# Blaenau Gwent (Senedd constituency)

Blaenau Gwent is a constituency of the Senedd. It elects one Member of the Senedd by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the South Wales East electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to eight constituency members, to produce a degree of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

## Boundaries

The constituency was created for the first election to the Assembly, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of the Blaenau Gwent Westminster constituency.
The other seven constituencies of the South Wales East electoral region are Caerphilly, Islwyn, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Monmouth, Newport East, Newport West and Torfaen.

## History

This seat has had large changes in percentages and swing. Labour have had large majorities but following the By-election in 2006 Blaenau Gwent People's Voice gained the seat, with the previous incumbent Peter Law's wife Trish Law taking the seat and holding it in the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election. The party did not stand in the 2011 election and Labour regained the seat with a very large majority. However, in the 2016 election this was slashed with Plaid Cymru increasing their vote from 5.4% to 36.6%. Blaenau Gwent People's Voice won the seat in the 2006 by-election and the 2007 election.

## Voting

In general elections for the Senedd, each voter has two votes. The first vote may be used to vote for a candidate to become the Member of the Senedd for the voter's constituency, elected by the first past the post system. The second vote may be used to vote for a regional closed party list of candidates. Additional member seats are allocated from the lists by the d'Hondt method, with constituency results being taken into account in the allocation.

## Assembly members and Members of the Senedd

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1999 | Peter Law | Welsh Labour and Co-operative |
| 2005 | Peter Law | Independent |
| 2006 by-election | Trish Law | Blaenau Gwent People's Voice |
| 2011 | Alun Davies | Welsh Labour and Co-operative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

2021 Senedd election: Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alun Davies | 10,226 | 49.1 | +9.4 | 9,983 | 48.2 | +9.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Peredur Owen Griffiths | 3,588 | 17.2 | -19.4 | 3,849 | 18.6 | -12.9 |
| | Conservative | Edward Dawson | 2,611 | 12.5 | +6.2 | 2,905 | 14.0 | +8.6 |
| | Independent | Mandy Moore | 2,376 | 11.4 | New | | | |
| | Abolish | Richard Taylor | 1,364 | 6.6 | New | 1,457 | 7.0 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paula Yates | 333 | 1.6 | +0.2 | 419 | 2.0 | +0.5 |
| | Reform UK | Robert Beavis | 319 | 1.5 | New | 277 | 1.3 | New |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 653 | 3.2 | +1.6 |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 480 | 2.3 | -13.5 |
| | Gwlad | Gwlad | Gwlad | Gwlad | Gwlad | 282 | 1.4 | New |
| | No More Lockdowns | No More Lockdowns | No More Lockdowns | No More Lockdowns | No More Lockdowns | 181 | 0.9 | New |
| | Propel | Propel | Propel | Propel | Propel | 118 | 0.6 | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 75 | 0.4 | +0.2 |
| | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | 44 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,638 | 31.9 | +28.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,817 | 40.31 | −1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| Notes ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency |||||||||
Regional Ballot void votes: 165. Want of an Official Mark (0), Voting for more than ONE party or individual candidate (50), Writing or mark by which the Voter could be identified (0), Unmarked or Void for uncertainty (115)

### Elections in the 2010s

Welsh Assembly Election 2016: Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Alun Davies | 8,442 | 39.7 | -24.3 | 8,260 | 38.8 | -23.9 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Nigel Copner | 7,792 | 36.6 | +31.2 | 6,716 | 31.5 | +22.2 |
| | UKIP | Kevin Boucher | 3,423 | 16.1 | New | 3,373 | 15.8 | +10.8 |
| | Conservative | Tracey West | 1,334 | 6.3 | +1.0 | 1,158 | 5.4 | -1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brendan D'Cruz | 300 | 1.4 | -0.4 | 328 | 1.5 | -1.7 |
| | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | 820 | 3.8 | New |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 344 | 1.6 | -0.6 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | 104 | 0.5 | New |
| | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | 81 | 0.4 | New |
| | National Front | National Front | National Front | National Front | National Front | 64 | 0.3 | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 51 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 650 | 3.1 | −42.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,291 | 42.1 | +3.3 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | -28.0 | |
Welsh Assembly Election 2011:Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Alun Davies | 12,926 | 64.0 | +32.7 | 12,567 | 62.7 | +18.9 |
| | Independent | Jayne Sullivan | 3,806 | 18.8 | New |
| | Plaid Cymru | Darren Jones | 1,098 | 5.4 | +0.6 | 1,869 | 9.3 | -4.0 |
| | Conservative | Bob Hayward | 1,066 | 5.3 | +1.2 | 1,404 | 7.0 | +0.2 |
| | BNP | Brian Urch | 948 | 4.7 | New | 980 | 4.9 | -0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Blakebrough | 367 | 1.8 | -3.9 | 641 | 3.2 | -5.2 |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 1,009 | 5.0 | -1.3 |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 683 | 3.4 | +0.8 |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 440 | 2.2 | -0.1 |
| | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | 292 | 1.5 | -0.9 |
| | English Democrat | English Democrat | English Democrat | English Democrat | English Democrat | 89 | 0.4 | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 58 | 0.3 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,120 | 45.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,211 | 37.8 | −6.7 |
| | Labour Co-op gain from Blaenau Gwent PV | Labour Co-op gain from Blaenau Gwent PV | Swing | | |
Regional ballots rejected at the count: 171

### Elections in the 2000s

Welsh Assembly Election 2007: Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Blaenau Gwent PV | Trish Law | 12,722 | 54.1 | N/A |
| | Labour | Keren Bender | 7,365 | 31.3 | -38.9 | 10,141 | 43.8 | -17.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gareth Lewis | 1,351 | 5.7 | -5.2 | 1,933 | 8.4 | -2.2 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Natasha Asghar | 1,129 | 4.8 | -4.8 | 3,080 | 13.3 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | Bob Hayward | 951 | 4.0 | -1.7 | 1,584 | 6.8 | +0.3 |
| | Independent - Colin Hobbs | Independent - Colin Hobbs | Independent - Colin Hobbs | Independent - Colin Hobbs | Independent - Colin Hobbs | 1,680 | 7.3 | New |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 1,462 | 6.3 | +3.4 |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 1,313 | 5.7 | +3.8 |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 608 | 2.6 | +0.2 |
| | Welsh Christian Party | Welsh Christian Party | Welsh Christian Party | Welsh Christian Party | Welsh Christian Party | 590 | 2.6 | New |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 526 | 2.3 | -0.1 |
| | English Democrat | English Democrat | English Democrat | English Democrat | English Democrat | 79 | 0.3 | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 77 | 0.3 | New |
| | CPA | CPA | CPA | CPA | CPA | 54 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,357 | 22.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,518 | 44.5 | +6.7 |
| | Blaenau Gwent PV gain from Labour Co-op | Blaenau Gwent PV gain from Labour Co-op | Swing | +46.5 | |
By-election 2006: Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Blaenau Gwent PV | Trish Law | 13,785 | 50.3 | New |
| | Labour | John Hopkins | 9,321 | 34.0 | −36.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Bard | 2,054 | 7.5 | −3.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | John Price | 1,109 | 4.0 | −5.6 |
| | Conservative | Jonathan Burns | 816 | 3.0 | −2.7 |
| | Green | John Matthews | 302 | 1.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,464 | 16.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,387 | 49.6 | +12.2 |
| | Blaenau Gwent PV gain from Labour Co-op | Blaenau Gwent PV gain from Labour Co-op | Swing | +43.3 | |
Welsh Assembly Election 2003: Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Peter Law | 13,884 | 70.2 | +8.4 | 12,003 | 60.9 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Bard | 2,184 | 10.9 | -0.5 | 2,087 | 10.6 | -0.6 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Rhys Ab Ellis | 1,889 | 9.6 | -11.5 | 2,219 | 11.3 | -12.8 |
| | Conservative | Barrie O'Keefe | 1,131 | 5.7 | +0.1 | 1,273 | 6.5 | +0.8 |
| | UKIP | Roger Thomas | 719 | 3.6 | New | 573 | 2.9 | New |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 480 | 2.4 | +0.6 |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 469 | 2.4 | -1.2 |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 379 | 1.9 | New |
| | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | 161 | 0.3 | New |
| | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | 61 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,736 | 59.3 | +18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,022 | 37.8 | −10.6 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +4.5 | |
* ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency
2003 Electorate: 52,927 Regional ballots rejected: 300

### Elections in the 1990s

Welsh Assembly Election 1999: Blaenau Gwent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Peter Law | 16,069 | 61.8 | N/A | 13,714 | 52.5 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru | Phil Williams | 5,501 | 21.1 | N/A | 6,289 | 24.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Rogers | 2,980 | 11.4 | N/A | 2,931 | 11.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | David Thomas | 1,444 | 5.6 | N/A | 1,475 | 5.7 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 928 | 3.6 | N/A |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 463 | 1.8 | N/A |
| | Others | Others | Others | Others | Others | 300 | 1.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,568 | 40.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,994 | 48.2 |
| | Labour Co-op win (new seat) | Labour Co-op win (new seat) | Labour Co-op win (new seat) | Labour Co-op win (new seat) | Labour Co-op win (new seat) |