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Plaid Cymru is now the largest party in the Welsh Parliament for the first time with 43 seats, while Labour has suffered a crushing defeat after 27 years in power – and will only be sending nine MSs to the Senedd.

Although it is the biggest party, Plaid is still short of an overall majority of 49 and will need support from others to help govern. Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said he will “reach out” to other parties to form a new Welsh government, and said his party will put him forward as first minister.

Eluned Morgan resigned as Welsh Labour leader after her defeat in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency, and said she took "responsibility" for her party's poor performance.

Elsewhere Reform won the second most seats with 34 – its best-ever result in a Senedd election. Welsh leader Dan Thomas declared Reform "the people's army".

We’ll be pausing our live page shortly, but join us again from 08:00 BST tomorrow as we look ahead to what comes next, including the next steps for Plaid as it seeks to form a new government and the fallout from Labour after such a crushing defeat.

For more on the Senedd election, catch the latest episode of Walescast, and you can read more about today's historic result here.

Today has been one of the most consequential Senedd elections since Wales' parliament was established in 1999.

We've rounded up the pictures which sum up the highs and lows of a historic day.

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Steve Duffy
BBC Wales

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The gender balance in the Senedd has slightly improved following today’s election result, with female members making up 46% of the 2026 intake, compared to 43% in the previous Senedd.

There will be 52 male MSs and 44 females in the new Senedd, and there are only two constituencies - Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr and Ceredigion Penfro - where female MSs outnumber male ones.

Mark Palmer
Wales assistant editor

Former senior political adviser Des Clifford told the BBC earlier that the UK Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, should resign following a night of dramatic election results for Welsh Labour.

Clifford said Labour in Wales had been "badly treated by their colleagues in London” and that responsibility should be shared beyond Cardiff Bay.

The former Welsh government civil servant said: "There has been absolutely no help for Welsh Labour from their colleagues in London since the 2024 election."

Clifford said it was "not good enough for the people who have voted Labour in Wales for generations", and argued that key policy issues like rail investment, constitutional powers and Crown Estate funding had been mishandled.

In response, a Labour source said: "I am continually surprised with Des's obsession with niche constitutional issues.

"Rather than focusing on what matters to the vast majority on Welsh people, issues such as health, education, and housing, a former civil servant has decided to focus blame on someone else rather looking in the mirror."

Oliver Slow
BBC Wales

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With Plaid Cymru looking set to form the next Welsh government, questions are now turning to what promises the party made on the campaign trail – summed up in its manifesto which you can read more about here.

An independent Wales, an issue the party has campaigned heavily on in the past, is not an immediate priority – Plaid says it would not hold a referendum in its first term, but instead set up a “national commission”, which would lay the foundations for a White Paper on Welsh independence.

Plaid has promised to "review the effectiveness" of the rules on second homes and tourism lets, a hot topic in tourist areas.

It wants to expand free meals to children in years seven to 11 in households claiming Universal Credit, with no income limit.

It also wants to explore the possibility of a “Welsh child payment” of £10 a week for some children under six - something that could require support from the UK government.

Adam Hale
Wales political producer

Wales' 16 new larger constituencies, and a new voting system to elect six politicians to each, meant that the country's political map was always going to look different after today's results.

But the balance of power has also shifted - Plaid Cymru has the most seats, it and Reform have won in parts of Wales for the very first time, and Labour has suffered record losses.

Here's how the election has changed Wales' political picture.

Polls at various points during the campaign had suggested the Welsh Conservatives could face a wipe out at this election.

But its Senedd leader Darren Millar is among seven members returning to the Senedd - a drop of 22.

Millar says the result is "better than many predicted" and marks "an important step in rebuilding the Welsh Conservative Party".

"While there is still much more work to do, we have laid solid foundations to move forward and reconnect with voters across Wales," he says.

“We now look ahead to the next elections with determination and optimism as we continue rebuilding support across Wales."

Elen Davies
BBC Wales reporter in Ceredigion

I've speaking to people here in Eluned Morgan's constituency about what they think about her loss today and resignation as Welsh Labour leader.

Anne Cakebread, 57, from St Dogmaels says it's "really sad for Wales", and called Morgan a "quality politician".

"She's got great experience, including in the European Parliament and actually considering the budget and finances that Wales gets, she's done an incredible job.

"But I think there were so many other different factors, and the national Labour party had a big impact on the results in Wales."

Rupert Pope, 27, from Newcastle Emlyn says: "I think it shows that people in Wales aren't happy with the job she's been doing and the job Keir Starmer has been doing, and that's probably more relevant."

Allison, from Mynachlog-ddu, says: "She was doing a really good job but everything was stacked against her. We are Plaid through and through, but we really respected what she was doing for Wales."

Speaking on Question Time, Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts says her party wants to see devolution to work in Wales.

Questioned by Fiona Bruce on the topic around independence, Saville-Roberts says the party wants further devolution of powers from Westminster.

"We want further powers. We are the party that stands for further independence," she says.

"The deal that they [the public] have been dealt with devolution in Wales is so bad. It [has] so ill-served the people of Wales that our job in the first instance is to make it work.

"Then when people see the confidence that we can do something better ourselves, then we will be on a journey."

Here's the historic moment the first minister resigned as Welsh Labour leader after she lost her seat in Ceredigion Penfro.

Morgan is the first leader of a government in the UK to lose their seat while in office.

Earlier this week we reported that more than 1,300 applicants for postal votes in Cardiff had not received their ballot papers ahead of the election.

Cardiff Council said it hand-delivered replacement voting packs and sent a small number via priority mail to try and remedy the problem, but voters who were unable to return to Cardiff until after the election had no means of voting.

Today the Electoral Commission confirmed there were "no widespread postal voting issues in Wales at this election," after liaising with returning officers and the electoral management board.

It said it would "consider administration of postal voting as part of our post-poll reporting process".

Now all the results are in, we can see how the newly expanded Senedd looks.

Remember, the number of Members of the Senedd (MSs) has increased from 60 to 96.

Crucially, Plaid Cymru are just six seats short of an overall majority. They'll need help from other parties to make up the difference and help them govern.

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Plaid Cymru is now the largest party in the Senedd with 43 seats, while Labour has suffered a crushing defeat after 27 years in power - and will only be sending nine MSs to Wales' parliament.

Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, who won his seat in Bangor Conwy Mon, said he will "reach out" to others parties to form a new Welsh government.

While Plaid has the most seats, it is still short of an overall majority of 49 and will need support from others to help it govern.

Labour's woes led to Eluned Morgan resigning as Welsh Labour leader after her defeat in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency.

The day also saw Reform win the second most seats with 34 - its best-ever result in a Welsh Parliament election. Welsh leader Dan Thomas declared Reform "the people's army".

The Green Party won its first seat in the Senedd in Caerdydd Penarth, where leader Anthony Slaughter described it as an "historic breakthrough".

We've got more reaction and analysis to come, including the next steps for Plaid as it seeks to form a government.

Cemlyn Davies
Wales political correspondent in Ceredigion Penfro

I'm writing this from a now empty school hall in Llandysul, which has just played host to one of the most dramatic moments in Welsh devolution.

It was early afternoon when we first had sources telling us that it appeared Eluned Morgan had lost her seat.

Within a few hours she was announcing her resignation as leader of Welsh Labour and taking "full responsibility" for her party's "catastrophic" performance - having failed to get over the line in her home patch.

I was struck by the warm applause for her from all gathered in the hall - a clear sign of the respect she has earned during her many years in politics representing the area which means so much to her.

Forever loyal to her party, she ignored questions about Sir Keir Starmer's position, saying only that the prime minister wasn't on the ballot paper. Though she did call on the UK government to "change course".

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Speaking to cheering activists in Venue Cymru, Llandudno, ap Iorwerth says: "Plaid Cymru now stands ready to take the necessary steps to form the next government of Wales."

He says it is a moment "100 years in the making".

"We have won because we represent hope over division, credibility over chaos and progress over stagnation," he says.

"I now intend to reach out to others who can support these missions with the pace and seriousness they demand, and to find common ground where we can, for the common good. 

"Plaid Cymru will press ahead with those conversations with urgency and put forward my name to be nominated as the next first minister."

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth says he will "reach out" to other politicians in the Senedd to form a new Welsh government.

He says his party will put his name forward to be first minister.

The vote to confirm who will lead the administration could take place as soon as Tuesday.

Ap Iorwerth continues by saying that Wales demanded change.

"We could all see it. We could all sense it. Wales demanded a new beginning.

"And now a new dawn beckons. But we have not yet reached the destination. Far from it. We're just setting out on our journey, and we set off with new leadership, with new energy and new ideas."

Rhun ap Iorwerth says Plaid's victory is a moment which "we hold the promise and ambition of the nation in our hands".

"The promise of fairness, of opportunity, of prosperity, of a nation determined in its ambition and uncompromising in its compassion."

He adds that the party represents "hope over division, credibility over chaos and progress over stagnation".

Rhun ap Iorwerth says the people of Wales have decided to take the next steps in Wales' journey.

"Plaid Cymru stands ready to take the necessary steps to form the next government of Wales."

Rhun ap Iorwerth arrives at Venue Cymru in Llandudno and takes to the podium.

He is met with cheers from a group behind him.

You can watch his speech live by clicking play at the top of the page.