# Cardiff Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Cardiff Central (Welsh: Canol Caerdydd) was a borough constituency in the city of Cardiff. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system. The seat was last held by Jo Stevens of the Labour Party. She was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 6 April 2020.
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. The constituency's wards were split between Cardiff East and Cardiff South and Penarth.

## Boundaries

1983–2010: The City of Cardiff wards of Adamsdown, Cathays, Cyncoed, Pentwyn, Plasnewydd, and Roath.
2010–2024: The Cardiff electoral divisions of Adamsdown, Cathays, Cyncoed, Pentwyn, Penylan, and Plasnewydd.
As its name suggests, Cardiff Central covered the central area of the City of Cardiff. It extended from the area around the Millennium Stadium in the south to Llanishen Golf Course in the north, taking in the City Centre and the University.

## History

This was a Conservative-held three-way marginal constituency throughout the 1980s but since 1997 Labour and the Liberal Democrats have pushed the Conservative candidate into third place. The Liberal Democrats won the equivalent Welsh Assembly seat in 1999 and 2003 and also dominate the wards which make up the seat in elections to Cardiff Council.
The later constituency was socially diverse, with both very affluent and very deprived areas. It has a large student population which seems to have helped Labour to win in 1992 and 1997 but thereafter increasingly switched to the Liberal Democrats due to opposition to government plans for reforming student support. This switched yet again in the 2015 general election where students were disillusioned by the broken promises the Liberal Democrats made regarding tuition fees. This was despite the fact that these student loan promises did not apply to Wales, which has a different funding system and MP Jenny Willott had also voted against the English changes in Parliament.
The seat was unchanged in the Fifth Periodical Report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales, which took effect at the 2010 general election.
Since the seat's re-creation in 1983, it was held successively by each of the three main political parties; the Liberal Democrats gained it at the 2005 election after 13 years of Labour representation. The constituency has transformed dramatically from being a Conservative seat for some years, to a Labour–Lib Dem marginal to the safest Labour seat in Wales at the time.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs since 1983

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Ian Grist | Conservative |
| 1992 | Jon Owen Jones | Labour Co-operative |
| 2005 | Jenny Willott | Liberal Democrat |
| 2015 | Jo Stevens | Labour |
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections 1983 to current
#### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Grist | 16,090 | 41.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Mike German | 12,638 | 32.6 | N/A |
| | Labour | Raymond Davies | 9,387 | 24.2 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru | Andrew Morgan | 704 | 1.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,452 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,819 | 72.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 53,815 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1987: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Grist | 15,241 | 37.1 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Jon Owen Jones | 13,255 | 32.3 | +8.1 |
| | Liberal | Mike German | 12,062 | 29.3 | −3.3 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Siân Mair Caiach | 535 | 1.3 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,986 | 4.8 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,093 | 77.6 | +5.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 52,980 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −6.2 | |

#### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Jon Owen Jones | 18,014 | 42.0 | +9.7 |
| | Conservative | Ian Grist | 14,549 | 33.9 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Randerson | 9,170 | 21.4 | −7.9 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Huw Marshall | 748 | 1.7 | +0.4 |
| | Green | Christopher Von Ruhland | 330 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Brian Francis | 105 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,465 | 8.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,916 | 74.3 | −3.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 57,716 | | |
| | Labour Co-op gain from Conservative | Labour Co-op gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.5 | |
General election 1997: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Jon Owen Jones | 18,464 | 43.7 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Randerson | 10,541 | 24.9 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | David Melding | 8,470 | 20.0 | −13.9 |
| | Socialist Labour | Terence Burns | 2,230 | 5.3 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru | Wayne Vernon | 1,504 | 3.6 | +1.9 |
| | Referendum | Nick Lloyd | 760 | 1.8 | N/A |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Craig James | 204 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Anthony Hobbs | 80 | 0.2 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,923 | 18.8 | +10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,253 | 70.0 | −4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,393 | | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +7.8 | |

#### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Jon Owen Jones | 13,451 | 38.6 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Willott | 12,792 | 36.7 | +11.8 |
| | Conservative | Gregory Walker | 5,537 | 15.9 | −4.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Richard Rhys Grigg | 1,680 | 4.8 | +1.2 |
| | Green | Stephen Bartley | 661 | 1.9 | N/A |
| | Socialist Alliance | Julian Goss | 283 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Frank Hughes | 221 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | ProLife Alliance | Madeleine Jeremy | 217 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 659 | 1.9 | −16.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,842 | 58.3 | −11.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,785 | | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | -8.5 | |
General election 2005: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Willott | 17,991 | 49.8 | +13.1 |
| | Labour Co-op | Jon Owen Jones | 12,398 | 34.3 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | Gotz Mohindra | 3,339 | 9.2 | −6.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Richard Rhys Grigg | 1,271 | 3.5 | −1.3 |
| | Respect | Raja Gul-Raiz | 386 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Frank Hughes | 383 | 1.1 | +0.5 |
| | Independent | Anne Savoury | 168 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | New Millennium Bean Party | Captain Beany | 159 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Rainbow Dream Ticket | Catherine Taylor-Dawson | 37 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,593 | 15.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,132 | 59.2 | +0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,079 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Co-op | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Co-op | Swing | +8.7 | |

#### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Willott | 14,976 | 41.4 | −8.4 |
| | Labour | Jenny Rathbone | 10,400 | 28.8 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative | Karen Robson | 7,799 | 21.6 | +12.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Chris Williams | 1,246 | 3.4 | −0.1 |
| | UKIP | Sue Davies | 765 | 2.1 | +1.0 |
| | Green | Sam Coates | 575 | 1.6 | N/A |
| | TUSC | Ross Saunders | 162 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Mark Beech | 142 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Independent | Alun Mathias | 86 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,576 | 12.6 | −2.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,151 | 59.1 | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,165 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −1.4 | |
General election 2015: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jo Stevens | 15,462 | 40.0 | +11.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Willott | 10,481 | 27.1 | −14.3 |
| | Conservative | Richard Hopkin | 5,674 | 14.7 | −6.9 |
| | UKIP | Anthony Raybould | 2,499 | 6.5 | +4.4 |
| | Green | Chris Von Ruhland | 2,461 | 6.4 | +4.8 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Martin Pollard | 1,925 | 5.0 | +1.6 |
| | TUSC | Steve Williams | 110 | 0.3 | −0.1 |
| | Independent | Kazimir Hubert | 34 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 117 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,981 | 12.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,646 | 67.3 | +8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 57,456 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +12.8 | |
Of the 117 rejected ballots:
* 81 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 32 voted for more than one candidate.
* 4 had writing or a mark by which the voter could be identified.
General election 2017: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jo Stevens | 25,193 | 62.4 | +22.4 |
| | Conservative | Gregory Stafford | 7,997 | 19.8 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eluned Parrott | 5,415 | 13.4 | −13.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Mark Hooper | 999 | 2.5 | −2.5 |
| | Green | Benjamin Smith | 420 | 1.0 | −5.4 |
| | UKIP | Mohammed Sarul-Islam | 343 | 0.8 | −5.7 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 80 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,196 | 42.6 | +29.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,367 | 68.1 | +0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,288 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.6 | |
Of the 80 rejected ballots:
* 59 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 19 voted for more than one candidate.
* 2 had writing or a mark by which the voter could be identified.
General election 2019: Cardiff Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jo Stevens | 25,605 | 61.2 | −1.2 |
| | Conservative | Meirion Jenkins | 8,426 | 20.1 | +0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bablin Molik | 6,298 | 15.1 | +1.7 |
| | Brexit Party | Gareth Pearce | 1,006 | 2.4 | N/A |
| | Gwlad Gwlad | Siân Caiach | 280 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Independent | Akil Kata | 119 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Socialist (GB) | Brian Johnson | 88 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 204 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,179 | 41.1 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,822 | 65.3 | −2.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,037 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.8 | |
Of the 204 rejected ballots:
* 166 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 38 voted for more than one candidate.