Rhondda (UK Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Rhondda (Senedd constituency).

Rhondda was a constituency^{[n 1]} in Wales in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented since its 1974 recreation by the Labour Party.^{[n 2]}

Rhondda
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Rhondda in Wales
Preserved county	Mid Glamorgan
Electorate	50,262 (December 2019)[1]
Major settlements	Porth, Tonypandy, Treherbert, Treorchy, Tylorstown
1974 (1974)–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Rhondda East and Rhondda West
Replaced by	Rhondda and Ogmore
1885–1918
Seats	One
Type of constituency	County constituency
Created from	Glamorganshire
Replaced by	Rhondda East and Rhondda West
Senedd	Rhondda, South Wales Central

The constituency was 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 2024 general election. The entire constituency became part of the new seat of Rhondda and Ogmore.^[2]

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Rhondda.

1983–2010: The Borough of Rhondda.

2010–2024: The Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough electoral divisions of Cwm Clydach, Cymmer, Ferndale, Llwyn-y-pia, Maerdy, Pentre, Pen-y-graig, Porth, Tonypandy, Trealaw, Treherbert, Treorchy, Tylorstown, Ynyshir, and Ystrad.

The Westminster constituency of Rhondda was based around the western edge of the Rhondda Cynon Taf council area, with population centres including Treherbert, Maerdy, Tylorstown, Tonypandy, and Pen-y-Graig. The seat bordered the constituencies of Cynon Valley, Ogmore, Pontypridd, and Aberavon.

History

This constituency was first created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, for the 1885 general election. For the 1918 general election it was divided into Rhondda East and Rhondda West.

The constituency was reunited in 1974. Since 1974, the constituency has always had a large Labour majority, and in the 1987 general election was the safest seat for any party, anywhere in Britain. In 2001, it was the only seat in the country where Liberal Democrats lost their deposit, and the Conservative Party also lost their deposit in their worst performance outside Northern Ireland.^[3]

Early history: the 1885 general election

The constituency was formed following the Third Reform Act of 1884, as a result of the rapid growth of population in the two valleys over the previous twenty years. During the 1880s the demand for working men representatives in the ranks of the Parliamentary Liberal Party were increasingly vociferous and there was a precedent for a Liberal-Labour (Lib-Lab) candidate in South Wales as Thomas Halliday had contested Merthyr Tydfil in 1874.

The local trade union, the Rhondda Steam Coal Miners' Association, laid claim to the candidacy as early as 1883, on the basis that the franchise had been extended to many working men within the county constituencies and that in Mabon, their agent for six years they had the ideal candidate.^[4] The local Liberal Association, however, formed in early 1885,was dominated by middle-class business and professional men, and included a disproportionate number of colliery officials. . Lewis Davis of Ferndale, brother of David Davis, Maesyffynnon, one of the leading coalowners in the valley, was selected as president of the association.^[4] Ministers, including William Morris of Noddfa, Treorchy were also prominent.^[5] At a meeting in April 1885 six names were put forward as possible candidates for the nomination, including Lewis Davis, Mabon and Alfred Thomas, a leading figure in the municipal life of Cardiff.^[5] Shortly afterwards, Lewis Davis was invited by the Association to be its parliamentary candidate and defeated Mabon in a ballot by 143 votes to 51. In spite of his selection, however, he declined and proposed that his son, the 22-year-old Frederick Lewis Davis, be the candidate. In a further ballot, F.L. Davis again defeated Mabon by 125 votes to 56.^[4]

The refusal of the trade union movement to accept this decision and to support an independent campaign by Mabon is regarded as an important watershed in the political history of South Wales. In terms of policy there was little apparent difference between the candidates, with the only notable difference being that Mabon supported the payment of MPs while Davis did not.^[4] The campaign was therefore waged on other grounds. Davis's supporters claimed that Mabon lacked legitimacy, having been rejected by the Liberal Association. Mabon's adherents, in turn, claimed that the miners' had held mass meetings throughout the two valleys to promote his candidature long before the middle-class-dominated Association was established.^[4] Davis's youth and inexperience was a major issue, although he had qualified as a barrister. There were also claims of intimidation on both sides. Mabon's supporters were said to be victimised at the workplace while several of Davis's meetings were disrupted by violence.^[4]

Class therefore became a major issue in the campaign. The vast majority of Mabon' supporters were trade union activists and working men, along with a relatively small number of tradesmen and professionals, some of whom had links of one form or another to the miners' union. These included Walter H. Morgan of Pontypridd, often described as the miners' lawyer. One nonconformist minister, supported Mabon, namely John Salisbury Edwards of Treorchy. In contest, Davis had the support of the vast majority of the middle-classes in the Rhondda, and natural deference together with the paternalistic influence of the Davis family, in the Rhondda Fach in particular, was a factor.^[4]

On polling day, Mabon scored a clear and decisive victory.

General election 1885: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	3,859	56.3	N/A
	Liberal	Frederick Lewis Davis	2,992	43.7	N/A
Majority			867	12.6	N/A
Turnout			6,851	83.5	N/A
	Lib-Lab win (new seat)

Despite the fierce contest the two wings of the Liberal Party in the Rhondda were soon reconciled. After the result, the Davis family accepted Mabon's victory and he was not challenged thereafter for the parliamentary seat. Following the election, Mabon's supporters established the Rhondda Labour and Liberal Association which shortly afterwards absorbed the rival Liberal Association which had supported Davis.^[4] Mabon was returned unopposed the following year.

General election 1886: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	Unopposed
Registered electors
	Lib-Lab hold

Members of Parliament

1885–1918

Election		Member[7]	Party
	1885	William Abraham	Lib-Lab
	1910		Labour
	1918	Constituency abolished: See Rhondda East and Rhondda West

1974–2024

Election		Member[7]	Party	Notes
	Feb 1974	Alec Jones	Labour	Shadow Welsh Secretary 1979–1983. Died in office March 1983; no by-election held due to imminent general election.
	1983	Allan Rogers
	2001	Chris Bryant		Shadow Cabinet Member 2011–16
	2024	Constituency abolished

Elections

Rhondda election results

Elections 1885–1910

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	3,859	56.3	N/A
	Liberal	Frederick Lewis Davis	2,992	43.7	N/A
Majority			867	12.6	N/A
Turnout			6,851	83.5	N/A
Registered electors			8,210
	Lib-Lab win (new seat)

General election 1886: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	Unopposed
Registered electors
	Lib-Lab hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	Unopposed
Registered electors
	Lib-Lab hold

General election 1895: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	Unopposed
Registered electors
	Lib-Lab hold

Elections in the 1900s

William Abraham

General election 1900: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	8,383	81.7	N/A
	Conservative	Robert Hughes	1,874	18.3	N/A
Majority			6,509	63.4	N/A
Turnout			10,257	81.7	N/A
Registered electors			12,549
	Lib-Lab hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1906: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lib-Lab	William Abraham	Unopposed
Registered electors
	Lib-Lab hold

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Abraham	12,436	78.2	N/A
	Conservative	Harold Lloyd	3,471	21.8	N/A
Majority			8,965	56.4	N/A
Turnout			15,907	90.2	N/A
Registered electors			17,640
	Labour hold		Swing	N/A

General election December 1910: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Abraham	9,073	71.0	−7.2
	Conservative	Harold Lloyd	3,701	29.0	+7.2
Majority			5,372	42.0	−14.4
Turnout			12,774	72.4	−17.8
Registered electors			17,640
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.2

Elections 1974–present

Elections in the 1970s

General election February 1974: Rhondda^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alec Jones	36,880	70.7	N/A
	Plaid Cymru	Glyn Powell James	6,739	12.9	N/A
	Conservative	Peter Leyshon	4,111	7.9	N/A
	Liberal	Dennis James Austin	3,056	5.9	N/A
	Communist	Arthur True	1,374	2.6	N/A
Majority			30,141	57.8	N/A
Turnout			52,160	80.0	N/A
Registered electors			65,192
	Labour win (new seat)

General election October 1974: Rhondda^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alec Jones	38,654	77.1	+6.4
	Plaid Cymru	Donald Morgan	4,173	8.3	−4.6
	Conservative	Peter Leyshon	3,739	7.5	−0.4
	Liberal	Dennis James Austin	2,142	4.3	−1.6
	Communist	Arthur True	1,404	2.8	+0.2
Majority			34,481	68.8	+11.0
Turnout			50,488	76.2	−3.8
Registered electors			65,787
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1979: Rhondda^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alec Jones	38,007	75.2	−1.9
	Conservative	Peter Leyshon	6,526	12.9	+5.4
	Plaid Cymru	Glyn James	4,226	10.2	+1.9
	Communist	Arthur True	1,819	3.6	+0.8
Majority			31,481	62.3	−6.5
Turnout			50,578	79.8	+3.6
Registered electors			63,412
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Rhondda^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Allan Rogers	29,448	61.7	−13.5
	SDP	Allan Lloyd	8,078	16.9	N/A
	Plaid Cymru	Geraint Davies	4,845	10.2	±0.0
	Conservative	Peter Meyer	3,973	8.3	−4.6
	Communist	Arthur True	1,350	2.8	−0.8
Majority			21,370	44.8	−17.5
Turnout			47,694	76.2	−3.6
Registered electors			62,587
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1987: Rhondda^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Allan Rogers	35,015	73.4	+11.7
	Plaid Cymru	Geraint Davies	4,261	8.9	−1.3
	SDP	John York-Williams	3,930	8.2	−8.7
	Conservative	Stephen Reid	3,611	7.8	−0.5
	Communist	Arthur True	869	1.8	−1.0
Majority			30,754	64.5	+19.7
Turnout			47,686	78.3	+2.1
Registered electors			60,931
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Rhondda^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Allan Rogers	34,243	74.5	+1.1
	Plaid Cymru	Geraint Davies	5,427	11.8	+2.9
	Conservative	John Richards	3,588	7.8	±0.0
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Nicholls-Jones	2,431	5.3	−2.9
	Communist (PCC)	Mark Fischer	245	0.5	−1.3
Majority			28,816	62.7	−1.8
Turnout			45,934	76.6	−1.7
Registered electors			59,955
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.8

General election 1997: Rhondda^[15][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Allan Rogers	30,381	74.5	±0.0
	Plaid Cymru	Leanne Wood	5,450	13.4	+1.6
	Liberal Democrats	Rodney Berman	2,307	5.7	+0.4
	Conservative	Steven Whiting	1,551	3.8	−4.0
	Referendum	Stephen Gardiner	658	1.6	N/A
	Green	Kevin Jakeway	460	1.1	N/A
Majority			24,931	61.1	−1.6
Turnout			40,807	71.5	−5.1
Registered electors			57,105
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Rhondda^[17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bryant	23,230	68.3	−6.2
	Plaid Cymru	Leanne Wood	7,183	21.1	+7.7
	Conservative	Peter Hobbins	1,557	4.6	+0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Gavin Cox	1,525	4.5	−1.2
	Independent	Glyndwr Summers	507	1.5	New
Majority			16,047	47.2	−13.9
Turnout			34,002	60.6	−10.9
Registered electors			56,121
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.0

General election 2005: Rhondda^[19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bryant	21,198	68.1	−0.2
	Plaid Cymru	Percy Jones	4,956	15.9	−5.2
	Liberal Democrats	Karen Roberts	3,264	10.5	+6.0
	Conservative	Paul Stuart-Smith	1,730	5.6	+1.0
Majority			16,242	52.1	+4.9
Turnout			31,148	61.0	+0.4
Registered electors			50,461
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.5

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Rhondda^[21][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bryant	17,183	55.3	−12.8
	Plaid Cymru	Geraint Davies	5,630	18.1	+2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Wasley	3,309	10.6	+0.1
	Independent	Philip Howe	2,599	8.4	N/A
	Conservative	Juliette Henderson	1,993	6.4	+0.8
	UKIP	Taffy John	359	1.2	N/A
Majority			11,553	37.2	–14.9
Turnout			31,072	60.3	−0.7
Registered electors			51,554
	Labour hold		Swing	−7.5

General election 2015: Rhondda^[23][24][25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bryant	15,976	50.7	−4.6
	Plaid Cymru	Shelley Rees-Owen	8,521	27.0	+8.9
	UKIP	Ron Hughes	3,998	12.7	+11.5
	Conservative	Lyn Hudson	2,116	6.7	+0.3
	Liberal Democrats	George Summers	474	1.5	−9.1
	Green	Lisa Rapado	453	1.4	N/A
Rejected ballots			56
Majority			7,455	23.6	−13.6
Turnout			31,538	60.9	+0.6
Registered electors			51,811
	Labour hold		Swing	−6.8

Of the 56 rejected ballots:

• 34 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.^[25]
• 22 voted for more than one candidate.^[25]

General election 2017: Rhondda^[26][27][28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bryant	21,096	64.1	+13.4
	Plaid Cymru	Branwen Cennard	7,350	22.3	–4.7
	Conservative	Virginia Crosbie	3,333	10.1	+3.4
	UKIP	Janet Kenrick	880	2.7	–10.0
	Liberal Democrats	Karen Roberts	277	0.8	–0.7
Majority			13,746	41.8	+18.2
Turnout			32,886	65.2	+4.3
Registered electors			50,514
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.1

The seat saw the fewest Conservative votes on mainland Great Britain in 2017, 22 fewer than in Manchester Gorton; likewise as to the Liberal Democrat votes, 18 votes fewer than in Blaenau Gwent.^[29]

General election 2019: Rhondda^[30][31][32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bryant	16,115	54.4	−9.7
	Conservative	Hannah Jarvis	4,675	15.8	+5.7
	Plaid Cymru	Branwen Cennard	4,069	13.7	–8.6
	Brexit Party	John Watkins	3,733	12.6	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Rodney Berman	612	2.1	+1.3
	Green	Shaun Thomas	438	1.5	N/A
Majority			11,440	38.6	–3.2
Turnout			29,642	59.0	–6.2
Registered electors			50,262
	Labour hold		Swing

See also

• Rhondda (Senedd constituency)
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Mid Glamorgan
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Wales
• A map of Glamorganshire in 1885, showing its new divisions.

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer).
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

1. "Rhondda Parliamentary constituency". Election 2019 Results. BBC. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
2. 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies - The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales (PDF). Boundary Commission for Wales. 28 June 2023.
3. Archived 25 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
4. Williams. Democratic Rhondda. pp. 33–7.
5. "The Rhondda Valley Liberal Three Hundred". Cardiff Times. 11 April 1885. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014..
6. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (1 ed.). London and Basingstoke: The Macmillan Press Ltd. ISBN 9780333169032. Page 460
7. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
8. "Politics Resources". Election February 1974. Politics Resources. 28 February 1974. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
9. "Politics Resources". Election October 1974. Politics Resources. 10 October 1974. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
10. "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 3 May 1979. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
11. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
12. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
13. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
14. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
15. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
16. "BBC NEWS>VOTE 2001>Results and Constituencies>Rhondda". Vote 2001. BBC News. 1 May 1997. Archived from the original on 9 February 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
17. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. "BBC NEWS > Rhondda". Vote 2001. BBC News. 7 June 2001. Archived from the original on 9 February 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
19. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
20. "Rhondda parliamentary constituency - Election 2005". BBC. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
21. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
22. Rhondda Archived 23 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine BBC Election – Rhondda
23. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
24. "Rhondda Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015 Results. BBC. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
25. "Rhondda Results". UK Parliamentary Elections May 2015 results. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
26. "General Election 2017: Who are the candidates standing in Rhondda?". 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
27. "Rhondda Parliamentary constituency". Election 2017 Results. BBC. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
28. "2017 Results". Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
29. Results of the 2017 United Kingdom general election
30. "Statements of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Rhondda Cynon Taf. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
31. "Rhondda Parliamentary constituency". Election 2019 Results. BBC. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
32. "Election-Results/General-Election-2019". Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

Bibliography

• Williams, Chris (1996). Democratic Rhondda: politics and Society 1885–1951. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
• Morgan, Kenneth O. (1960). "Democratic Politics in Glamorgan, 1884–1914". Morgannwg. 4: 5–27.

External links

• Election result, 2005 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 Archived 7 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1983 – 1992 (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1992 – 2005 (Guardian)
• Election results, 1974 – 2001 Archived 5 May 2004 at the Wayback Machine (Keele University)
• Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
• Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)
• 2017 Election House of Commons Library 2017 Election report
• A Vision Of Britain Through Time (Constituency elector numbers)
• Rhondda UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Rhondda UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK