UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp struggled to name the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, failing five times during an interview on by-election results.
As reported by The Independent, Chris Philp could not name the leader of the Welsh Tories despite repeated questioning.
What did Chris Philp say about the Caerphilly by-election results?
Chris Philp said the Conservative Party campaigned hard in the Caerphilly by-election, where Plaid Cymru secured 47% and Reform UK came second with 36%.
The by-election saw Welsh Labour take 11% of the vote, while the Welsh Conservatives received just 2%.
The interviewer asked Mr Philp for his reaction, adding,
“Do you know who your Welsh leader is?”
Mr Philp replied,
“We have obviously fought that by-election hard, disappointing result for the main parties – Plaid Cymru obviously won that and Reform did pretty well.”
The shadow home secretary said,
“We had a disappointing night because I think we’re still in a process of recovery and of renewal, and we’re going to keep working hard at that up and down the country.”
He called the Conservative Party conference a “turning point,” highlighting new policies, including plans to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
The host repeated the question about the leader of the Welsh Conservatives four more times.
After the fourth time, the interviewer told Mr Philp,
“If you don’t know, you can say – who is the leader of the Welsh Tories?”
For the fifth time, he repeated,
“If you’re unsure, it’s completely fine to admit it.”
Mr Philp responded,
“We’ve got a relatively new leader and I’m afraid, I’m afraid, I’m afraid the name escapes me.”
The host replied,
“He’s called Darren Millar and that does matter because the party is disappearing rapidly into the sand of a Welsh beach.”
Last December, Mr Millar, the Clwyd West MS, was elected leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd. He has served in the Welsh Parliament since his first election in May 2007, being re-elected in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
How did Chris Philp react to Hadush Kebatu’s release from prison?
Chris Philp called on Justice Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to apologise over the wrongful release of a convicted sex offender.
The shadow home secretary stated,
“He should never have been released in the first place, and I think the justice secretary and the home secretary should frankly apologise to the British public for presiding over a system which led to his release to start with.”
He said,
“I think it also raises wider questions about illegal immigration across the Channel. This man was one of those who arrived [on a small boat] and within just eight days of arriving, sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.”
When asked about the past Tory government’s left the prison system struggling, Mr Philp responded,
“They’ve been in charge now for almost a year and a half, so I think they do have to take responsibility for the system. This failing with the release of this man by accident happened under the Labour government and, as I say, I think the justice secretary and home secretary should apologise.”
The shadow home secretary added,
“We’ve got a police and crime announcement to hire even more new police officers and do surge policing. So, I know the last government made mistakes, obviously. That’s why the last election was lost. But under new leadership, we’re now coming up with new ideas, new plans.”
What did Wes Streeting say about Labour’s Caerphilly loss?
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described Labour’s defeat in Caerphilly as “a real shock” to the party.
Referring to loss, he said,
“The government’s response to that has got to be similar to the response that we saw from Keir Starmer when Labour lost the Hartleypool by-election [in 2021].”
The health secretary stated,
“That was a real shock to Labour’s core. This was a solid Labour town, just like Caerphilly. What Keir did was take the result on the chin and also took it to heart and changed the Labour Party with a pace and scale of ambition. That meant we were able to win a general election that no one thought we could win. We’ve got to do the same now in government.”
Mr Streeting added,
“Take that result in Caerphilly on the chin, take it to heart and show the same level of ambition and drive and the scale of change within government that the public are crying out for.”
How did Plaid Cymru end Labour’s century-long rule in Caerphilly?
The Caerphilly by-election was triggered by the death of the sitting Labour MS, Hefin David.
Plaid Cymru won Caerphilly on Oct 23, 2025, ending over a century of Labour representation with 47.4% of the vote.
Reform UK came second with 36%, a huge rise from just 495 votes in 2021, signaling growing influence in Welsh politics.
Labour fell to third with 11%, marking a dramatic swing of nearly 27% away from the party.