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 in either the House of Commons or the Senedd, the current largest party in Wales is Welsh Labour, followed closely by the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru.
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 Conservatives and Plaid Cymru. The constituencies are due to change for the 2024 general election.[2]
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.
| Party | Translation | Leader | Political position | Ideology | MSs | MPs | Local government | Membership | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| centre | Welsh Labour | Vaughan Gething | Centre-left | 22,000[3] | ||||||||
| centre | Welsh Conservatives | Andrew RT Davies | Centre-right | Unknown | ||||||||
| centre | Plaid Cymru | Rhun ap Iorwerth | 10,100[4] | |||||||||
| centre | Welsh Liberal Democrats | Jane Dodds | Centre to centre-left | 3,133[5] | ||||||||
Several parties in Wales have no national representation, but have elected representation at the local government level.
| Party | Translation | Elected members of local government | Political position | Ideology | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales Green Party[6] | 8[7] [8] | Left-wing | ||||
| Llantwit First Independents | 4 (Vale of Glamorgan Council) | N/A | Localism | |||
| Uplands Party[9] | 4 (Swansea Council) | N/A | Localism | |||
| Reform UK | 3 (Torfaen County Borough Council) | Right-wing | ||||
| Newport Independents Party | 3 (Newport City Council) | N/A | Localism | |||
| Propel | 1 (Cardiff Council) | None[10] | ||||
| Gwlad | English: Country | 1 (Ceredigion County Council) | Centre-right[11] | |||
| Council | Control | Web | Total | LAB | PC | CON | LD | GP | Other | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | LAB | maj | URL | 33 | 22 | 11[13] | ||||||
| Bridgend | LAB | maj | URL | 51 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 22[14] | ||||
| Caerphilly | LAB | maj | URL | 69 | 45 | 18 | 6[15] | |||||
| Cardiff | LAB | maj | URL | 79 | 55 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 1[16] | |||
| Carmarthenshire | PC | maj | URL | 75 | 23 | 38 | 14[17] | |||||
| Ceredigion | PC | maj | URL | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10[18] | |||||
| Conwy | NOC | IND+PC+LAB | URL | 55 | 9 | 8 [19] | 10 | 4 | 1 | 22[20] | ||
| Denbighshire | NOC | LAB+PC | URL | 48 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12[21] | ||
| Flintshire | NOC | LAB min (LD support) | URL | 67 | 31 | 2 | 4[22] | 30[23] | ||||
| Gwynedd | PC | maj | URL | 69 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 21[24] | ||||
| Isle of Anglesey | PC | maj | URL | 35 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 10[25] | ||||
| Merthyr Tydfil | NOC | IND+LAB | URL | 30 | 15[26] | 15[27] | ||||||
| Monmouthshire | NOC | LAB min | URL | 46 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 5[28] | ||||
| Neath Port Talbot | NOC | IND+PC | URL | 58 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 19[29] | |||
| Newport | LAB | maj | URL | 51 | 35 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7[30] | |||
| Pembrokeshire | IND | maj | URL | 60 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 35[31] | |||
| Powys | NOC | LD+LAB | URL | 68 | 9[32] | 3 | 14 | 24[33] | 1 | 17[34] | ||
| LAB | maj | URL | 75 | 47 | 17 | 3 | 8[35] | |||||
| Swansea | LAB | maj | URL | 75 | 45 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 11[36] | |||
| Torfaen | LAB | maj | URL | 40 | 30 | 10[37] | ||||||
| Vale of Glamorgan | NOC | LAB+IND | URL | 54 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 8[38] | ||||
| Wrexham | NOC | IND+CON | URL | 56 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 23[39] | |||
| Total | 1,254 | 523 | 203 | 111 | 69 | 8 | 369 | 1 | ||||
| Single-issue | |||||
| No More Lockdowns | N/A | Anti-lockdown | |||
| Social Democratic Party | Syncretic | ||||
| Socialist Party Wales[40] | Far-left[41] | ||||
| The Cynon Valley Party | N/A | Localism | |||
| Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) | |||||
| UK Independence Party | |||||
| Welsh Christian Party | Right-wing[42] | ||||
| Communist Party of Britain | Far-left[43] | ||||
| Women's Equality Party |