Wales
Constituent nation of the United Kingdom; population 3.1 million; capital Cardiff.
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth defended a £145m NHS top-up on 1 July, blaming a nurse and midwife shortfall on training decisions made under the Welsh Labour government his Plaid Cymru minority ended in May.
Last refreshed: 3 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does a Plaid Cymru government mean for Wales's relationship with Westminster?
Timeline for Wales
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UK Local Elections 2026Background
Wales is a constituent nation of the United Kingdom, bordered by England and the Irish Sea, with a population of around 3.1 million and Cardiff as its capital. Devolved since 1999, its government holds legislative and executive powers over health, education, housing, local government and transport. About 20% of the population speaks Welsh, which holds co-official status alongside English.
The economy is smaller and less productive per head than England's, with structural dependence on public-sector employment and post-industrial communities across the South Wales valleys, though Wales also hosts significant industrial assets, including Airbus's composite wing plant at Broughton, a cornerstone of European aerospace supply chains.
Wales's electoral system changed fundamentally for 2026: the Senedd expanded to 96 seats and moved to closed-list D'Hondt proportional representation across 16 six-member constituencies, the most significant change to Welsh electoral law since devolution began.
Plaid governs after 27 years of Labour
Wales held its first election to the expanded 96-seat Senedd on 7 May 2026 under closed-list D'Hondt proportional representation, ending 27 years of continuous Welsh Labour government. Plaid Cymru won 43 seats to Labour's 9, the smallest Welsh Labour group in any devolved chamber since 1910, with First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her own seat. Rhun ap Iorwerth's Plaid minority government took office on 12 May with confidence and supply from two Wales Green MSs.
On 19 May ap Iorwerth put six constitutional demands to Westminster covering justice, the Crown Estate, rail, water, social security and funding, winning a youth justice concession, the first statutory power transfer to Wales since 1999. By 1 July he was defending his own government's record, blaming a graduate nurse and midwife shortfall on training-place decisions taken before he took office.