Blaenau Gwent (UK Parliament constituency)

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Blaenau Gwent
County constituency
Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent shown within Wales
Created: 1983
MP: Dai Davis
Party: Independent
Type: House of Commons
Preserved county: Gwent
EP constituency: Wales

Blaenau Gwent is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

The constituency boundaries are analogous to those of Blaenau Gwent county borough.

[edit] History

Blaenau Gwent under its previous name of Ebbw Vale had been held by Aneurin Bevan and Michael Foot, and was considered one of Labour's safest seats in the country. In the 1983 and 1992 general elections, it was Labour's safest seat. The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats have both been very weak in the seat. Neither has won 10% of the vote since 1987 and the Conservatives have never achieved one eighth of the total votes cast. In 2005 the Liberal Democrats received their lowest share of the vote in the United Kingdom and the Conservatives their second lowest, and both lost their deposits, though this particular election saw unusual circumstances.

The seat hit the headlines at the 2005 UK General Election when the Labour Welsh Assembly Member Peter Law ran as an independent and won the seat. He had resigned from the Labour Party in protest at the imposition of an all-women candidates' shortlist following the retirement of incumbent MP Llew Smith, and overturned a 19,313 (60%) Labour majority with a significant 9,121 (25%) majority. In 2006 the Labour Party decided not to require an all-women shortlist at the next general election. [1]

Peter Law died of a brain tumour on April 25, 2006, precipitating a by-election in the seat on 29 June 2006. Labour failed to regain the seat as Peter Law's former campaign manager, Dai Davies, was elected to replace him.

[edit] Members of Parliament

[edit] Elections

Blaenau Gwent by-election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Dai Davies 12,543 46.2 -12.0
Labour Owen Smith 10,055 37.0 +4.7
Plaid Cymru Steffan Lewis 1,755 6.5 +4.1
Liberal Democrats Amy Kitcher 1,477 5.4 +1.1
Conservative Margrit Williams 1,013 3.7 +1.3
Monster Raving Loony Alan "Howling Laud" Hope 318 1.2 *
Majority 2,488 9.1 -16.8
Turnout
Independent hold Swing
General Election 2005: Blaenau Gwent
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Peter Law 20,505 58.2 +58.2
Labour Maggie Jones 11,384 32.3 -39.7
Liberal Democrats Brian Thomas 1,511 4.3 -5.0
Plaid Cymru John Price 843 2.4 -8.8
Conservative Phillip Lee 816 2.4 -5.2
UK Independence Peter Osborne 192 0.5 +0.5
Majority 9,121 25.9
Turnout 35,251 66.1 +6.6
Independent gain from Labour Swing +48.9
General Election 2001: Blaenau Gwent
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Llew Smith 22,855 72.0 -7.4
Plaid Cymru Adam Rykala 3,542 11.2 +5.9
Liberal Democrats Edward Townsend 2,945 9.3 +0.6
Conservative Huw Williams 2,383 7.5 +0.9
Majority 19,313 60.8 - 9.9
Turnout 31,725 59.5 -12.8
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1997: Blaenau Gwent
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Llew Smith 31,493 79.5 + 0.5
Liberal Democrats Geraldine Layton 3,458 8.7 + 2.3
Conservative Margrit Williams 2,607 6.6 - 3.2
Plaid Cymru Jim Criddle 2,072 5.2 + 0.4
Majority 28,035 70.7 + 1.5
Turnout 39,630 72.3
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1992: Blaenau Gwent
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Llew Smith 34,333 79.0 + 3.1
Conservative D. R. M. Melding 4,266 9.8 - 1.7
Liberal Democrats A. Burns 2,774 6.4 - 2.5
Plaid-Green Alliance T. A. R. Davies ¹ 2,099 4.8 + 1.1
Majority 30,067 69.2 + 4.8
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1987: Blaenau Gwent
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Foot 32,820 75.9 + 5.9
Conservative A. R. Taylor 4,959 11.5 + 0.3
Liberal D. I. McBride 3,847 8.9 - 6.2
Plaid Cymru S. Morgan 1,621 3.7 0.0
Majority 27,861 64.4 + 9.5
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1983: Blaenau Gwent
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Foot 30,113 70.0 N/A
Liberal G. M. Atkinson 6,488 15.1 N/A
Conservative T. P. Morgan 4,816 11.2 N/A
Plaid Cymru S. Morgan 1,624 3.7 N/A
Majority 23,625 54.9 N/A
Turnout N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A

[edit] Sources

[edit] See also

Constituencies in Wales
Labour

Aberavon | Alyn and Deeside | Bridgend | Caerphilly | Cardiff North | Cardiff South and Penarth | Cardiff West | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Clwyd South | Conwy | Cynon Valley | Delyn | Gower | Islwyn | Llanelli | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Neath | Newport East | Newport West | Ogmore | Pontypridd | Rhondda | Swansea East | Swansea West | Torfaen | Vale of Clwyd | Vale of Glamorgan | Wrexham | Ynys Môn

Liberal Democrat

Brecon and Radnorshire | Cardiff Central | Ceredigion | Montgomeryshire

Conservative

Clwyd West | Monmouth | Preseli Pembrokeshire

Plaid Cymru

Caernarfon | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy

Independent

Blaenau Gwent

Wales European constituency: Labour (2) | Conservative (1) | Plaid Cymru (1)