Blaenau Gwent (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox alt
Name = Blaenau Gwent


Type = County
Entity = Wales
DivisionType = Preserved county
Division = Gwent
Year = 1983
MP = Dai Davies
Party = Independent
EP = 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.

Boundaries

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

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. [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/kevinmaguire/#story2]

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.

Members of Parliament

* "Constituency created as Ebbw Vale" (1918)

Elections

Election box begin
title=Blaenau Gwent by-election, 2006Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Dai Davies
votes = 12,543
percentage = 46.2
change = -12.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Owen Smith
votes = 10,055
percentage = 37.0
change = +4.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Plaid Cymru
candidate = Steffan Lewis
votes = 1,755
percentage = 6.5
change = +4.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Amy Kitcher
votes = 1,477
percentage = 5.4
change = +1.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Margrit Williams
votes = 1,013
percentage = 3.7
change = +1.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = Alan "Howling Laud" Hope
votes = 318
percentage = 1.2
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 2,488
percentage = 9.1
change = -16.8Election box turnout
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Independent (politician)
swing = -8.35

Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Peter Law
votes = 20,505
percentage = 58.2
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Maggie Jones
votes = 11,384
percentage = 32.3
change = -39.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Brian Thomas
votes = 1,511
percentage = 4.3
change = -5.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Plaid Cymru
candidate = John Price
votes = 843
percentage = 2.4
change = -8.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Phillip Lee
votes = 816
percentage = 2.4
change = -5.2Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Peter Osborne
votes = 192
percentage = 0.5
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 9,121
percentage = 25.9
change = Election box turnout
votes = 35,251
percentage = 66.1
change = +6.6Election box gain with party link
winner = Independent (politician)
loser = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Llew Smith
votes = 22,855
percentage = 72.0
change = -7.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Plaid Cymru
candidate = Adam Rykala
votes = 3,542
percentage = 11.2
change = +5.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Edward Townsend
votes = 2,945
percentage = 9.3
change = +0.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Huw Williams
votes = 2,383
percentage = 7.5
change = +0.9Election box majority
votes = 19,313
percentage = 60.8
change = - 9.9Election box turnout
votes = 31,725
percentage = 59.5
change = -12.8Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Llew Smith
votes = 31,493
percentage = 79.5
change = + 0.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Geraldine Layton
votes = 3,458
percentage = 8.7
change = + 2.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Margrit Williams
votes = 2,607
percentage = 6.6
change = - 3.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Plaid Cymru
candidate = Jim Criddle
votes = 2,072
percentage = 5.2
change = + 0.4Election box majority
votes = 28,035
percentage = 70.7
change = + 1.5Election box turnout
votes = 39,630
percentage = 72.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Llew Smith
votes = 34,333
percentage = 79.0
change = + 3.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = D. R. M. Melding
votes = 4,266
percentage = 9.8
change = - 1.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = A. Burns
votes = 2,774
percentage = 6.4
change = - 2.5Election box candidate
party = Plaid-Green Alliance
candidate = Alun Davies
votes = 2,099
percentage = 4.8
change = + 1.1Election box majority
votes = 30,067
percentage = 69.2
change = + 4.8Election box turnout
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Michael Foot
votes = 32,820
percentage = 75.9
change = + 5.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = A. R. Taylor
votes = 4,959
percentage = 11.5
change = + 0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = D. I. McBride
votes = 3,847
percentage = 8.9
change = - 6.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Plaid Cymru
candidate = S. Morgan
votes = 1,621
percentage = 3.7
change = 0.0Election box majority
votes = 27,861
percentage = 64.4
change = + 9.5Election box turnout
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Michael Foot
votes = 30,113
percentage = 70.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = G. M. Atkinson
votes = 6,488
percentage = 15.1
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = T. P. Morgan
votes = 4,816
percentage = 11.2
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Plaid Cymru
candidate = S. Morgan
votes = 1,624
percentage = 3.7
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 23,625
percentage = 54.9
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes =
percentage =
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

ources

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/html/68.stm Election result, 2005] (BBC)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/068.stm Election results, 1997 - 2001] (BBC)
* [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/1997WC.html Election results, 1997 - 2001] (Election Demon)
* [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/1983WC.html Election results, 1983 - 1992] (Election Demon)
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/history/0,,-732,00.html Election results, 1992 - 2005] (Guardian)

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Gwent
* Blaenau Gwent Liberal Democrats [http://www.blaenaugwentlibdems.org.uk/]