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Established | June 09, 1983 |
Disbanded | Still Active |
Contributor | RP |
Last Modified | RBH May 25, 2021 03:45pm |
Description |
This seat, formerly known as Bedwellty, was always regarded as a safe bet for Labour but in 1999, at the first assembly poll, it elected a Plaid Cymru member. This was a remarkable turnaround considering Plaid came fourth in the 1997 general election. The seat became a 'one to watch' in the 2001 general election, but it remained with Labour, and Plaid fell to third place. At the 2003 assembly elections, Islwyn comfortably returned to the Labour fold. Islwyn's MP has been Don Touhig since 1995 - now a Wales Office minister. He was elected in a by-election called when the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock was appointed a European Commissioner. Mr Touhig increased his majority to 23,931 (or 65.7%) at the 1997 general election, leaving the Liberal Democrats in second place, the Conservatives third, and Plaid Cymru fourth. Although there was a fairly substantial swing to the LibDems in 2001, Mr Touhig still polled 61.5 per cent of the vote. The seat forms part of the Caerphilly local authority area which saw Labour recapture the council from Plaid in 2004. Islwyn is a former mining district at the heart of the industrial Valleys of South Wales, which reflects it status as a Labour stronghold. The seat includes the town of Risca on the Northern fringes of Newport, the relatively prosperous commuter town of Blackwood and the more deprived community of Newbridge. Islwyn is overwhelmingly English-speaking.
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