General election 2024: The candidates standing in Llanelli

Llanelli is a safe Labour seat and has been represented by Nia Griffith since 2005. The constituency is only marginally changing for the 2024 election.

The boundaries of all but one Welsh seat have changed ahead of the July 4 election, only Ynys Mon (the island of Anglesey) remains untouched, all others have seen changes which could impact the results on election night. You can read the background to the changes here.

Instead of 40 constituencies, there are now 32 in Wales and the idea behind it is to make all Westminster constituencies the same size. Using figures from electoral calculus, we can see it is mainly staying the same as before with 100% of the former constituency and 15.8% of Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, which opted for Plaid Cymru in 2019.

READ MORE: What is my general election 2024 constituency - as 90% of areas hit by boundary changes

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The election is taking place on Thursday, July 4 and 32 MPs will be elected to represent Wales.

Where does the constituency cover?

It includes Llanelli town, Pembrey, Llannon, Pontyberem, Llangennech and Hendy.

You can also find your constituency by entering your postcode here:

What happened in the General Election in 2019

Who is standing?

• Gareth Beer (Reform UK)

• Rhodri Davies (Plaid Cymru)

• Charlie Evans (Conservatives)

• Nia Rhiannon Griffith (Labour)
  

• Karen Laurence (Green Party)

• Chris Passmore (Lib Dem)

• Stan Robinson (UKIP)

The candidates

All candidates are being asked the same questions, and their answers will be added here once received.

Rhodri Davies - Plaid Cymru

From Llanelli, for Llanelli – that’s me. Born and raised with one foot in Ceidrim Farm, Trimsaran and the other in Trinity Road, New Dock, I went to Ysgol Y Strade and worked at Tinopolis in the town centre for almost 20 years.

I’m an award winning journalist, covering Lions tours, Rugby and Football World Cups, Ashes cricket and Ryder Cup golf, as well as writing the acclaimed book Undefeated. You’ll see my passion for the area’s history and heroes in documentaries like The Llanelli Riots of 1911 for the BBC and Barry John – Cofio’r Brenin for S4C.

I understand the town, the Gwendraeth valley and the people who live here, because - quite simply - I am one of them. That means Llanelli has been a part of my DNA for 54 years. I know it’s a special place, and as such, I know in my heart of hearts that Llanelli deserves better.

Name a policy you want to see become law if elected as an MP

Given the shocking track record of our elected representatives in Welsh and British politics – especially in recent years – we need a policy that promotes integrity, engenders trust and ensures accountability. We all need to feel that we can have faith in our representatives. So I’d like to see a policy where any elected member caught out by their own lies or dishonesty would be immediately struck off and banned from standing again in future.

What's the biggest issue facing Wales and what will you do to fix it?

My focus is very much on Llanelli and Cwm Gwendraeth, but my pledges to local voters apply to Plaid Cymru’s commitment to a wider Wales too.

Top of the list is fair investment for Wales, so that we can truly realise our potential. I’m determined to hold Westminster to account and fight every step of the way for the billions of pounds owed to Wales. Since 2010, Wales has seen £3bn worth of cuts due to decisions made in Westminster. We are owed £4bn from the disastrous HS2 project and devolving the Crown Estate in Wales – as has happened in Scotland – adds up to almost another billion.

We all know that Plaid Cymru is the only party that will battle for this money – our money. This money means investment across health, transport and education. It means shorter waiting times, better schools and more well paid local jobs. It means Llanelli getting its fair share.

In Llanelli and across other towns in Wales, there’s also an urgent need to regenerate our town centres. Llanelli and its people need hope and a reinvigorated town centre is vital for securing a prosperous future. I have the support of local businesses, fresh ideas and practical plans. As well as business, we’ll invest in more town centre housing for local families and more green spaces.

We have an amazing coastline here - ideal for both tourism and green energy. We have a unique history and great visitor attractions locally but are not making the most of them at all. We have so much to offer - let’s believe in ourselves and build a better future for Llanelli and Cwm Gwendraeth - together.

So if I’m elected, the community needs of Llanelli and Cwm Gwendraeth will be at the heart of every decision I make. I will stand up for voters in Westminster.

Finally, from my own experiences on the campaign trail, I am also very concerned about the insidious infiltration of the far right - sometimes just thugs and criminals, sometimes under the cloak of respectability - into our communities. They need to be seen for what they are and held to account. They should have absolutely no place in our society and Llanelli is being tainted by their presence.

Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?

I’m curious as to how many of your responses cite Churchill - who tends to be the obvious choice in these matters. As a Llanelli boy, and the grandson of a Second World War veteran who fought in Burma, he has two strikes against his name. Firstly he sent troops into Llanelli in 1911, leading to the shooting dead of two innocent civilians. Secondly, those of the ‘Forgotten Army’ never forgave him for his neglect …So, to answer your question, I’m hoping that the best is yet to come.

Charlie Evans - Conservatives

My name is Charlie. I am 30 years old. I live in the constituency of Llanelli. I work for NHS Wales where I head up the performance management portfolio for one of the organisations. Before this, I was developing a Nursing Workforce Plan and a Perinatal Workforce Plan. I also worked on setting up long covid services in the second biggest Health Board in Wales.

I joined the NHS in COVID but I was enjoying a great career in Marks and Spencer up until that point. One of my roles was Deputy Manager in the Llanelli Parc Trostre store. I'm also a Trustee of a Carmarthenshire Foodbank. Besides this, I am a rugby referee, having refereed the Scarlets Academy a few times. I worship at my local church, but most importantly, I am married to my wife Kat. We are approaching our second wedding anniversary.

Name a policy you want to see become law if elected as an MP

I won't name a specific law as this issue is too big, but Wales and Britain's declining birthrate is a serious problem. If we don't address it, we will be dependent on mass immigration, and we won't be able to fund pensions and the NHS properly in the long term. We need to make the dream of family life available again at an earlier age, which means fixing our housing market so young couples can get on the housing ladder; improving access to fertility treatments; tax breaks for parents with young children; and rolling out the free childcare arrangements that we are seeing in England, in Wales.

What's the biggest issue facing Wales and what will you do to fix it?

Poverty and economic deprivation. Too many people are living in desperate poverty in Llanelli and across Wales. A lot of people have been lifted out of absolute poverty since 2010, and the lowest earners have had a real-terms increase since my party came to power in 2010. However, generational poverty continues to grip communities, and this is acutely felt in Llanelli, with a lot of people accessing local foodbanks

Not only this, middle-income earners find themselves squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis, caused by covid and the war in Europe. I will be Llanelli's ambassador for business, to unlock crucial investment for the constituency. I will always champion lower taxes on working people. And I will provide leadership in our local communities to provide support where people have fallen through the gaps. I want to go to war on poverty.

Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?

Harold Macmillan. Living standards rose consistently under Prime Minister Macmillan in what was still the post-war period, where he presided over full employment. And as housing minister, he met a housing target of building 300,000 houses a year. He recognised family as the most important institution of society, and the home is the essential enabler to support it.

He was a One-Nation Conservative in its proper meaning of the term- not in the way it has come to mean today- and was deeply passionate about serving the poorest in society. In a time of great national insecurity and where the capacity of the state seems so stretched, we need a bit more Macmillian in our politics!

Nia Rhiannon Griffith - Labour

Before I was first elected as Llanelli’s MP, I was a comprehensive school teacher and a founder member of a local Women’s Aid organisation. An active campaigner, most recently fighting for jobs at Tata Steel’s Trostre site and opposing Carmarthenshire Council’s plans to cancel a new additional learning needs school at Ysgol Heol Goffa, I also volunteer with a local foodbank and the Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust.

In Parliament, I have previously served as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and Shadow minister for international trade and until parliament dissolved for the General Election period, I served as shadow minister for the Cabinet Office.

I have also been a member of all party parliamentary groups on steel, Motor Neurone Disease, state pension inequality for women and modern languages. In my spare time, I enjoy music, cinema, gardening, walking and cycling.

Name a policy you want to see become law if elected as an MP

Honesty, integrity and telling the truth should be a basic requirement for all in public office and positions of responsibility. Too often, concealment and cover up has become the norm. Notable examples include Hillsborough, the Post Office Horizon and Infected Blood scandals and much else besides.

To date, no-one has been held accountable for any of these or for the subsequent cover ups. That cannot be right.

That is why there is a need to create a new “Hillsborough Law” so that a duty be placed on public authorities to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with investigations and inquiries. Openness and transparency are the least we should demand.

I recently pressed Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister’s Questions about this, but he continued to ignore the lessons provided by Hillsborough and other scandals and instead defended a system that allows the powerful to hide and mislead the public at will.

What's the biggest issue facing Wales and what will you do to fix it?

Now more than ever we need a Labour UK Government to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, get our economy growing and help regenerate our communities. Safeguarding and creating secure, well-paid jobs is central to that.

Achieving this in an era where we also need to transition our economy to net-zero will be difficult but not insurmountable. We need urgent action to build a fairer economy through investment in tackling climate change, growing the green economy and creating good, green secure local jobs.

This includes delivering a cheaper, zero-carbon electricity system by 2030, establishing GB Energy – a publicly owned national champion in clean energy generation and setting up a national wealth fund to invest in green industries. In Llanelli it also means a strong, stable UK Government committed to fighting for every single steel job including those at Tata’s Trostre plant and having an industrial strategy in place that embraces the future.

Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?

Clement Atlee. Taking office in 1945, he found a country that, although victorious in World War Two, faced huge economic and social challenges. Rather than shy away, he instead initiated a remarkable decade of national renewal that included the creation of the NHS and the Welfare State, massive investment in our national industries, boosting much needed public services such as the provision of council housing and setting a brave, forward looking foreign policy agenda in a world that was rapidly changing.

One of my predecessors as Labour MP for Llanelli, Jim Griffiths, was instrumental as part of Atlee’s Cabinet and one of the architects of the Welfare State, introducing both the National Insurance Act and the Family Allowance Act, two groundbreaking moves that shaped the lives of many subsequent generations.