LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s ruling Labour Party suffered a heavy electoral defeat on Friday in Wales, a traditional stronghold, in a result that highlights the threat posed by the Reform UK party, as the government struggles to revive the economy and ease fears about immigration.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour lost a by-election for the Caerphilly seat in the Welsh parliament to centre-left nationalist party Plaid Cymru, falling into a distant third place behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

“I’m not shying away from how disappointing the result is,” Labour minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News. “We treat the result with humility, we are listening.”

Plaid Cymru won 47% of the vote, with Reform taking 36% and Labour 11%.

The seat was being contested following the death of the inc

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