# Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (UK Parliament constituency)

Meirionnydd Nant Conwy was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The Meirionnydd Nant Conwy Welsh Assembly constituency was created with the same boundaries in 1999.

## History

The constituency was created in 1983, largely replacing the ancient constituency of Merioneth, and was abolished in 2010. For the entire period of its existence, it was represented by Plaid Cymru, and was generally regarded as a safe seat. It had the lowest population of any constituency in England or Wales, and also had the second highest proportion of Welsh-speaking voters.

## Boundaries

Meirionnydd Nant Conwy consisted of Merionethshire and part of the Conwy valley. This was a mainly rural area containing small towns and villages such as Dolgellau, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Bala, Betws-y-Coed, and Llanrwst.

### Boundary review

Following its review of parliamentary representation in Wales, the Boundary Commission for Wales abolished this constituency. It was replaced mostly by Dwyfor Meirionnydd and in part by Aberconwy. These new constituencies were first fought at the 2010 general election.

## Members of Parliament

From 1983 to 1992 the constituency was represented by Dafydd Elis Thomas of Plaid Cymru, who represented Dwyfor Meirionnydd in the Welsh Senedd and is its former Presiding Officer. The constituency was represented at its abolition by Elfyn Llwyd, also of Plaid Cymru.
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Dafydd Elis Thomas | Plaid Cymru |
| 1992 | Elfyn Llwyd | Plaid Cymru |
| 2010 | constituency abolished: see Aberconwy and Dwyfor Meirionnydd | constituency abolished: see Aberconwy and Dwyfor Meirionnydd |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Meirionnydd Nant Conwy :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | Dafydd Elis-Thomas | 9,709 | 39.2 | |
| | Conservative | David Lloyd | 7,066 | 28.5 | |
| | SDP | David Roberts | 4,254 | 17.2 | |
| | Labour | Glyn Williams | 3,735 | 15.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,643 | 10.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,764 | 81.3 | |
| | Plaid Cymru win (new seat) | Plaid Cymru win (new seat) | Plaid Cymru win (new seat) | Plaid Cymru win (new seat) | Plaid Cymru win (new seat) |
General election 1987: Meirionnydd Nant Conwy :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | Dafydd Elis-Thomas | 10,392 | 40.0 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative | Dennis Jones | 7,366 | 28.4 | −0.1 |
| | Labour | Hugh Roberts | 4,397 | 16.9 | +1.8 |
| | SDP | David Roberts | 3,814 | 14.7 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,026 | 11.7 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,969 | 80.6 | −0.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru hold | Plaid Cymru hold | Swing | +0.5 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Meirionnydd Nant Conwy :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | Elfyn Llwyd | 11,608 | 44.0 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative | Gwyn Lewis | 6,995 | 26.5 | −1.9 |
| | Labour | Rhys Williams | 4,978 | 18.8 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruth Parry | 2,358 | 8.9 | −5.8 |
| | Green | William Pritchard | 471 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,613 | 17.5 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,410 | 81.5 | +0.9 |
| | Plaid Cymru hold | Plaid Cymru hold | Swing | +2.9 | |
General election 1997: Meirionnydd Nant Conwy :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | Elfyn Llwyd | 12,465 | 50.7 | +6.7 |
| | Labour | Hefin E. Rees | 5,660 | 23.0 | +4.2 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Quin | 3,922 | 16.0 | −10.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robina L. Feeley | 1,719 | 7.0 | −1.9 |
| | Referendum | Phillip H. Hodge | 809 | 3.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,805 | 27.7 | +10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,575 | 76.0 | −5.5 |
| | Plaid Cymru hold | Plaid Cymru hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Meirionnydd Nant Conwy :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | Elfyn Llwyd | 10,459 | 49.6 | −1.1 |
| | Labour | Denise Idris Jones | 4,775 | 22.7 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative | Lisa Francis | 3,962 | 18.8 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dafydd Raw-Rees | 1,872 | 8.9 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,684 | 26.9 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,068 | 63.9 | −12.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru hold | Plaid Cymru hold | Swing | | |
General election 2005: Meirionnydd Nant Conwy :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | Elfyn Llwyd | 10,597 | 51.3 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Rhodri Jones | 3,983 | 19.3 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | Dan Munford | 3,402 | 16.5 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adrian Fawcett | 2,192 | 10.6 | +1.7 |
| | UKIP | Francis Wykes | 466 | 2.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,614 | 32.0 | +5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,640 | 61.7 | −2.2 |
| | Plaid Cymru hold | Plaid Cymru hold | Swing | +2.6 | |