General election 2024: The candidates standing in Wrexham

Currently a Conservative seat, Wrexham is taking on a large chunk of the Clwyd South constituency as part of the boundary review. The seat will be made bigger by adding 39.2% of Clwyd South.

The boundaries of all but one Welsh seat have changed ahead of the 2024 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.

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

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Where does the constituency cover?

It includes Overton, Rosset, Holt, Brymbo and central city wards.

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

What happened in the general election in 2019

Who is standing?

• Paul Ashton (Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party)

• Sarah Elizabeth Atherton (Conservatives)

• Charles Dodman (Reform UK)

• Becca Martin (Plaid Cymru)

• Tim Morgan (Green Party)

• Andrew Ranger (Labour)

• Timothy John Sly (Lib Dem)

The candidates

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

Sarah Atherton - Conserative

Elected in 2019, I became Wrexham’s first Conservative MP and the first Conservative woman to represent a Welsh constituency. I have sat on the Defence Committee, as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Wales and Foreign Office, and as Minister for Defence People and Veterans.

I led the Defence Committee’s groundbreaking inquiry into women’s experiences in the military: ‘Protecting those Who Protect Us’. The Ministry of Defence responded positively, leading to significant improvements for women in the military.

Before entering politics, I served in the Army - Intelligence Corps. I then trained and worked as a nurse at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, specialising as a District Nurse. Recognising the link between health and social care, I qualified as a social worker, focusing on older adults, mental health, and dementia. Outside of work, I started a small microbrewery business and became a community councillor, building a reputation for delivery and action.

I have one son, who I raised as a single parent, I understand the firsthand importance of the welfare state and charitable sector during tough times.

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

I will advocate for transferring the responsibility of the Welsh NHS to the UK Government to ensure Welsh citizens receive the level of healthcare they deserve. For the past 25 years, the Welsh Labour Government has mismanaged health services in Wales. We have the worse A&E, cancer, treatment, and ambulance wait times in the UK. After nearly 8 years of our Health Board in special measures, the Welsh Government has proven it is not capable or up to the job. The situation is actually getting worse. As a nurse I can see how the health service is letting the people of Wales and our hardworking NHS staff down, with Welsh Labour consistently shirking their responsibility, blaming others, and offering patients hollow promises of improvement.

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

North Wales is consistently neglected in terms of investment and development by the Welsh Labour Government in Cardiff. Instead, they continue to invest in their ‘voter belt’ along the M4, like building new hospitals, yet refusing my call to build a new hospital in Wrexham. South Wales receives more than five times the investment per capita compared to North Wales. They consistently blame Westminster for not getting enough money, despite receiving the largest funding settlement since devolution began. Instead of taking responsibility and being accountable for the services they provide, they waste taxpayers’ money on giving illegal immigrants £1900pa, £100m on more politicians in the Senedd and £40m on their disastrous blanket 20mph anti-car policy or presiding over the worse educational attainment levels in the UK. The Welsh Labour Government seeks more power, yet they continue to fail to deliver on the powers they have and have shut down all scrutiny which may expose them for what they are.

Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?

In my opinion, Winston Churchill was undoubtedly the best Prime Minister, a beacon of leadership and resolve during our nation’s darkest hours. His unparalleled foresight and unwavering courage were instrumental in the success of D-Day, which we recently commemorated on its 80th anniversary. Churchill was a leader of extraordinary vision, unafraid to make tough decisions for the greater good. His legacy is a testament to the power of courageous leadership in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Becca Martin - Plaid Cymru

I am 36 and live in Wrecsam with my partner Michael and my son Charlie on the same street I grew up on. Born and raised here I attended local schools before going on to Yale college and finally NEWI to complete a degree in Early Childhood Studies. I’ve worked in a local, family business for the last 20 years and was elected in 2021 to represent Maesydre at council level before being re-elected to represent the new combined ward of Acton and Maesydre in 2022.

We need genuine change here in Wrecsam. We need someone who is going to truly represent us in Westminster, someone who is going to fight our corner. An individual with the passion and determination to make a real difference, not someone content with towing the party line or simply posing for photos.

I believe I am that person. I love Wrecsam, I love the community and its people; I am proud to call it my home and it’s where I want to raise my son.

I know what matters to this town, I know what is important to the people here, I know because I was born and bred here, I know because I have Wrecsam in my heart. I know you. I know what matters, because I am one of you.

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

I'd like to see the crown estate devolved as it has been in Scotland. All profits made in Wales should be benefiting our communities in Wales. According to the children's commissioner for Wales around 30% of Welsh children currently live in relative poverty. To have this whilst millions upon millions of pounds go to the treasury from Wales crown estate is completely unjust.

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

The biggest problem facing Wales is unfair funding from Westminster. We are consistently treated as the poor relation and so many of our public services are completely underfunded whilst we see billions go towards projects such as HS2 in England, of which we will never see a benefit from. As an MP I would fight for a fairer funding system and our fair share of the pot whilst still campaigning for independence and the right to make our own financial decisions as a country.

Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?

In my opinion Wales has never really been truly represented by any party or prime minster in Westminster. If I had to choose a PM I would go for Clement Attlee because of the creation of our NHS (though we must not forget the role of Aneurin Bevan in this). I'm sure both would be disappointed by the disregard given to the NHS by not only the Conservatives but also the party they were once a part of- Labour.

Andrew Ranger - Labour

I am 53 years old and chose to live in Wrexham 25 years ago – firstly in Cross Lanes and for the past 22 years in the Offa area. Following a 27-year career in the hospitality industry, starting as a Kitchen Porter, and finishing as a Hotel General Manager, I am now an Accountant and Business Advisor. I work with, and help, businesses of various sizes across North Wales and North-West England from start-ups to more established ones.

Serving as an elected Community Councillor for the area in which I live, I work together with the community and as a member of the council to deliver services, community events and to tackle issues across the community that affect the daily lives of those that live there.

I enjoy travelling both across the UK and to other countries and love exploring the history of those places. In my leisure time I enjoy going to music concerts, the theatre, and am an avid reader – especially of science fiction and fantasy novels.

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

For me, one of the top priority challenges we must tackle is the environmental and climate crisis – we must work to clean up the damage caused to our environment and leave a better inheritance for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Wales has a wealth of green energy sources that will provide cheaper, home grown and cleaner energy. Investment in this will also bring more highly skilled and highly paid jobs to Wrexham and Wales.

Therefore, for me I want to see the Labour Party’s policy of creating GB Energy – a publicly owned company that will channel the investment required to deliver this – become law as soon as possible.

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

I have been speaking with residents and businesses across the whole of the new Wrexham constituency for the last 18 months, since being selected as a candidate back in December 2022. The cost-of-living crisis is consistently the biggest issue that they tell me about. The huge increase in costs that people and businesses face – including housing, energy, food, fuel amongst others – alongside the squeeze on pay that too many people are experiencing is leaving them facing severe difficulties such as choosing between heating and eating.

The key to tackling this is bringing the stability and growth to our economy so that we can then invest both in our public services and our infrastructure. This will lead to greater productivity and improved pay. We need to fix our broken housing market so that having a home is truly affordable for everyone and that we provide the homes to buy and rent that people need. I will work both in Parliament and locally to ensure that this is brought about.

Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?

For me, the best British Prime Minister has been Clement Attlee. A quiet, unassuming prime minister who delivered for the British people at the time of their greatest need. In the aftermath of the Second World War with the country devasted, its economy broken and massive national debt – Attlee delivered decisive and radical change – much of which still impacts all our lives today.

His government led the rebuilding of Britain, brought the NHS into being, delivered a huge housebuilding programme that was desperately needed, National Parks were created for the first time, led on the creation of NATO and so much more. To achieve all of this in the most challenging circumstances any government has faced since the end of the Second World War is exceptional and an example of what a competent leader and government can deliver for the people of the UK – something that we have been missing in recent years.