Vale of Clwyd (UK Parliament constituency)
# Vale of Clwyd (UK Parliament constituency)

The Vale of Clwyd (Welsh: Dyffryn Clwyd) is a constituency of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament created in 1997 and represented since 2019 by James Davies of the Conservative Party. As with all extant seats its electorate elect one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system at least every five years.

The Vale of Clwyd Senedd constituency was created with the same boundaries in 1999 (as an Assembly constituency).

The constituency is set to be abolished, as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the next United Kingdom general election. Its wards is to be split between Clwyd East and Clwyd North.

## Boundaries

1997–2010: The Borough of Rhuddlan, the District of Glyndwr wards of Denbigh Central, Denbigh Lower, Denbigh Upper, Henllan, and Llandyrnog, and the Borough of Colwyn ward of Trefnant.

2010–present: The Denbighshire County electoral divisions of Bodelwyddan, Denbigh Central, Denbigh Lower, Denbigh Upper/Henllan, Dyserth, Llandyrnog, Prestatyn Central, Prestatyn East, Prestatyn Meliden, Prestatyn North, Prestatyn South West, Rhuddlan, Rhyl East, Rhyl South, Rhyl South East, Rhyl South West, Rhyl West, St Asaph East, St Asaph West, Trefnant, and Tremeirchion.

The constituency was created in 1997 from the seats of Clwyd North West, Clwyd South West and Delyn. It is in the north of Wales containing the seaside town of Prestatyn and its coastal neighbour Rhyl which is overlooked by the community of Rhuddlan. It also contains the inland towns of Denbigh, St Asaph, Bodelwyddan, Trefnant and Tremeirchion.

## Political history

The seat was won by the Labour candidate in 1997, 2001, 2005 and on a marginal majority in 2010. The seat was next won by the Conservative candidate standing in 2015. The 2015 result gave the seat the 4th most marginal majority of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. However, Labour regained the seat in the 2017 general election with more than half the eligible votes, the first Labour gain from the Conservatives on the night. In 2019 general election, the seat reverted to the Conservatives as the party made gains from Labour in north east Wales.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| - | - | - |
| 1997 | Chris Ruane | Labour |
| 2015 | James Davies | Conservative |
| 2017 | Chris Ruane | Labour |
| 2019 | James Davies | Conservative |

## Elections

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 20,617 | 52.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | David Edwards | 11,662 | 29.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Daniel Munford | 3,425 | 8.8 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru | Gwyneth Kensler | 2,301 | 5.9 | N/A |
| | Referendum | Simon Vickers | 834 | 2.1 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Scott Cooke | 293 | 0.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,995 | 22.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,132 | 74.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 52,426 | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 16,179 | 50.0 | ―2.7 |
| | Conservative | Brendan Murphy | 10,418 | 32.2 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Rees | 3,058 | 9.5 | +0.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru | John Williams | 2,300 | 7.1 | +1.2 |
| | UKIP | William Campbell | 391 | 1.2 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,761 | 17.8 | ―5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,346 | 63.6 | ―11.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 50,842 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―2.5 | |

General election 2005: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 14,875 | 46.0 | ―4.0 |
| | Conservative | Felicity Elphick | 10,206 | 31.6 | ―0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Jewkes | 3,820 | 11.8 | +2.3 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Mark Jones | 2,309 | 7.1 | ±0.0 |
| | Independent | Mark Young | 442 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Edna Khambatta | 375 | 1.2 | ±0.0 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Jeff Ditchfield | 286 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,669 | 14.4 | ―3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,313 | 62.2 | ―1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,983 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―1.7 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 15,017 | 42.3 | ―3.6 |
| | Conservative | Matt Wright | 12,508 | 35.2 | +3.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Penlington | 4,472 | 12.6 | +0.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Caryl Wyn-Jones | 2,068 | 5.8 | ―1.4 |
| | BNP | Ian Si'Ree | 827 | 2.3 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Tom Turner | 515 | 1.4 | +0.3 |
| | Alliance for Green Socialism | Mike Butler | 127 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 55 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,509 | 7.1 | ―7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,534 | 63.7 | ―2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 55,781 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―3.6 | |

Of the 55 rejected ballots:

* 32 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 23 voted for more than one candidate.

General election 2015: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | James Davies | 13,760 | 39.0 | +3.8 |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 13,523 | 38.4 | ―3.9 |
| | UKIP | Paul Davies-Cooke | 4,577 | 13.0 | +11.6 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Mair Rowlands | 2,486 | 7.1 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gwyn Williams | 915 | 2.6 | ―10.0 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 77 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 237 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,261 | 62.4 | ―1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 56,505 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +3.9 | |

Of the 77 rejected ballots:

* 60 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 16 voted for more than one candidate.
* 1 had writing or mark by which the voter could be identified.

General election 2017: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 19,423 | 50.2 | +11.8 |
| | Conservative | James Davies | 17,044 | 44.1 | +5.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru | David Wyatt | 1,551 | 4.0 | ―3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gwyn Williams | 666 | 1.7 | ―0.9 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 91 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,379 | 6.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,684 | 68.0 | +5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 56,890 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.5 | |

Of the 91 rejected ballots:

* 72 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 18 voted for more than one candidate.
* 1 had writing or mark by which the voter could be identified.

General election 2019: Vale of Clwyd :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | James Davies | 17,270 | 46.4 | +2.3 |
| | Labour | Chris Ruane | 15,443 | 41.5 | ―8.7 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Glenn Swingler | 1,552 | 4.2 | +0.2 |
| | Brexit Party | Peter Dain | 1,477 | 4.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gavin Scott | 1,471 | 4.0 | +2.3 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 84 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,827 | 4.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,213 | 65.7 | ―2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 56,649 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +5.5 | |

Of the 84 rejected ballots:

* 76 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
* 8 voted for more than one candidate.
