Scottish, Welsh and local English elections: What farmers need to know

Last week was a busy one for UK elections with many heading to the polls on May 7 to vote in the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and local English elections. Welsh Senedd election A landmark election result for the Welsh Government saw the success of Plaid Cymru overturn Labour's almost 30-year grip on the Senedd having won 43 out of possible 96 seats. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth was confirmed as First Minister and although the party fell short of an overall majority, he was invited to form a Government following a vote in the Senedd. Labour returned just nine MSs with notable losses including former First Minister Eluned Morgan. Plaid Cymru First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth What does this mean for farming? Ahead of the election, Plaid Cymru pledged a ‘rural reset' to address what members termed as years of neglect from Westminster with its then agriculture spokesperson Llyr Gruffydd promising his party would begin a new era of putting rural policy at the heart of Welsh Government. It said its main aims were to back family farms, support young farmers and Welsh-owned businesses, pledging to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, protect productive farmland and strengthen the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Since his party's win, Mr ap Iorwerth has appointed Clwyd MS Llyr Gruffydd as Plaid Cymru's first ever Rural Resilience and Sustainability Secretary. The party leader says his new cabinet will work to deliver a 'more greener and prosperous Wales'. READ MORE: All change for Welsh farmers as Plaid Cymru secures victory in Senedd elections Scottish Parliament election The Scottish National Party (SNP) won a fifth election in a row with First Minister John Swinney pledging to take the fight to Nigel Farage's Reform UK who won their first seats in the Scottish Parliament, coming joint second with Labour. Now the largest party in Scotland, the SNP returned the most seats with 58 MSPs elected to Holyrood. It was not enough for the party to gain a majority of 65 seats and is six fewer seats than the SNP won at the 2021 election. This means the SNP will either rule as a minority Government or enter into a power share agreement. SNP First Minister John Swinney What does this mean for farmers? In its election manifesto, the SNP has pledged to support rural Scotland with the introduction of a new Rural Renewal Bill over the course of the next parliament. Supporting active farming and food production with direct payments was also referenced as a key point in the SNPs' manifesto to provide ‘certainty' to the industry, adding that farmers are ‘vital contributors' to Scotland's economy. Small producers and crofters have an ‘important place' in Scotland's food systems, the manifesto reads, with the SNP pledging to triple the Small Producers Fund to £1.5 million in 2026. It also says it will establish a public sector food procurement taskforce which will work with stakeholders to review key barriers to local procurement and make recommendations to strengthen local procurement which supports local economies and reduces food miles. At the SNP's election manifesto launch last month Mr Swinney pledged to introduce draft legislation which could limit the cost of up to 50 essential food items like milk, bread and eggs within the SNPs' first 100 days in office. NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon said the SNP must provide more clarity on how the proposal would operate in practice and how the Government will ensure the policy does not have 'unintended negative consequences' for Scotland's farmers and crofters. England local elections Reform UK surged in the local elections across England last week (May 7) with Labour enduring a huge reverse, losing close to 1,500 council seats, near as many as Reform gained. Rural councils such as Essex and Suffolk were gained by Reform UK while others, Hampshire, Norfolk and West Sussex, moved to no overall control. The Green party also made gains in these elections, winning hundreds of council seats and the mayoral race in Hackney and Lewisham. While the Conservatives took a few hundred losses they still managed to gain just over 800 council seats, a couple hundred behind Labour at 1,068 and even further behind Reform at 1,454. READ MORE: Rural MPs plot Sir Keir Starmer's endgame as PM Fresh faces urged to work with farmers As some fresh faces take office and re-elected councillors begin another term, the NFU has called on all these newly elected representatives to work with farmers and growers and to back the industry through the challenges it faces during an extremely difficult time for the sector. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: "While many of these challenges need to be solved at Government level, local authorities can make a difference for farm businesses and the communities they support – by championing pro-farming policies on areas such as planning and rural crime, they can help to shape the future of our industry. "We look forward to working with all newly elected representatives to help support a thriving and profitable British farming industry." Prime Minister faces calls to step down Following a huge hit to the Labour party after the elections, Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to step down as Prime Minister after nearly a quarter of Labour MPs have publicly called for him to resign. Labour had lost 1,496 council seats and control of 28 councils in England including previous stronghold areas - including Barnsley, Calderdale, Sandwell, Sunderland, Wakefield and Wigan. For the first time in 27 years since devolution, Welsh Labour had failed to gain the largest number of seats to form a Government; finishing third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform. In Scotland, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who had previously told the Prime Minister to resign in February, had lost five seats and gained the same number of seats as Malcom Offord's Reform at 17. In response to the election results, backbench Labour MP Catherine West had called on Sir Keir to resign, adding that the country risked paving a path for Reform UK's Nigel Farage to be the next Prime Minister. Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer faces pleas to resign from role following 'disastrous' elections The Prime Minister said he took full accountability for a disappointing set of election results for Labour but added that a change in leadership is not the answer to building a 'stronger, fairer Britain'. "I take responsibility for not walking away, not plunging our country into chaos, as the Tories did time and again, chaos that did lasting damage to this country," he said. "A Labour Government would never be forgiven for inflicting that on our country again. "I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain, frustrated by politics, and some people are frustrated with me.