have elected representatives in the Senedd: Welsh Labour, Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and Welsh Liberal Democrats.
House of Commons/Senedd parties
Party | Translation | Leader | Political position | Ideology | MSs | MPs | Local government | Membership[a] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Welsh Labour[b] | Welsh: Llafur Cymru | Vaughan Gething | Centre-left
|
British unionism
|
30 / 60
|
22 / 40
|
523 / 1,254
|
22,000[3] | ||
Welsh Conservatives | Welsh: Ceidwadwyr Cymreig | Andrew RT Davies | Centre-right
|
British unionism
|
16 / 60
|
14 / 40
|
111 / 1,254
|
Unknown | ||
Plaid Cymru | English: Party of Wales | Rhun ap Iorwerth | left-wing
|
Welsh nationalism Welsh independence Democratic socialism Social democracy Environmentalism Regionalism Civic nationalism |
13 / 60
|
4 / 40
|
203 / 1,254
|
10,100[4] | ||
Welsh Liberal Democrats | Welsh: Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru | Jane Dodds | Centre to centre-left | British unionism
Pro-Europeanism |
1 / 60
|
0 / 40
|
69 / 1,254
|
3,133[5] |
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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales Green Party[6] | Welsh: Plaid Werdd Cymru | 8[7][8] | Left-wing | Green politics Progressivism Pro-Europeanism | |
Llantwit First Independents | Welsh: Annibynwyr Cyntaf Llantwit | 4 (Vale of Glamorgan Council) | N/A | Localism | |
Uplands Party[9]
|
Welsh: Plaid Uplands | 4 ( Swansea Council )
|
N/A | Localism | |
Newport Independents Party | Welsh: Plaid Annibynwyr Casnewydd | 3 (Newport City Council) | N/A | Localism | |
Propel | 1 (Cardiff Council) | None[10] | Sovereignism
Anti-nuclearism | ||
Gwlad | English: Country | 1 (Ceredigion County Council) | Centre-right[11] | Welsh nationalism Welsh independence |
Community and town councils
Party | Translation | Elected members of local government | Political position | Ideology | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gwlad | English: Country | 2 | Centre-right[12] | Welsh nationalism Welsh independence |
Council control
This section needs to be updated.(May 2022) |
Council | Control | Web | Total | LAB | PC | CON | LD | GP | Other | Vacant | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blaenau Gwent | LAB | maj | URL | 33 | 22 | 11[w 1] | |||||
Bridgend | LAB | maj | URL | 51 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 22[w 2] | |||
Caerphilly | LAB | maj | URL | 69 | 45 | 18 | 6[w 3] | ||||
Cardiff | LAB | maj | URL | 79 | 55 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 1[w 4] | ||
Carmarthenshire | PC | maj | URL | 75 | 23 | 38 | 14[w 5] | ||||
Ceredigion | PC | maj | URL | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10[w 6] | ||||
Conwy | NOC | IND+PC+LAB | URL | 55 | 9 | 8 [w 7] | 10 | 4 | 1 | 22[w 8] | |
Denbighshire | NOC | LAB+PC | URL | 48 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12[w 9] | |
Flintshire | NOC | LAB min (LD support) | URL | 67 | 31 | 2 | 4[w 10] | 30[w 11] | |||
Gwynedd | PC | maj | URL | 69 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 21[w 12] | |||
Isle of Anglesey | PC | maj | URL | 35 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 10[w 13] | |||
Merthyr Tydfil | NOC | IND+LAB | URL | 30 | 15[w 14] | 15[w 15] | |||||
Monmouthshire | NOC | LAB min | URL | 46 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 5[w 16] | |||
Neath Port Talbot | NOC | IND+PC | URL | 58 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 19[w 17] | ||
Newport | LAB | maj | URL | 51 | 35 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7[w 18] | ||
Pembrokeshire | IND | maj | URL | 60 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 35[w 19] | ||
Powys | NOC | LD+LAB | URL | 68 | 9[w 20] | 3 | 14 | 24[w 21] | 1 | 17[w 22] | |
Rhondda Cynon Taf | LAB | maj | URL | 75 | 47 | 17 | 3 | 8[w 23] | |||
Swansea | LAB | maj | URL | 75 | 45 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 11[w 24] | ||
Torfaen | LAB | maj | URL | 40 | 30 | 10[w 25] | |||||
Vale of Glamorgan | NOC | LAB+IND | URL | 54 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 8[w 26] | |||
Wrexham | NOC | IND+CON | URL | 56 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 23[w 27] | ||
Total | 1,254 | 523 | 203 | 111 | 69 | 8 | 369 | 1 |
Parties with no elected representation
Notable registered parties
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
- 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)Llanelliin 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
See also
- Elections in Wales
- Politics of Wales
- Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
- List of political movements in Wales
- Political make-up of local councils in Wales
- Welsh devolution
- Welsh republicanism
Notes
- ^ 11 Independents
- ^ 21Independents
- ^ 6 Independents
- ^ 1 Propel
- ^ 14 Independents
- ^ 9 Independents and 1 Gwlad
- ^ 1 ex-Independent
- ^ 23 Independents including 1 ex-Plaid, 2 ex-Conservative
- ^ 12 Independents
- ^ Includes 1 Independent who sits with the Lib Dems Group
- ^ 30 Independent Alliance including Plaid Cymru and Independents
- ^ 21 independents, 6 Llais Gwynedd
- ^ 10 Independents
- ^ 1 ex-Independent
- ^ 15 Independents
- ^ 5 Independents
- ^ 19 Independents leading administration
- ^ 7 Independents, 4 Non aligned & 3 Newport Independents
- ^ 13 Independents, 22 non-aligned
- ^ 1 ex-Conservative
- ^ 1 ex-Conservative
- ^ 30 Independents
- ^ 7 Independents including 1 ex-Lib Dem, 1 Cynon Valley Party
- ^ 11 Independents, 4 non-aligned Uplands Party
- ^ 10 Independents
- ^ 8 dependents, 4 Llantwit Independents and 1 non-aligned in administration with Labour, 4 non-aligned.
- ^ 23 Independents, 21 ruling Independent Group & 2 non-aligned
- ^ Political parties are under no legal obligation to publish membership statistics and there is no uniformly recognised definition of membership.
- Labour and Co-operative joint candidates due to an electoral alliance with the Co-operative Party.
References
- ^ "Understanding legislation". Legislation.gov.uk.
- ^ "Major changes to cut number of Welsh MPs published". BBC News. 8 September 2021.
- ^ Williams, Darren (5 June 2021). "WEC Meeting 5 June 2021". Darren Williams.
- ^ "Plaid Cymru see 25% membership boost following Adam Price's leadership victory". Nation.Cymru. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Jane Dodds is new Welsh Liberal Democrat leader". BBC News. 3 November 2017.
- ^ "View registration - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Wales Local Elections 2022". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Mosalski, Ruth; Youle, Richard; O'Neill, Ryan (6 May 2022). "The Green Party gets its first councillors in Cardiff as it grows its representatives across Wales". WalesOnline. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "View registration - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk.
- ^ "Independent AM Neil McEvoy to launch new Welsh National Party". ITV News. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "Gwlad Gwlad standing in four seats where Plaid Cymru have withdrawn 'to offer people a pro-independence vote'". Nation.Cymru. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Gwlad Gwlad standing in four seats where Plaid Cymru have withdrawn 'to offer people a pro-independence vote'". Nation.Cymru. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Socialist Party Wales – Socialism In Wales". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ WalesOnline (11 August 2003). "New Welsh Socialist dawn?". WalesOnline. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Waugh, Paul (20 September 2019). "Harriet Harman Urged To Pull Out Of Commons Speaker Race By Local Labour Party". Huffpost. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
The motion by Nick Wrack, who was readmitted to Labour after standing against Harman for the left-wing TUSC party four years ago, cites the precedent of Tories warning they would stand a candidate against John Bercow if he stayed on.
- ^ Prest, Victoria (18 April 2015). "Trade Union and Socialist Party (TUSC) to contest eight seats in York council elections". The Press. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
The left-wing party Trade Union and Socialist Party (TUSC) is fielding eight would-be councillors for seats on City of York Council, as well as a parliamentary candidate in York Central.
- ^ Cohen, Tamara (2 June 2017). "Can far-left fringe parties make a difference to Labour's election push?". Sky News. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
Britain's largest far-left party, the Trade Union Socialist Coalition (TUSC), founded by the late Bob Crow, is standing no candidates this year.
- ^ "Former Llan'dod mayor stands for Christian Party in General Election". County Times. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ISBN 0826458149.
- ^ People First - Gwerin Gyntaf (De-registered 03/11/16), The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2018-09-23.