General election 2019: Tories claim big scalps in Wales

Wales’ first three female Conservative MPs have been elected as the party claimed six key seats from Labour.

Sarah Atherton’s 2,131 majority win in Wrexham was followed by Virginia Crosbie taking Ynys Mon and Fay Jones winning Brecon and Radnorshire.

The Tories also turned Bridgend, Vale of Clwyd, Clwyd South and Delyn from red to blue in other targeted seats.

Labour remained the biggest party while Plaid Cymru held their four seats, but Liberal Democrats have been wiped out.

It means Labour now has 22 seats in Wales with the six they lost taking the Tories’ tally to 14, which is their best result since 1983.

Turnout in Wales was 66.6%, down from the 2017 election by -2.0.

Speaking after her win, Ms Atherton, who is filling the seat vacated by Labour’s Ian Lucas ahead of the election, said she was “delighted and privileged” to be announced the first Welsh female Conservative MP.

“The people of Wrexham wanted Brexit done and delivered. I think that’s why we have got a majority of 2,000 tonight,” she said.

The Tories also took Bridgend from Madeleine Moon with Jamie Wallis winning by 1,157 votes.

Former Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, who resigned from the cabinet at the start of the campaign following a row about what he knew about a former aide’s involvement in the collapse of a rape trial, held on to his seat in the Vale of Glamorgan.

If you cannot see the graphic click here.

Another former Welsh Secretary, David Jones, who was originally going to stand down in Clwyd West before changing his mind, also held on to his seat, while Monmouth, Preseli Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen West and Aberconwy remained blue, as did Montgomeryshire with new incumbent Craig Williams.

The exit poll taken at 144 polling stations, with 22,790 interviews, has been adjusted to take actual results into account.

The BBC forecast suggests the Tories will get 363 MPs, Labour 203, the SNP 49, the Lib Dems 12, Plaid Cymru four, the Greens one, and the Brexit Party none.

Despite its losses, Labour held on to the marginal constituencies of Gower, Alyn & Deeside, and Cardiff North – all of which were at risk to the Tories – the latter seeing Anna McMorrin increase her majority.

It also held on narrowly to Newport West, while Llanelli, Neath, Rhondda, Ogmore, Pontypridd, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Cardiff Central, Cardiff West, Cynon Valley, Islwyn, Merthyr and Rhymney, Torfaen, Cardiff South and Penarth, and its two Newport and two Swansea seats remained red.

Plaid Cymru was forecast to take three seats, down one, but held on to all four – Carmarthen East, Ceredigion, Dwyfor Meirionnydd, and Arfon where Hywel Williams increased his slender majority of 92 to 2,781.

The Liberal Democrats were left without a seat in Wales after Jane Dodds was ousted by the Conservative Ms Jones who won the Brecon and Radnorshire seat back for her party just four months after it was lost in a by-election.

Ms Jones, who won by 7,131 votes, said she was “honoured” to be one of the first Welsh Tory women to be heading to Westminster.

Image copyright
Getty Images

Paul Davies, the Conservative leader in the Welsh assembly, said: “After winning seats like Delyn and Clwyd South we now have the joint largest number of Welsh Conservative MPs in Parliament, to help ensure that a positive voice for Wales is heard loud and clear in Parliament.

“We now need to refocus ahead of the Welsh Parliamentary elections in 2021 and ensure that this failing Welsh Labour government, who have been running our health service for the last 20 years, are held to account and the people of Wales get the services they deserve.”

His predecessor Andrew RT Davies said: “People across the country have stood up and told their politicians that democracy should be respected and have also emphatically rejected the hard-left socialist dogma of Jeremy Corbyn.”

He added: “We have a new piece of architecture in Wales, the blue wall in north Wales, and it’s been built with full planning permission by the voters.”

Former Tory MP Glyn Davies said he was “absolutely astonished” by the party’s performance in Wales.

Following Labour’s poor performance across the UK, Jeremy Corbyn has said he intends to step down as leader.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

First Minister Mark Drakeford said Labour was “having a very deeply disappointing evening across the UK and across here in Wales, but at the end of the evening I believe the Labour party will still have more than half the seats here in Wales”.

The Welsh Labour leader said he shared the responsibility for the result in Wales.

He said the party had “struggled in some parts of Wales to get our message through” to people of the “dangers” of a five-year Boris Johnson government.

As the Conservatives passed the mark for a majority, Mr Drakeford congratulated the prime minster on victory but reminded Mr Johnson he did not have a majority in three out of four UK nations.

Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi was cheered and heckled during her Gower acceptance speech when she said Brexit voters were “taken advantage of”.

She said the people of Gower had been “disastrously served by a political shambles that has served to bring the UK into disrepute”.

Chris Bryant who held on to his Labour Rhondda seat called it the “worst night for Labour since 1935”.

He said his party was now looking at “being out in the wilderness for even longer” unless there was “some serious soul-searching”.

Vaughan Gething, Welsh Labour health minister, said voters had seen both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn as “marmite”.

“We did understand that traditional Labour voters, older Labour voters, had a real issue voting Labour in this election,” he said.

Stephen Doughty, who has held the Cardiff South and Penarth seat for seven years, tweeted: “I fear the future for our younger generation. I fear for the public institutions and integrity of our country. Dark times. Some of us must offer new hope amidst despair.”

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Analysis by Felicity Evans, BBC Wales Political Editor

The political map of Wales has changed enormously. Aside from the single seat of Alyn & Deeside, Labour has been vanquished from north Wales.

The Conservatives are celebrating a return to their high watermark of 1983 when they held 14 seats in Wales, Boris Johnson’s Brexit message resonated among Welsh Labour leave voters.

But many Welsh Labour sources say Jeremy Corbyn was a major factor in turning off the party’s traditional supporters.

They will also question the approach of their Welsh leader Mark Drakeford.

Should he have done more to “Welshify” this election and distinguish Welsh Labour from the UK party? Was that even achievable given the dominance of the two characters of Mr Corbyn and Mr Johnson?

The Liberal Democrats will rue the day they pushed for this election – their hubris has been mercilessly punished.

And Plaid will breathe a big sigh of relief that they hung on to two ultra marginals, and were let off the hook by a split leave vote in Carmarthen East. Coming third in their target seat of Ynys Mon is a blow that leaves them at the status quo of four seats.