Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (UK Parliament constituency)
UK Parliament constituency (1983–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Welsh: Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni) was a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.[n 2] It was established for the 1983 general election.
| Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney in Wales | |
| Electorate | 55,409 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney |
| 1983–2024 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Ebbw Vale, Bedwellty and Brecon & Radnor[2] |
| Replaced by | Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare |
| Senedd | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, South Wales East |
The constituency was abolished as part of the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the 2024 general election. Its wards were split between Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, and Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare.[3]
Boundaries
1983–1997: The Borough of Merthyr Tydfil, and the District of Rhymney Valley wards Nos. 5 and 14 to 20.
1997–2010: The County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil, and the Caerphilly County Borough wards of Abertysswg, Darren Valley, Moriah, New Tredegar, Pontlottyn, Tir-Phil, and Twyn Carno.
2010–2024: The Merthyr Tydfil County Borough electoral divisions of Bedlinog, Cyfarthfa, Dowlais, Gurnos, Merthyr Vale, Park, Penydarren, Plymouth, Town, Treharris, and Vaynor, and the Caerphilly County Borough electoral divisions of Darran Valley, Moriah, New Tredegar, Pontlottyn, and Twyn Carno.
As its name suggests, the main towns were Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. Aberfan was also located in the constituency. The seat was bordered by the constituencies of Blaenau Gwent, Brecon and Radnorshire, Caerphilly, Cynon Valley, and Islwyn.
History
The constituency was created for the 1983 general election. Prior to this, Merthyr Tydfil had been in its own eponymous constituency, and Rhymney was in the seat of Ebbw Vale (at the time Michael Foot's constituency), which was abolished at that election.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member[4] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Ted Rowlands | Labour | |
| 2001 | Dai Havard | Labour | |
| 2015 | Gerald Jones | Labour | |
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | ||
Elections
Elections in the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ted Rowlands | 29,053 | 67.3 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Philip Owen | 6,323 | 14.7 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Richard Blausten | 5,449 | 12.6 | N/A | |
| Plaid Cymru | Gerald Howells | 2,058 | 4.8 | N/A | |
| Workers Revolutionary | Royden Gould | 256 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 22,730 | 52.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 43,139 | 72.5 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 59,486 | ||||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ted Rowlands | 33,477 | 75.3 | +8.0 | |
| Conservative | Nicholas Walters | 5,270 | 11.9 | −0.7 | |
| Liberal | Pravat Verma | 3,573 | 8.0 | −6.7 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Janet Davies | 2,085 | 4.7 | −0.1 | |
| Majority | 28,130 | 63.4 | +10.8 | ||
| Turnout | 44,405 | 76.2 | +3.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 58,285 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ted Rowlands | 31,710 | 71.6 | −3.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Robyn Rowland | 4,997 | 11.3 | +3.3 | |
| Conservative | Mark Hughes | 4,904 | 11.1 | −0.8 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Alun Cox | 2,704 | 6.1 | +1.4 | |
| Majority | 26,713 | 60.3 | −3.1 | ||
| Turnout | 44,315 | 75.8 | −0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 58,430 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −3.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ted Rowlands | 30,012 | 76.7 | +5.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Duncan Anstey | 2,926 | 7.5 | −3.8 | |
| Conservative | Jonathan Morgan | 2,508 | 6.4 | −4.7 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Alun Cox | 2,344 | 6.0 | −0.1 | |
| Independent Labour | Alan Cowdell | 691 | 1.8 | N/A | |
| Referendum | Ronald Hutchings | 660 | 1.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 27,086 | 69.2 | +8.9 | ||
| Turnout | 39,141 | 69.3 | −6.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 56,507 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +4.5 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Dai Havard | 19,574 | 61.8 | −14.9 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Robert Hughes | 4,651 | 14.7 | +8.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith Rogers | 2,385 | 7.5 | ±0.0 | |
| Conservative | Richard Cuming | 2,272 | 7.2 | +0.8 | |
| Independent | Jeffrey Edwards | 1,936 | 6.1 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | Ken Evans | 692 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| ProLife Alliance | Anthony Lewis | 174 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 14,923 | 47.1 | −22.1 | ||
| Turnout | 31,684 | 57.7 | −11.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 54,919 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −11.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Dai Havard | 18,129 | 60.5 | −1.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ceirion Rees | 4,195 | 14.0 | +6.5 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Noel Turner | 2,972 | 9.9 | −4.8 | |
| Conservative | Roger Berry | 2,680 | 8.9 | +1.7 | |
| Forward Wales | Neil Greer | 1,030 | 3.4 | N/A | |
| UKIP | Gwyn Parry | 699 | 2.3 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | Ina Marsden | 271 | 0.9 | −1.3 | |
| Majority | 13,934 | 46.5 | −0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 29,976 | 54.9 | −2.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 54,044 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −3.9 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Dai Havard | 14,007 | 43.7 | −16.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Amy Kitcher | 9,951 | 31.0 | +17.0 | |
| Conservative | Maria Hill | 2,412 | 7.5 | −1.4 | |
| Independent | Clive Tovey | 1,845 | 5.8 | N/A | |
| Plaid Cymru | Glyndwr Jones | 1,621 | 5.1 | −4.8 | |
| BNP | Richard Barnes | 1,173 | 3.7 | N/A | |
| UKIP | Adam Brown | 872 | 2.7 | +0.4 | |
| Socialist Labour | Alan Cowdell | 195 | 0.6 | −0.3 | |
| Rejected ballots | 80 | ||||
| Majority | 4,056 | 12.7 | −33.8 | ||
| Turnout | 32,076 | 58.6 | +3.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 54,715 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −16.9 | |||
Of the 80 rejected ballots:
- 22 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.[17]
- 57 voted for more than one candidate.[17]
- 1 had writing or mark by which the voter could be identified.[17]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Gerald Jones[21] | 17,619 | 53.9 | +10.2 | |
| UKIP | David Rowlands[22] | 6,106 | 18.7 | +16.0 | |
| Conservative | Bill Rees | 3,292 | 10.1 | +2.6 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Rhayna Mann | 3,099 | 9.5 | +4.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Griffin | 1,351 | 4.1 | −26.9 | |
| Green | Elspeth Parris[23] | 603 | 1.8 | N/A | |
| Independent | Eddy Blanche | 459 | 1.4 | N/A | |
| Communist | Robert Griffiths | 186 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Rejected ballots | 95 | ||||
| Majority | 11,513 | 35.2 | +22.5 | ||
| Turnout | 32,715 | 53.0 | −5.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 61,716 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −2.8 | |||
Of the 95 rejected ballots:
- 49 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.[19]
- 46 voted for more than one candidate.[19]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Gerald Jones[26] | 22,407 | 66.8 | +12.9 | |
| Conservative | Pauline Jorgensen[27] | 6,073 | 18.1 | +8.0 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Amy Kitcher[28] | 2,740 | 8.2 | −1.3 | |
| UKIP | David Rowlands[22] | 1,484 | 4.4 | −14.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Griffin[29] | 841 | 2.5 | −1.6 | |
| Rejected ballots | 71 | ||||
| Majority | 16,334 | 48.7 | +13.5 | ||
| Turnout | 33,545 | 60.5 | +7.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 55,463 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.4 | |||
Of the 71 rejected ballots:
- 41 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.[25]
- 30 voted for more than one candidate.[25]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Gerald Jones | 16,913 | 52.4 | −14.4 | |
| Conservative | Sara Jones | 6,307 | 19.6 | +1.5 | |
| Brexit Party | David Jones | 3,604 | 11.2 | N/A | |
| Plaid Cymru | Mark Evans | 2,446 | 7.6 | −0.6 | |
| Independent | David Hughes | 1,860 | 5.8 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Brendan D’Cruz | 1,116 | 3.5 | +1.0 | |
| Rejected ballots | 83 | ||||
| Majority | 10,606 | 32.8 | −15.9 | ||
| Turnout | 32,246 | 57.4 | −3.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 56,322 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −8.0 | |||
Of the 83 rejected ballots:
See also
Notes
- A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.