Labour makes gains at expense of Plaid Cymru

Labour makes flying start to its bid to regain control of Senedd though party expects it may be ‘very tight’ to get the 31 seats needed to claim an overall majority Ousted former Plaid AM Helen Mary Jones has admitted she is disappointed with her party’s faring in the Welsh elections after losing her assembly seat. The qualified teacher was left deflated following the defeat in her constituency by Labour – which has enjoyed a flying start to its bid to regain control of the Senedd. Labour hit double figures two hours after the first result was declared, managing to hold on to seats such as Swansea East as well as snatching Llanelli from erstwhile education minister Jones. She said: “I am disappointed – especially for my team because they put so much hard work in. “What Labour have succeeded (in doing) is turning this election into a referendum on what the Conservative government is doing in Westminster. “It looks disappointing for us. We will have to learn some lessons both locally and nationally.” Labour hit the ground running after being crowned winners in the first declared constituency of Blaenau Gwent just after 2am today. It completed the hat-trick around an hour later, adding Islwyn as well as Merthyr and Rhymney. Two hours later, the party had gone into double figures, amassing around two-thirds of the total vote. Labour officials say they are pleased with the initial results – though expect it may be “very tight” for the party to get past the “magic figure” of 31 seats needed to claim an overall majority. The Liberal Democrats suffered a torrid time – trailing far-right party the BNP in a number of constituencies as well losing its deposit in Blaenau Gwent. It also lost its Montgomeryshire constituency to the Conservatives. However, the Lib Dems managed to avoid a major scalp as party leader Kirsty Williams comfortably hung on to her Brecon and Radnorshire seat – despite a 9.2% drop in its votes compared with the 2007 election. Labour’s win in Blaenau Gwent was declared just after 2.10am, with Alun Davies coming ahead of his five rivals. Davies won 12,926 votes – considerably more than second placed independent candidate Jayne Sullivan, who polled 3,806. Plaid Cymru’s Darren Jones was in third place on 1,098 with the Conservatives and the BNP trailing behind, on 1,066 and 948 respectively. The Liberal Democrats finished bottom with 367 votes – a 4% drop compared with the 2007 election. Voter turnout for Blaenau Gwent was 38.16%. The win saw Labour gain the seat – which was last won by independent candidate Trish Law, who stood down at the end of the assembly’s third term. Speaking at the count in Ebbw Vale, Davies said: “It’s a tremendous result. For too long we have had a lone voice in this constituency. “Compared with this last election, Labour has doubled its vote. I do not think you can get more emphatic than that.” The quadruple for Labour was completed over an hour later with Gwyn Price winning Islwyn and Huw Lewis holding on to Merthyr and Rhymney – before Keith Davies managed to oust Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones from her Llanelli seat. Following a recount, Davies pipped former Senedd cabinet member Jones by just 80 votes. The Liberal Democrats were dealt a severe blow after losing Montgomeryshire to the Conservatives. It was won in 2007 by then Lib Dem candidate Mick Bates – who later left the party following his conviction for drunkenly attacking a paramedic. Bates became an independent candidate before stepping down at the end of the assembly’s third term. This morning, Wyn Williams was unable to claim the seat back for the Lib Dems after the Tories’ Russell George secured 10,026 votes. Welsh elections 2011 Welsh Assembly Government Welsh politics Wales Elections 2011 Plaid Cymru Labour Liberal Democrats Conservatives guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 5, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.