2019 United Kingdom general election in Wales

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2019 United Kingdom general election in Wales
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg
  2017 12 December 2019 (2019-12-12) Next  

All 40 Welsh seats to the House of Commons
Turnout66.6% Decrease2.svg2.0%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Official portrait of Jeremy Corbyn crop 3, 2020.jpg Boris Johnson election infobox.jpg Adam Price 2016 (cropped).jpg
Leader Jeremy Corbyn Boris Johnson Adam Price [1]
Party Labour Conservative Plaid Cymru
Leader since 12 September 2015 23 July 2019 28 September 2018
Last election28 seats, 48.9%8 seats, 33.6%4 seats, 10.4%
Seats before2884
Seats won22144
Seat changeDecrease2.svg6Increase2.svg6Steady2.svg0
Popular vote632,035557,234153,265
Percentage40.936.19.9
SwingDecrease2.svg8.0%Increase2.svg2.5%Decrease2.svg0.5%

Dec2019WalesConstituencies.png
Results by constituency

The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on 12 December 2019 to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons, including the 40 Welsh seats.

Contents

Despite the Labour party winning the most votes in Wales, the Conservatives won across the UK. [2]

Compared to the 2017 general election, the Labour Party lost six seats, each of which was won by the Conservative Party. This reflected a decrease in vote share of 8% from the Labour Party, matched by increases in vote share for the Brexit Party and Conservative Party of 5.4% and 2.5%, respectively. However, the Labour Party remained the party receiving the most votes, with a 40.9% vote share. Having gained Brecon and Radnorshire in the 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election earlier in the year, the Welsh Liberal Democrats lost to the Conservatives. Plaid Cymru retained its four seats. The party did not make any gains, and its total vote share was down 0.5%.

Overall, 1,544,357 votes were cast in Wales, reflecting a turnout of 66.6% of the electorate.

Electoral system

MPs are elected in 40 Single Member constituencies by the first-past-the-post system.

History and background

The election was called on 29 October 2019, when its date was fixed as 12 December.

In the European Elections in Wales of June 2019, the Brexit Party, newly formed, had taken 32.5% of the votes and won two seats, Plaid Cymru had come second with 20% and one MEP, Jill Evans, and Labour had finished third, with 15.3% and also one MEP, Jackie Jones. [3]

In the run-up to the general election, the Conservative party suspended the whip of one of its MPs, Guto Bebb of Aberconwy, who then sat as an independent until the end of the parliament and did not seek re-election. [4] Additionally, the Conservative party lost a by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire [5] to the Liberal Democrats. Before the election, the numbers were 28 Labour MPs, six Conservative, four Plaid, one Liberal Democrat, and one Independent (Bebb).

Plaid Cymru had gained one seat in the previous election. The party was for stopping Brexit and holding a second referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which was at odds with how Wales had voted in the 2016 referendum. The party did not make any gains, and its total vote share was down 0.5%.

Target seats

Labour

Plaid Cymru

Results

Map of constituencies by winner vote share 2019 United Kingdom general election in Wales.svg
Map of constituencies by winner vote share
Party [6] SeatsVotes
TotalGainsLossesNet +/-% seatsTotal%Change
Labour 2206Decrease2.svg 655632,03540.9Decrease2.svg 8.0
Conservative 146 [lower-alpha 1] 0Increase2.svg 635557,23436.1Increase2.svg 2.5
Plaid Cymru 400Steady2.svg10153,2659.9Decrease2.svg 0.5
Liberal Democrats 000 [lower-alpha 2] Steady2.svg092,1716.0Increase2.svg 1.5
Brexit Party 000Steady2.svg083,9085.4N/A
Green 000Steady2.svg015,8281.0Increase2.svg 0.7
 Independents000 [lower-alpha 3] Steady2.svg06,2200.4N/A
Gwlad Gwlad 000Steady2.svg01,5150.1N/A
Cynon Valley 000Steady2.svg01,3220.1N/A
Monster Raving Loony 000Steady2.svg03450.0Steady2.svg
Christian 000Steady2.svg02450.0N/A [lower-alpha 4]
SDP 000Steady2.svg01810.0N/A [lower-alpha 4]
Socialist (GB) 000Steady2.svg0880.0N/A
Total401,544,357Turnout66.6
  1. Not including Brecon and Radnorshire and Aberconwy, which the Conservative Party won in 2017 but did not control when parliament was dissolved.
  2. Not including Brecon and Radnorshire, which the Liberal Democrats won in a 2019 by-election.
  3. Not including Aberconwy, previously controlled by the independent Guto Bebb who lost the Conservative Party whip in 2019.
  4. 1 2 Party entered candidates in the 2017 general election but not in any Welsh seats.
Popular vote
Labour
40.9%
Conservative
36.1%
Plaid Cymru
9.9%
Liberal Democrats
6.0%
Brexit Party
5.0%
Greens
1.0%
Parliament seats
Labour
55%
Conservative
35%
Plaid Cymru
10%

Results by constituency

Constituency [7] County 2017
result
2019 winning partyTurnoutVotes
PartyVotesShareMajority Lab Con PC LD Brx Grn OtherTotal
Aberavon WGM Lab Lab 17,00853.8%10,49062.3%17,0086,5182,7111,0723,10845073131,598
Aberconwy CON Con Con 14,68746.1%2,03471.3%12,65314,6872,7041,82131,865
Alyn and Deeside CON Lab Lab 18,27142.5%21368.5%18,27118,0581,4532,5482,67843,003
Arfon GWN PC PC 13,13445.2%2,78168.9%10,3534,42813,1341,15929,074
Blaenau Gwent GNT Lab Lab 14,86249.2%8,64759.6%14,8625,7491,7221,2856,21538630,219
Brecon and Radnorshire POW Con Con 21,95853.1%7,13174.5%3,94421,95814,82759041,319
Bridgend MGM Lab Con 18,19343.1%1,15766.7%17,03618,1932,0132,3681,81181542,236
Caerphilly GNT Lab Lab 18,01844.9%6,83363.5%18,01811,1856,4244,49040,117
Cardiff Central SGM Lab Lab 25,60561.2%17,17965.3%25,6058,4266,2981,00648741,822
Cardiff North SGM Lab Lab 26,06449.5%6,98277.0%26,06419,0821,6063,5801,31182020352,666
Cardiff South and Penarth SGM Lab Lab 27,38254.1%12,73764.2%27,38214,6452,3862,9851,9991,18250,579
Cardiff West SGM Lab Lab 23,90851.8%10,98667.4%23,90812,9223,8642,7311,6191,13345,817
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr DFD PC PC 15,93938.9%1,80971.4%8,62214,13015,9392,31140,456
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire DFD Con Con 22,18352.7%7,74571.8%14,43822,1833,6331,86042,114
Ceredigion DFD PC PC 15,20837.9%6,32971.3%6,3178,87915,2086,9752,06366340,105
Clwyd South CON Lab Con 16,22244.7%1,23967.3%14,98316,2222,1371,4961,46836,306
Clwyd West CON Con Con 20,40350.7%6,74769.7%13,65620,4033,9072,23740,203
Cynon Valley MGM Lab Lab 15,53351.4%8,82259.1%15,5336,7112,5629493,0451,43630,236
Delyn CON Lab Con 16,75643.7%86570.3%15,89116,7561,4062,3461,97138,370
Dwyfor Meirionnydd GWN PC PC 14,44748.3%4,74067.5%3,9989,70714,4471,77629,928
Gower WGM Lab Lab 20,20845.4%1,83772.0%20,20818,3712,2882,2361,37944,482
Islwyn GNT Lab Lab 15,35644.7%5,46462.0%15,3569,8922,2861,3134,83466934,350
Llanelli DFD Lab Lab 16,12542.2%4,67063.2%16,12511,4557,0483,60538,233
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney GNT Lab Lab 16,91352.4%10,60657.3%16,9136,3072,4461,1163,6041,86032,246
Monmouth GNT Con Con 26,16052.1%9,98274.8%16,17826,1601,1824,9091,35343550,217
Montgomeryshire POW Con Con 20,02058.5%12,13869.8%5,58520,0207,88272734,241
Neath WGM Lab Lab 15,92043.3%5,63765.2%15,92010,2834,4951,4853,18472866136,756
Newport East GNT Lab Lab 16,12544.4%1,99262.0%16,12514,1338722,1212,45457736,282
Newport West GNT Lab Lab 18,97743.7%90265.2%18,97718,0751,1872,5651,72790243,433
Ogmore MGM Lab Lab 17,60249.7%7,80561.5%17,6029,7972,9191,4602,99162135,390
Pontypridd MGM Lab Lab 17,38144.5%5,88764.7%17,38111,4944,9902,9172,27839,060
Preseli Pembrokeshire DFD Con Con 21,38150.4%5,06271.2%16,31921,3812,7761,94342,419
Rhondda MGM Lab Lab 16,11554.4%11,44059.0%16,1154,6754,0696123,73343829,642
Swansea East WGM Lab Lab 17,40551.8%7,97057.4%17,4059,4351,9051,4092,84258333,579
Swansea West WGM Lab Lab 18,49351.6%8,11662.8%18,49310,3771,9842,9931,98335,830
Torfaen GNT Lab Lab 15,54641.8%3,74260.2%15,54611,8041,4411,8315,74281237,176
Vale of Clwyd CON Lab Con 17,27046.4%1,82765.7%15,44317,2701,5521,4711,47737,213
Vale of Glamorgan SGM Con Con 27,30549.8%3,56271.6%23,74327,3053,25150854,807
Wrexham CON Lab Con 15,19945.3%2,13167.4%13,06815,1992,1511,4471,22244533,532
Ynys Môn GWN Lab Con 12,95935.5%1,96870.4%10,99112,95910,4182,18436,552
Total for all constituenciesTurnoutTotal
Lab Con PC LD Brx Grn Other
Votes
66.6%632,035557,234153,26592,17183,90815,8289,9161,544,357
40.9%36.1%9.9%6.0%5.4%1.0%0.6%100.0%
Seats
22144000040
55%35%10%0%0%0%0%100.0%

Opinion polling

(Includes polls in which polling concluded on or before: 31 May 2019)

Pollster/client(s)Date(s)
conducted
Sample
size
Lab Con Plaid Cymru Lib Dem UKIP Green Change UK Brexit OtherLead
2019 general election12 Dec 201940.9%36.1%9.9%6.0%1.0%5.4%0.6%4.8%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 22–25 Nov 20191,11638%32%11%9%1%8%1%6%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 31 Oct–4 Nov 20191,13629%28%12%12%0%3%0%15%1%1%
YouGov/ITV News 10–14 October 20191,07125%29%12%16%4%14%1%4%
1 August 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election [8]
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 23–28 July 20191,07122%24%15%16%3%18%1%2%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 16–20 May 20191,00925%17%13%12%1%5%2%23%2%2%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 2–5 Apr 20191,02533%26%15%7%3%2%9%4%1%7%
4 April 2019 Newport West by-election [8]
ICM/BBC Wales 7–23 Feb 20191,00042%33%13%6%3%1%2%9%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 19–22 Feb 20191,02535%29%14%8%6%3%4%6%
Sky Data/Cardiff University 7–14 Dec 20181,01445%32%14%3%4%2%1%13%
6–13 Dec 2018 Mark Drakeford becomes leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister [9] [10]
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 4–7 Dec 20181,02443%31%13%6%3%3%1%12%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 30 Oct–2 Nov 20181,03142%33%10%7%4%2%1%9%
Survation/Channel 4 20 Oct–2 Nov 20181,17747%30%13%6%3%2%0%17%
28 September 2018 Adam Price becomes leader of Plaid Cymru [11]
6 September 2018 Paul Davies becomes leader of the Welsh Conservatives [12]
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 28 Jun–2 Jul 20181,03144%31%13%5%3%2%1%13%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 12–15 Mar 20181,01546%33%11%4%4%2%1%13%
ICM/BBC Wales 8–25 Feb 20181,00149%32%11%5%2%1%0%17%
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 21–24 Nov 20171,01647%31%11%5%3%2%1%16%
3 November 2017 Jane Dodds becomes leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats [13]
YouGov/ITV Cymru Wales/Cardiff University 4–7 Sep 20171,01150%32%8%4%3%1%1%18%
2017 general election 8 June 201748.9%33.6%10.4%4.5%2.0%0.3%0.2%15.4%

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    Plaid Cymru is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.

    There are four types of elections in Wales: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elections to the devolved Senedd, local elections to community councils and the 22 principal areas, and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections. In addition there are by-elections for each aforementioned election. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday. Since the passing of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 for UK general elections, all four types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the UK parliament can occur in certain situations, with Senedd elections being postponed to avoid elections to the UK parliament and Senedd coinciding with each other.

    The Welsh Conservatives is the branch of the United Kingdom Conservative Party that operates in Wales. At Westminster elections, it is the second-most popular political party in Wales, having obtained the second-largest share of the vote at every general election since 1931. In Senedd elections, the Conservatives are currently the second-most supported party but have at times been third. They hold 14 of the 40 Welsh seats in the UK Parliament, and 16 of the 60 seats in the Senedd.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh Liberal Democrats</span> Welsh branch of the Liberal Democrats

    The Welsh Liberal Democrats are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to December 2019, and MS for Mid and West Wales since May 2021. The party currently has 1 elected member in the Senedd and no Welsh seats in the UK House of Commons, but does have several members of the House of Lords. The party had 69 local councilors serving in principal authorities as of the 2022 local authority elections, up 10 from 2017.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 National Assembly for Wales election</span>

    The 2011 National Assembly for Wales election was an election for the National Assembly. The poll was held on 5 May 2011 and decided the incumbency for all the Assembly's seats. It was the fourth election for seats in the National Assembly for Wales, and the second election taken under the rules of the Government of Wales Act 2006.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew RT Davies</span> Leader of the Welsh Conservatives

    Andrew RT Davies CBE is a Welsh politician serving as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd since 2021, previously holding the position from 2011 to 2018. He has been a Member of the Senedd (MS) since 2007.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Guto Bebb</span> Welsh Independent politician, born 1968

    Guto ap Owain Bebb is a Welsh politician and former business consultant who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberconwy from 2010 to 2019, having previously lost elections to the Welsh Assembly and the House of Commons. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Wales Office in 2016–2018 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence from January 2018 until he resigned in July 2018. First elected as a Conservative, Bebb had the Conservative whip removed on 3 September 2019 and served his remaining months as an independent.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 National Assembly for Wales election</span>

    The 2007 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, as well as the Scottish Parliament election took place. This election was preceded by the previous Assembly election in 2003.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 United Kingdom general election in Wales</span>

    These are the results of the 2005 United Kingdom general election in Wales. The election was held on 5 May 2005 and all 40 seats in Wales were contested.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Members of the 5th National Assembly for Wales</span>

    This is a list of Assembly Memberselected to the fifth National Assembly for Wales at the 2016 election. In May 2020, the representatives were renamed to Members of the Seneddin the fifth Senedd, they would be known as the fifth Senedd for the remainder of their term. From the 2021 election members would be elected under this new title of Senedd. There are a total of 60 members elected, 40 were elected from first past the post constituencies with a further 20 members being returned from five regions, each electing four AMs through mixed member proportional representation. In between elections, members of the legislature may not necessarily be of the same party or the same candidate elected in 2016.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Senedd election</span> General election held in Wales on 6 May 2021

    The 2021 Senedd election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021 to elect 60 members to the Senedd. It was the sixth devolved general election since the Senedd was established in 1999. The election was held alongside the Scottish Parliament election, English local elections, London Assembly and mayoral election and the Hartlepool by-election.

    Prior to the 2019 United Kingdom general election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions. Results of such polls are displayed in this list. Most of the pollsters listed are members of the British Polling Council (BPC) and abide by its disclosure rules. Opinion polling about attitudes to the leaders of various political parties can be found in a separate article.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Dodds</span> Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats

    Jane Dodds is a Welsh politician who has served as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats since 2017. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire at the seat's 2019 by-election, but was an MP for only three months before being defeated in the general election later the same year. In May 2021, Dodds was elected to the Senedd on the Mid and West Wales list. She is the only Liberal Democrat MS in the Senedd.

    Events from the year 2019 in Wales.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Newport West by-election</span>

    A by-election was held in the UK Parliament constituency of Newport West in south Wales on 4 April 2019, following the death of Labour Party MP Paul Flynn. Labour nominated the trade unionist Ruth Jones, who held the seat for the party with 40% of the vote and a reduced majority. The Conservative candidate Matthew Evans came second with 31% of the vote, followed by Neil Hamilton, the UKIP candidate, on 8%. This was the third parliamentary by-election held during the 57th UK Parliament, which was elected at the 2017 general election.

    In the run-up to the 2021 Senedd election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions. Results of such polls are displayed in this list. Most of the pollsters listed are members of the British Polling Council (BPC) and abide by its disclosure rules.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election</span> UK parliamentary by-election

    A by-election was held in the UK Parliament constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire on 1 August 2019 after Chris Davies, who had held the seat for the Conservatives since the 2015 general election, was unseated by a recall petition. The by-election was won by Jane Dodds of the Liberal Democrats.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Unite to Remain</span> 2019 UK general election campaign

    Unite to Remain was a campaign and electoral pact during the 2019 United Kingdom general election. It involved three parties that supported remaining in the European Union: the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party of England and Wales, and, in Wales, Plaid Cymru. Its stated goal was to avoid the spoiler effect and maximise the number of MPs elected who would oppose Brexit.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Jones (politician)</span> British Conservative politician, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire

    Fay Alicia Jones is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire since 2019. She is a member of the Conservative Party and a junior government minister.

    References

    1. Serves as an MS in the Welsh Assembly for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.
    2. "UK Election Statistics: 1918-2022, A Long Century of Elections" (PDF). House of Commons Library. p. 22.
    3. Statement of Parties Nominated and Notice of Poll / Datganiad o’r Pleidiau a Enwebwyd a Rhybudd o Etholiad [ permanent dead link ] Cardiff City Council
    4. Mikhailova, Anna (4 September 2019). "Boris Johnson to strip 21 Tory MPs of the Tory whip in parliamentary bloodbath". Daily Telegraph.
    5. "Brecon and Radnorshire by-election: Lib Dems beat Conservatives". BBC News. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
    6. "Results of the 2019 General Election in Wales". BBC News. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
    7. "BBC NEWS – Election 2019". BBC News.
    8. 1 2 "By-elections since the 2017 General Election". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
    9. "Welsh Labour leadership: Mark Drakeford set to be Wales' first minister". BBC News. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
    10. "Wales new First Minister Mark Drakeford is sworn in". BBC News. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
    11. "Adam Price replaces Wood as Plaid leader". BBC News. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
    12. "Paul Davies wins Welsh Tory assembly group leadership poll". BBC News. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
    13. "Jane Dodds is new Welsh Liberal Democrat leader". BBC News. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2019.