‘The punishment election’: Is Labour facing a bloodbath in Wales?

‘The punishment election’: Is Labour facing a bloodbath in Wales?

Author: The Times April 29, 2026 Duration: 36:09

South Wales has been a Labour heartland since the party formed over a century ago, but speak to people there today and you'll find support leaving in droves. So can Labour avoid an electoral car crash? Could the other main parties capitalise? Ahead of the Welsh Senedd elections next week, we travelled to Swansea to take the political temperature.


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Guests: 

  • Professor Matthew Wall, professor of politics, philosophy and international relations at Swansea University and principal investigator of the 2026 Welsh election study.
  • Grant Berni, head of the Osprey’s supporters club.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Harry Stott.

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Read more: A walk round Pembroke Dock shows why Labour will lose Welsh election

Further listening: Get ready for a pub brawl, it's local election time

Photo: Getty Images.

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