# Rhondda East (UK Parliament constituency)

Rhondda East was a parliamentary constituency which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1974. Along with Rhondda West it was formed by dividing the old Rhondda constituency.

## History

Rhondda East was for a time a heartland of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who formed the main opposition on the council. For a time, Annie Powell was the only Communist mayor in Britain. Harry Pollitt, General Secretary of the CPGB, narrowly failed to win the seat in 1945.

## Boundaries

1918–1949: The Urban District of Rhondda seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth wards, and part of the sixth.
1950–1974: The Urban District of Rhondda seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh wards, and part of the sixth.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1918 | David Watts-Morgan | Labour |
| | 1933 by-election | William Mainwaring | Labour |
| | 1959 | Elfed Davies | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | Feb 1974 | constituency abolished: see Rhondda | constituency abolished: see Rhondda |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Watts-Morgan | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Watts-Morgan | 17,146 | 55.0 | N/A |
| | National Liberal | Frederick William Heale | 14,025 | 45.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,121 | 10.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,171 | 80.9 | N/A |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Watts-Morgan | 21,338 | 71.9 | +16.9 |
| | Unionist | Alfred John Orchard | 8,346 | 28.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,992 | 43.8 | +33.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,684 | 74.6 | −6.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Watts-Morgan | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
General election 1929: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Watts Morgan | 19,010 | 50.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Richard David Chalke | 10,269 | 27.0 | New |
| | Communist | Arthur Horner | 5,789 | 15.2 | New |
| | Unionist | John Francis Powell | 2,901 | 7.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,741 | 23.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,969 | 84.7 | N/A |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Watts-Morgan | 22,086 | 68.1 | +17.9 |
| | Communist | Arthur Horner | 10,359 | 31.9 | +16.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,727 | 36.2 | +13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,445 | 73.7 | −11.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1933 Rhondda East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Mainwaring | 14,127 | 42.5 | −25.6 |
| | Communist | Arthur Horner | 11,228 | 33.8 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | William Thomas | 7,851 | 23.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,899 | 8.7 | −27.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,206 | 74.9 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Mainwaring | 22,088 | 61.8 | −6.3 |
| | Communist | Harry Pollitt | 13,655 | 38.2 | +6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,433 | 23.6 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,743 | 80.8 | +6.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Mainwaring | 16,733 | 48.4 | −13.4 |
| | Communist | Harry Pollitt | 15,761 | 45.5 | +7.3 |
| | Plaid Cymru | James Kitchener Davies | 2,123 | 6.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 972 | 2.9 | −20.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,617 | 82.8 | +2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −10.3 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Mainwaring | 26,645 | 75.9 | +26.5 |
| | Communist | Harry Pollitt | 4,463 | 12.7 | −32.8 |
| | Conservative | George Nicholls | 2,634 | 7.5 | New |
| | Plaid Cymru | David Davies | 1,357 | 3.9 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,182 | 63.2 | +60.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,099 | 87.5 | +4.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +29.7 | |
General election 1951: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Mainwaring | 27,958 | 81.2 | +5.3 |
| | Conservative | Oliver Stutchbury | 3,522 | 10.3 | +2.8 |
| | Communist | Idris Cox | 2,948 | 8.6 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,436 | 70.9 | +7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,428 | 85.5 | −2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.8 | |
General election 1955: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Mainwaring | 21,859 | 72.6 | −8.6 |
| | Communist | Annie Powell | 4,544 | 15.1 | +6.5 |
| | Conservative | Herbert R Rowlands | 3,711 | 12.3 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,315 | 57.5 | −13.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,114 | 85.5 | 0.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.6 | |
General election 1959: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elfed Davies | 20,565 | 65.2 | −7.4 |
| | Communist | Annie Powell | 4,580 | 14.5 | −0.6 |
| | Conservative | David Peace | 3,629 | 11.5 | −0.8 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Noel Williams | 2,776 | 8.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,985 | 50.7 | −6.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,550 | 83.2 | −2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.4 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elfed Davies | 20,510 | 71.2 | +6.0 |
| | Communist | Annie Powell | 3,385 | 11.8 | −2.7 |
| | Conservative | David Purnell | 2,548 | 8.9 | −2.6 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Glyn P James | 2,361 | 8.2 | −0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,125 | 59.4 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,804 | 79.5 | −3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.4 | |
General election 1966: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elfed Davies | 21,567 | 77.4 | +2.2 |
| | Communist | Annie Powell | 2,349 | 8.4 | −3.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Glyn Pryce James | 2,088 | 7.5 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative | William Kenneth R. Ricketts | 1,857 | 6.7 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,218 | 69.0 | +9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,861 | 78.5 | −1.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.7 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Rhondda East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elfed Davies | 19,602 | 68.7 | −8.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Glyn Pryce James | 6,931 | 24.3 | +16.8 |
| | Conservative | Richard C. Mullett | 1,359 | 4.8 | −1.9 |
| | Communist | Arthur Jones | 659 | 2.3 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,671 | 44.4 | −24.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,551 | 77.4 | −1.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −12.8 | |