Clwyd West was a new seat in 1997, running from the coastal resort of Colwyn Bay to the rural areas of Llanrhaedr-yng-Nghinmeirch. It was derived from the seat of Clwyd North West, which itself had come from Flint West in 1983. Part of the seat has had Conservative MPs representing it since 1931, one of whom was the former challenger to Margaret Thatcher's leadership, Sir Anthony Meyer.

After Meyer was de-selected in 1992, Rod Richards achieved victory for the Conservatives, though with a greatly reduced majority. Richards became a minister at the Welsh Office but resigned in 1996 after a sex scandal. In 1997 Gareth Thomas won the seat for the Labour Party, with a majority of almost 2,000, aided by a 'Conservatory' candidate as well as the Referendum Party taking votes off the Conservatives.

In the Assembly election of 1999, Richards, breifly leader of the Conservatives in Wales, failed once more to win the seat as Labour held on. However this time the Plaid Cymru vote shot up to within a few hundred votes of second place. The result of the general election here will depend on the extent to which the Plaid Cymru vote holds up at a Westminster election. If it does, then the seat could potentially go any of three ways. Conservative Jimmy James stands a good chance of ending Wales' status as a Tory free zone.

Parliamentary Statistics pre-Election 2001

Labour majority 1,848 (4.6%)  Conservative target 30  Possible Plaid Cymru target
MP Gareth Thomas
1997 (Turnout 75.2%)
Labour	14,918	37.1%
Conservative	13,070	32.5%
Plaid Cymru	5,421	13.5%
Liberal Democrat	5,151	12.8%
Referendum	1,114	2.8%
Other	583	1.4%

Politico's Bookstore - General Election Shop

back to main Wales page
back to UK main page.

For Clwyd West 2001 Election result - click here.