# 2003 National Assembly for Wales election

The 2003 National Assembly for Wales election was the second general election to the National Assembly for Wales. It was held on 1 May 2003. The election was characterised by a resurgence for the Labour Party, whilst Plaid Cymru saw a reduction in support and the number of Assembly Members they returned. Having won thirty seats, one short of a majority, Labour chose to govern in minority without a coalition partner.
This election also saw the returning of John Marek as an independent member of the Assembly. Of the 60 members elected, 30 were male and 30 were female.
It was held on the same day as the 2003 Scottish Parliament election and 2003 United Kingdom local elections.

## Party leaders in 2003

* Welsh Labour - Rhodri Morgan
* Plaid Cymru - Ieuan Wyn Jones
* Welsh Conservatives - Nicholas Bourne
* Welsh Liberal Democrats - Michael James German
* UK Independence Party (UKIP) - Roger Knapman

## National vote

* Overall turnout - 38.2%
Welsh Assembly election, 2003 :
| Parties | Parties | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Additional member system | Total seats | Total seats | Total seats | Total seats |
| Parties | Parties | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Region | Region | Region | Region | Region | | | | Total seats | Total seats | Total seats | Total seats | Total seats |
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | +/− | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/− | Seats | +/− | Total | +/− | % |
| | Labour | 340,515 | 40.0 | +2.4 | 30 | +3 | 310,658 | 36.6 | +1.2 | 0 | −1 | 30 | +2 | 50.0 |
| | Plaid Cymru | 180,185 | 21.2 | −7.2 | 5 | −4 | 167,653 | 19.7 | −10.8 | 7 | −1 | 12 | −5 | 20.0 |
| | Conservative | 169,832 | 19.9 | +4.1 | 1 | 0 | 162,725 | 19.2 | +2.7 | 10 | +2 | 11 | +2 | 18.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 120,250 | 14.1 | +0.6 | 3 | 0 | 108,013 | 12.7 | +0.2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10.0 |
| | Green | — | — | — | — | — | 30,028 | 3.5 | +1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | UKIP | 19,795 | 2.3 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 29,427 | 3.5 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | John Marek Independent Party | 8,749 | 1.0 | N/A | 1 | +1 | 11,008 | 1.3 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1.7 |
| | Socialist Labour | 410 | 0.0 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 10,358 | 1.2 | +0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Cymru Annibynnol | — | — | — | — | — | 6,466 | 0.8 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Mid and West Wales Pensioners Party | — | — | — | — | — | 3,968 | 0.5 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | BNP | — | — | — | — | — | 3,210 | 0.4 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | ProLife Alliance | 239 | 0.0 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 2,183 | 0.3 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Vote 2 Stop the War Party | — | — | — | — | — | 1,729 | 0.2 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Communist | — | — | — | — | — | 1,099 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | New Millennium Bean Party | 289 | 0.0 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 1,027 | 0.1 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Independent | 5,215 | 0.6 | -2.4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Tinker Against the Assembly Party | 2,201 | 0.3 | N/A | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Socialist Alliance | 1,554 | 0.2 | N/A | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Socialist Alternative | 1,193 | 0.1 | N/A | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Caerphilly Constituency Independents | 930 | 0.1 | N/A | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| | Total | 851,357 | | | 40 | | 849,552 | | | 20 | | 60 | | |

### Votes summary

Regional Vote
Labour
36.6%
Plaid Cymru
19.7%
Conservative
19.2%
Liberal Democrats
12.7%
Green
3.5%
UKIP
3.5%
JMIP
1.3%
Others
3.5% :
Parliament seats
Labour
50.0%
Plaid Cymru
20.0%
Conservative
18.3%
Liberal Democrats
10.0%
JMIP
1.7% :

## Constituency and Regional Summary
### Mid and West Wales

National Assembly for Wales election, 2003: Mid and West Wales :
| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | Rhodri Glyn Thomas | Plaid Cymru hold |
| Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Christine Gwyther | Labour hold |
| Ceredigion | Elin Jones | Plaid Cymru hold |
| Llanelli | Catherine Thomas | Labour win |
| Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | Dafydd Elis-Thomas | Plaid Cymru hold |
| Montgomeryshire | Mick Bates | Liberal Democrats hold |
| Preseli Pembrokeshire | Tamsin Dunwoody | Labour hold |
| Brecon and Radnorshire | Kirsty Williams | Liberal Democrats hold |
| | Conservative Party | Cymru Annibynnol | Green Party of England and Wales | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | Mid & West Wales Pensioners | Plaid Cymru | ProLife Alliance | UKIP | Vote No 2 Stop the War |
| 1. | Nick Bourne | Mick Grail | Dorienne Robinson | Cherry Short | Kirsty Williams | Vera Jenner | Helen Mary Jones | Sara Jeremy | Mrs. Elizabeth F. Phillips | Adrienne Morgan |
| 2. | Glyn Davies | Debra Tester | Molly Scott-Cato | Tamsin Dunwoody | Mick Bates | Andrew Jacob | Delyth Richards | Ruth Davies | Iain Sheldon | Nina Minnigan |
| 3. | Lisa Francis | | Timothy Foster | Christine Gwyther | Steffan John | | David Senior | Dominica Roberts | Clive Easton | Robin Benson |
| 4. | O.J. Williams | | Reg Taylor | Catherine Thomas | John Davies | | Siôn Jobbins | Thomas Robberts | David Rowlands | Jennifer Keal |
| 5. | Paul Davies | | Christopher Cato | Anthony Cooper | Ken Harris | | Paul Sambrook | | | David Bellamy |
| 6. | Harri Lloyd Davies | | | David Rees | Mary Megarry | | Siân Thomas | | | |
| 7. | David Thomas | | | Rhianon Passmore | | | | | | |
| 8. | Gareth Jones | | | Rina Clarke | | | | | | |
| 9. | | | | Eddie Woodward | | | | | | |

### North Wales

National Assembly for Wales election, 2003: North Wales :
| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| Alyn and Deeside | Carl Sargeant | Labour hold |
| Caernarfon | Alun Ffred Jones | Plaid Cymru hold |
| Clwyd South | Karen Sinclair | Labour hold |
| Clwyd West | Alun Pugh | Labour hold |
| Conwy | Denise Idris Jones | Labour win |
| Delyn | Sandy Mewies | Labour hold |
| Vale of Clwyd | Ann Jones | Labour hold |
| Wrexham | John Marek | JMIP win |
| Ynys Môn | Ieuan Wyn Jones | Plaid Cymru hold |
| | Communist Party of Britain | Conservative Party | Cymru Annibynnol | Green Party of England and Wales | John Marek Independent Party | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | Plaid Cymru | UKIP |
| 1. | Glyn Davies | Brynle Williams | Owain Williams | Klaus Armstrong-Braun | John Marek | Lesley Griffiths | Eleanor Burnham | Janet Ryder | Elwyn Williams |
| 2. | David Morgan | Mark Isherwood | Dafydd Ifan | John Walker | Marc Jones | Carl Seargeant | Nick Bennett | Liz Saville | Edwina Theunissen |
| 3. | Mike Green | Janet Finch-Saunders | | Jeremy Hart | Colin Jones | Sandy Mewies | Bobby Feeley | Dyfed Edwards | John Walker |
| 4. | | Albie Fox | | Wilfred Hastings | | Karen Sinclair | Graham Rees | Eilian Williams | Francis Wykes |
| 5. | | Darren Miller | | Gilly Boyd | | Wycliffe Barrett | Carole O'Toole | Paul Rowlinson | |
| 6. | | Guto Bebb | | Jim Killock | | Ann Jones | Thomas Rippeth | Richard Coombs | |
| 7. | | Peter Rogers | | | | Alun Pugh | | | |
| 8. | | Matt Wright | | | | Denise Idris Jones | | | |
| 9. | | Goronwy Edwards | | | | Gerwyn Jones | | | |
| 10. | | | | | | Martin Eaglestone | | | |

### South Wales Central

National Assembly for Wales election, 2003: South Wales Central :
| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| Cardiff South and Penarth | Lorraine Barrett | Labour hold |
| Cardiff West | Rhodri Morgan | Labour hold |
| Cynon Valley | Christine Chapman | Labour hold |
| Pontypridd | Jane Davidson | Labour hold |
| Rhondda | Leighton Andrews | Labour win |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Jane Hutt | Labour hold |
| Cardiff Central | Jenny Randerson | Liberal Democrats hold |
| Cardiff North | Sue Essex | Labour hold |
| | Communist Party of Britain | Conservative Party | Cymru Annibynnol | Green Party of England and Wales | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | New Millennium Bean Party | Plaid Cymru | ProLife Alliance | Socialist Labour Party | UKIP | Vote No 2 Stop the War |
| 1. | Robert David Griffiths | Jonathan Morgan | Rev. Christopher Davies | John Matthews | Rhodri Morgan | Jenny Randerson | Captain Beany | Leanne Wood | Anne Savoury | Cerian Screen | Peter Gracia | Sura Altikriti |
| 2. | Fran Rawlings | David Melding | Sophia Flouter | Lynn Farr | Lorraine Barrett | Rob Humphreys | | Owen John Thomas | Madeleine Jeremy | Morfudd Marsden | Don Hulston | John Cox |
| 3. | Dominic MacAskill | Dianne Rees | William Cross | Jan Tucker | Sikiru Fahm | Rodney Berman | | Chris Franks | Josephine Quintaville | Kenneth Evans | Frank Hughes | John Palmer |
| 4. | Gwen Griffiths | Jayne Cowan | Raymond Lloyd | Sylvia Latham | Sue Essex | John Dixon | | Carole Willis | Anna Wilkins | Helen Walker | David Brown | Alastair Couper |
| 5. | | Daniel Thomas | | Paul Beswick | Jane Davidson | Jacqui Gasson | | Eluned Bush | | Susan Deare | | Phillip Kingston |
| 6. | | Craig Piper | | | Christine Chapman | Nilmini De Silva | | Delme Bowen | | | | George Crabbe |
| 7. | | Paul Williams | | | Jane Hutt | | | | | | | |
| 8. | | Heather Douglas | | | Leighton Andrews | | | | | | | |
| 9. | | | | | Geoff Mungham | | | | | | | |

### South Wales East

National Assembly for Wales election, 2003: South Wales East :
| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| Islwyn | Irene James | Labour win |
| Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Huw Lewis | Labour hold |
| Monmouth | David Thomas Charles Davies | Conservative hold |
| Blaeuau Gwent | Peter Law | Labour hold |
| Newport East | John Griffiths | Labour hold |
| Newport West | Rosemary Butler | Labour hold |
| Torfaen | Lynne Neagle | Labour hold |
| Caerphilly | Jeffrey Cuthbert | Labour hold |
| | British National Party | Conservative Party | Cymru Annibynnol | Green Party of England and Wales | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | Plaid Cymru | ProLife Alliance | Socialist Labour Party | UKIP |
| 1. | Pauline Gregory | David Thomas Charles Davies | Catherine Lloyd | Peter Varley | Peter Law | Michael James German | Jocelyn Davies | Joseph Anthony Biddulph | Arthur Scargill | David J Rowlands |
| 2. | | William Graham | Gareth Roberts | Anne Were | Neil McEvoy | Ed Townsend | Lindsay Whittle | Norman Plaisted | Paul Adam | Neal Reynolds |
| 3. | | Laura Anne Jones | Susan Price | Owen Clarke | John Griffiths | Alison Willott | Mohammed Asghar | Fiona Pinto | Hayley O'Rourke | Roger Thomas |
| 4. | | Nick Ramsay | Andrew Broad | Ernest Hamer | Lynne Neagle | Philip Hobson | Gill Jones | Thomas Flynn | Robert Morris | Hugh Moelwyn Hughes |
| 5. | | John Prosser | | Geraldine Layton | Rosemary Butler | Rob Roffe | Joanne Daniels | | Mary Millington | |
| 6. | | Barrie O'Keefe | | Teresa Telfer | Huw Lewis | Huw Price | Aneurin Preece | | Reehana Sayeed | |
| 7. | | Terri-Anne Matthews | | Matt Wootton | Jeff Cuthbert | | | | | |
| 8. | | Matthew Evans | | | Siân James | | | | | |

### South Wales West

National Assembly for Wales election, 2003: South Wales West :
| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| Aberavon | Brian Gibbons | Labour hold |
| Gower | Edwina Hart | Labour hold |
| Neath | Gwenda Thomas | Labour hold |
| Ogmore | Janice Gregory | Labour hold |
| Swansea East | Val Lloyd | Labour hold |
| Swansea West | Andrew Davies | Labour hold |
| Bridgend | Carwyn Jones | Labour hold |
| | Conservative Party | Cymru Annibynnol | Green Party of England and Wales | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | Plaid Cymru | ProLife Alliance | Socialist Labour Party | UKIP |
| 1. | Alun Cairns | Rev. Christopher Davies | Martyn Shrewsbury | Brian Gibbons | Peter Black | Janet Davies | Gerardo Brienza | Christopher Herriott | Richard Lewis |
| 2. | Gerald Rowbottom | Gwendolen MacKay | Jan Cliff | Janice Gregory | Cheryl Green | Dai Lloyd | Sean Haran | Liz Screen | Alan Robinson |
| 3. | Chris Smart | Pedr Lewis | Rhodri Griffiths | Val Lloyd | Mike Day | Alun Llewelyn | Gillian Duval | Peter Greenslade | Tim Jenkins |
| 4. | Myr Boult | Stephen Curry | Steve Clegg | Parvaiz Ali | Nick Tregoning | Siân Caiach | Karolina Stolarska | Gary Davies | David Evans |
| 5. | Peter Morris | | Deborah James | Carwyn Jones | Jackie Radford | Richard Williams | | | |
| 6. | Richard Hill | | Tony Young | Edwina Hart | | Eirian Arwyn | | | |
| 7. | Stephen James | | | Gwenda Thomas | | | | | |
| 8. | | | | Andrew Thomas | | | | | |