# Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency)

Cardiff West (Welsh: Gorllewin Caerdydd) is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Alex Barros-Curtis of the Labour Party.
The constituency retained its name and gained a ward as part of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

## Boundaries

Until 2024 Cardiff West was entirely within the boundaries of the City of Cardiff, though in 2024 (as a result of the 2023 Review of UK constituences) it gained the Rhondda Cynon Taf ward of Pontyclun.
1950–1974: The County Borough of Cardiff wards of Canton, Ely, Grangetown, Llandaff, and Riverside.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Cardiff wards of Canton, Ely, Llandaff, Grangetown, Plasmawr, and Riverside.
1983–2010: The City of Cardiff wards of Caerau, Canton, Ely, Fairwater, Llandaff, Radyr and St Fagans, and Riverside.
2010–2024: The City of Cardiff wards of Caerau, Canton, Creigiau and St Fagans, Ely, Fairwater, Llandaff, Pentyrch, Radyr, and Riverside.
2024–present: As above with the addition of the Rhondda Cynon Taf ward of Pontyclun (as it existed on 1 December 2020), transferred primarily from Pontypridd.
Following local government boundary reviews which came into effect in May 2022, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
* The City and County of Cardiff wards of Caerau, Canton, Ely, Fairwater, Llandaff, Pentyrch and St Fagans, Radyr, and Riverside.
* The County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf wards of Pontyclun Central, Pontyclun East, and Pontyclun West (part).
Until 2024 Cardiff West was entirely within the boundaries of the City of Cardiff.

## Constituency profile

Population areas within the constituency include Riverside, Pontcanna, St Fagans and Ely. There are some Conservative and Plaid Cymru-leaning areas in the north of the seat such as Creigiau and St Fagans, Pentyrch and Radyr, but the bulk of the seat comprises districts towards the centre of Cardiff such as Caerau, Canton, Ely and Riverside which are very strongly Labour.

## History

A traditionally safe Labour seat, represented for 33 years by George Thomas (who became Speaker in 1976 and was re-elected without party affiliation in 1979). It has returned a Conservative only once, in the Tories' landslide year of 1983, when Stefan Terlezki became the MP.
Labour regained the seat at the next general election in 1987, when Rhodri Morgan was elected. After the creation of the Welsh Assembly Government, Morgan stepped down from his Westminster seat in 2001 to serve as leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister for Wales. Kevin Brennan retained the seat for Labour on Morgan's retirement from Westminster politics. Following the announcement of the date of the 2024 general election Brennan announced his retirement from politics.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1950 | George Thomas | Labour |
| 1976 | George Thomas | Speaker |
| 1983 | Stefan Terlezki | Conservative |
| 1987 | Rhodri Morgan | Labour |
| 2001 | Kevin Brennan | Labour |
| 2024 | Alex Barros-Curtis | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 27,200 | 54.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Charles Stuart Hallinan | 22,893 | 45.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,307 | 8.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,093 | 82.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,918 | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
General election 1951: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 28,995 | 55.1 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative | Adrian Lincoln Hallinan | 23,595 | 44.9 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,400 | 10.2 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,528 | 84.1 | +1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 62,528 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 26,042 | 55.3 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative | Emrys Simons | 21,080 | 44.7 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,962 | 10.6 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,122 | 76.7 | −7.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,446 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 25,390 | 53.3 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Adrian Lincoln Hallinan | 22,258 | 46.7 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,132 | 6.6 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,648 | 80.1 | +3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,524 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 25,998 | 59.2 | +5.9 |
| | Conservative | Keith T Flynn | 17,941 | 40.8 | −5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,057 | 18.4 | +11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,949 | 76.4 | −3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 57,511 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 26,139 | 61.0 | +1.8 |
| | Conservative | Sidney William Doxsey | 16,714 | 39.0 | −1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,425 | 22.0 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,853 | 75.1 | −1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 57,088 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 21,655 | 49.8 | −11.2 |
| | Conservative | Robert C. Williams | 15,878 | 36.5 | −2.5 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Dafydd Hughes | 4,378 | 10.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Stephen Robert Charles Wanhill | 1,594 | 3.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,777 | 13.3 | −8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,505 | 71.0 | −4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,322 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 16,712 | 44.0 | −5.8 |
| | Conservative | G J Neale | 13,366 | 35.2 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal | Michael James | 5,812 | 15.3 | +11.6 |
| | Plaid Cymru | D Hughes | 2,093 | 5.5 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,346 | 8.8 | −4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,505 | 73.6 | +2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,626 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Thomas | 18,153 | 50.0 | +6.0 |
| | Conservative | W F Dunn | 11,481 | 31.6 | −3.6 |
| | Liberal | Michael James | 4,669 | 12.9 | −2.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | D Hughes | 2,008 | 5.5 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,672 | 18.4 | +9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,311 | 69.7 | −3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 52,083 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Speaker | George Thomas | 27,035 | 85.6 | +35.6 |
| | Plaid Cymru | A Ogwen | 3,272 | 10.4 | +4.9 |
| | National Front | C Gibbon | 1,287 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,763 | 75.2 | +56.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,594 | 60.8 | −8.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,982 | | |
| | Speaker hold | Speaker hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stefan Terlezki | 15,472 | 38.0 | N/A |
| | Labour | David Seligman | 13,698 | 33.6 | N/A |
| | SDP | Jeffrey Thomas | 10,388 | 25.5 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru | Meurig Parri | 848 | 2.1 | −8.3 |
| | Ecology | Graham Jones | 352 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,774 | 4.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,758 | 69.6 | +8.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,538 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Speaker | Conservative gain from Speaker | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rhodri Morgan | 20,329 | 45.5 | +11.9 |
| | Conservative | Stefan Terlezki | 16,284 | 36.5 | −1.5 |
| | SDP | Robert Drake | 7,300 | 16.4 | −9.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Peter Keelan | 736 | 1.7 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,045 | 9.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,649 | 77.8 | +8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 57,363 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rhodri Morgan | 24,306 | 53.2 | +7.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael J. Prior | 15,015 | 32.9 | −3.6 |
| | Liberal | Jacqui Gasson | 5,002 | 10.9 | −5.5 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Penni M. Bestic | 1,177 | 2.6 | +0.9 |
| | Natural Law | Andrew E. Harding | 184 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,291 | 20.3 | +11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,684 | 77.5 | −0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,898 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.6 | |
General election 1997: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rhodri Morgan | 24,297 | 60.3 | +7.1 |
| | Conservative | Simon Hoare | 8,669 | 21.5 | −11.4 |
| | Liberal | Jacqui Gasson | 4,366 | 10.8 | −0.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Gwenllian Carr | 1,949 | 4.8 | +2.2 |
| | Referendum | Trefor Johns | 996 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,628 | 38.8 | +18.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,277 | 69.2 | −8.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,244 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.2 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kevin Brennan | 18,594 | 54.6 | −5.7 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Davies | 7,273 | 21.3 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal | Jacqui Gasson | 4,458 | 13.1 | +2.3 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Delme Bowen | 3,296 | 9.7 | +4.9 |
| | UKIP | Joyce Jenking | 462 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,321 | 33.3 | −5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,083 | 58.4 | −10.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,348 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.8 | |
General election 2005: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kevin Brennan | 15,729 | 45.5 | −9.1 |
| | Conservative | Simon Baker | 7,562 | 21.9 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal | Alison Goldsworthy | 6,060 | 17.5 | +4.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Neil McEvoy | 4,316 | 12.5 | +2.8 |
| | UKIP | Joe Callan | 727 | 2.1 | +0.7 |
| | Rainbow Dream Ticket | Catherine Taylor-Dawson | 167 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,167 | 23.6 | −9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,561 | 57.7 | −0.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,931 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.8 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kevin Brennan | 16,893 | 41.2 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative | Angela Jones-Evans | 12,143 | 29.6 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rachael Hitchinson | 7,186 | 17.5 | +0.5 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Mohammed Islam | 2,868 | 7.0 | −5.9 |
| | UKIP | Michael Hennessey | 1,117 | 2.7 | +0.6 |
| | Green | Jake Griffiths | 750 | 1.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,750 | 11.6 | −12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,957 | 65.2 | +7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 62,787 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −5.3 | |
General election 2015: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kevin Brennan | 17,803 | 40.7 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | James Taghdissian | 11,014 | 25.2 | −4.4 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Neil McEvoy | 6,096 | 13.9 | +6.9 |
| | UKIP | Brian Morris | 4,923 | 11.2 | +8.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Cadan ap Tomos | 2,069 | 4.7 | −12.8 |
| | Green | Ken Barker | 1,704 | 3.9 | +2.1 |
| | TUSC | Helen Jones | 183 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 113 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,789 | 15.5 | +3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,792 | 65.6 | +0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,762 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
Of the 113 rejected ballots:
* 80 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 30 voted for more than one candidate.
* 3 had writing or a mark by which the voter could be identified.
General election 2017: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kevin Brennan | 26,425 | 56.7 | +16.0 |
| | Conservative | Matt Smith | 13,874 | 29.8 | +4.6 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Michael Deem | 4,418 | 9.5 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alex Meredith | 1,214 | 2.6 | −2.1 |
| | UKIP | Richard Lewis | 698 | 1.5 | −9.7 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 89 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,551 | 26.9 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,629 | 69.8 | +4.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,775 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.7 | |
Of the 89 rejected ballots:
* 66 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 23 voted for more than one candidate.
General election 2019: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kevin Brennan | 23,908 | 51.8 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | Carolyn Webster | 12,922 | 28.0 | −1.8 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Boyd Clack | 3,864 | 8.4 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Callum Littlemore | 2,731 | 5.9 | +3.3 |
| | Brexit Party | Nick Mullins | 1,619 | 3.5 | N/A |
| | Green | David Griffin | 1,133 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 144 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,986 | 23.8 | −3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,177 | 67.4 | −2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,508 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.6 | |
Of the 144 rejected ballots:
* 115 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 28 voted for more than one candidate.
* 1 had writing or mark by which the voter could be identified.

### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Cardiff West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alex Barros-Curtis | 16,442 | 36.7 | −13.5 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Kiera Marshall | 9,423 | 21.1 | +12.6 |
| | Conservative | James Hamblin | 6,835 | 15.3 | −14.6 |
| | Reform UK | Peter Hopkins | 5,626 | 12.6 | +8.9 |
| | Green | Jess Ryan | 3,157 | 7.1 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Manda Rigby | 1,921 | 4.3 | −1.0 |
| | Propel | Neil McEvoy | 1,041 | 2.3 | N/A |
| | Independent | John Ernest Urquhart | 241 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Heritage | Sean Wesley | 71 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,019 | 15.6 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,757 | 59.0 | −10.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 75,473 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 13.0 | |
The selection of Barros-Curtis as Labour candidate, with minimal input from local party members, was criticised. He is the Labour Party's executive director of legal affairs. Barros-Curtis had no connection to the Cardiff area, though had grown up in North Wales.