Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney (UK Parliament constituency)

Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
constituency for the House of Commons
Show location of constituency Show location within Wales Interactive map of the constituency.
Location of the constituency within Wales
Electorate	71,079 (March 2020) [1]
Major settlements	Ebbw Vale, Tredegar, Rhymney, Bargoed, Brynmawr, Abertillery
Current constituency
Member of Parliament	Nick Smith
Seats	One
Created from	Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Islwyn, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney (Welsh : Blaenau Gwent a Rhymni) is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament, first contested at the 2024 general election, following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies. It is currently represented by Nick Smith of the Labour Party, who was the MP for the predecessor constituency of Blaenau Gwent from 2010 to 2024.

Boundaries

Under the 2023 review, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following, as they existed on 1 December 2020: ^{[2] [3]}

• The County Borough of Blaenau Gwent.

• The County Borough of Caerphilly wards of: Aberbargoed; Bargoed; Darren Valley; Gilfach; Moriah; New Tredegar; Pontlottyn; Twyn Carno.

Following local government boundary reviews which came into effect in May 2022, ^{[4] [5]} the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election: ^[6]

• The County Borough of Blaenau Gwent.

• The County Borough of Caerphilly wards of: Aberbargoed and Bargoed; Darren Valley; Gilfach; Moriah and Pontlottyn; New Tredegar ; Twyn Carno.

It comprises the whole of the abolished Blaenau Gwent constituency, which was coterminous with the county borough of the same name, together with the Rhymney valley which was previously part of the abolished Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency. Small areas also transferred from Caerphilly and Islwyn (abolished). ^[7]

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Nick Smith	16,027	53.6	+3.2
	Plaid Cymru	Niamh Salkeld	3,884	12.8	+6.4
	Conservative	Hannah Jarvis	3,776	12.6	−7.0
	Independent	Mike Whatley	2,409	8.1	N/A
	Green	Anne Baker	1,719	5.7	+4.7
	Liberal Democrats	Jackie Charlton	1,268	4.2	+0.5
	Workers Party	Yas Iqbal	570	1.9	N/A
	Communist	Robert Griffiths	309	1.0	N/A
Majority			12,183	40.7	+9.9
Turnout			29,922	42.7	−16.5
Registered electors			70,153
	Labour hold		Swing	−1.7

Stewart Sutherland was nominated as the Reform UK candidate, but withdrew prior to the close of nominations due to allegedly reposting racist content on social media. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

References

1. Mrs Justice Jefford; Thomas, Huw Vaughan; Hartley, Sam A (June 2023). "Appendix 1: Recommended Constituencies" (PDF). The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales. Cardiff: Boundary Commission for Wales. p. 250. ISBN   978-1-5286-3901-9 . Retrieved 13 July 2024.
2. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 4 (Wales).
3. "2023 Parliamentary Review - Revised Proposals | Boundary Commission for Wales". Boundary Commission for Wales . Retrieved 2023-06-20.
4. "The County Borough of Blaenau Gwent (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021".
5. "The County Borough of Caerphilly (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021".
6. "Election Maps". www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
7. "New Seat Details - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
8. "Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
9. "UK Parliamentary Election: Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Constituency - Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. 2024-06-07.
10. "Reform UK's Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney general election candidate withdraws". BBC News. 8 June 2024.
11. Witherow, Tom; Hogan, Fintan (8 June 2024). "Reform candidates made racist comments and defended Ghislaine Maxwell". The Times .

External links

• Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK