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The dust has just about settled on a landmark election that I will remember fondly for the rest of my life.

It was evident that something different was happening within minutes of the Casnewydd Islwyn vote verification at the Newport Velodrome late on the night of polling day. To see our various counting agents report that Plaid Cymru were performing so strongly in some areas where we have traditionally not had much prominence, was special. 

The 2026 Senedd elections were genuinely historic given it was the first time in over a century that Labour had failed to win a non-European Parliament election in Wales. Labour did not just lose; they were far behind in third place.

On the campaign trail, there was no single reason for this spectacular downfall. For some, Plaid Cymru’s positive agenda was enough to make them switch allegiances. For others, it was the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance by Keir Starmer in what was one of his first acts as Prime Minister. Some raised the failure of the Labour Westminster government to reinstate the state pension of 1950s-born women after pledging repeatedly to do so while in opposition. Others mentioned numerous factors concerning the performance of the Labour government in Wales on issues such as NHS waiting lists. Whatever the reason, people in Wales overwhelmingly rejected the status quo that had governed them for so long.

A majority of people also rejected the divisive politics that has taken root in many parts of England, according to the local election results that came in on the same day as our national parliament results.

At the Newport count, rumours swirled throughout the day that Farage was due to attend to anoint his chosen leader. But as it became clear that Reform was not performing as well as they had predicted, those rumours began to quieten and the man who has been in the news of late for receiving millions from billionaires, failed to show.

By and large, Wales voted for hope over hate. This was a major relief and cause for celebration – which was evident in the gathering on the steps of the Senedd just two days after the election. Whilst we may not know or even understand the full implications of these set of results for many years to come, I am hopeful that we have set ourselves a new, distinct course that will see improvements for our nation, our communities and the people that live here.

While it may be early days for the Plaid Cymru minority government, I know there is great determination to make an early impact.

Members of Rhun ap Iorwerth’s cabinet have been holding various meetings to get to know their government staff, the challenges within their department and have been working out what milestones they need to be hitting to get their manifesto commitments and goals achieved. There is a sense of pace and urgency within this Plaid Cymru government and I am excited to see what it can deliver for the people of Wales.

This Government will be judged on delivery and I am confident that it will result in Wales being a stronger nation by the time the next set of Senedd elections results come round.