Labour wins Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney on very low turnout

Labour candidate Nick Smith won the Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney seat with 16,027 votes, but on a low turnout.

In his acceptance speech he said: “I’m proud to have played a small part in helping Kier Starmer bring the Labour party back. At last, our Labour party is able to be in a position to change this country for the better.”

The new constituency saw a 43.39% turnout with 30,437 ballot papers, but this is a 16.21% decrease from the last election.

In 2019, the former constituency Blaenau Gwent had a 59.6% turn out at the polling stations

Speaking as the votes were being counted Labour candidate Nick Smith said: “It is still early in the night. There was an exciting exit poll at 10 o'clock this evening.

“We are still waiting for the vast majority of results to come through. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.”

Turnout at Blaenau Gwent (Image: Newsquest)

When asked if low turnout brings into question if his success is an endorsement of the Labour party, he said: “I don’t know what is happening in neighbouring sites like Torfaen or Merthyr, I don’t know if it is a regional problem.

“It is a disappointing turnout. I’ve seen messages coming out from conservatives saying we are going to get a super majority.

“It puts some people off from voting because they think it’s already in the bag. It’s a ploy from the tory party to assure their support. I do not think it has worked.

In neighbouring seats, Reform came second or third but there was no candidate in the Blaenau Gwent, which may have depressed turnout even further. Though there was no shortage of alternatives, with even the Workers Party and the Communist Party standing candidates.

Meet some of the other candidates

Anne Bakern (Image: Newsquest)

Green party candidate, Anne Bakern said: “This is all new to me. It is my first time running. I have stood for the council previously."

When asked what advice she had for people thinking of getting involved in politics, she said: “Start off at the council level and maybe help out other people first so you get the behind-the-scenes experience. Previously I have been a counting agent, so I understand the process of how it all works.

“I have always had a concern for the environment. I thought let's look after our environment, especially living in such a beautiful part of the world. It is worth being a good steward of what we have.”

Independent candidate Mike Whatley (Image: Newsquest)

Independent candidate Mike Whatley said: “I think there are a lot of people who are not happy with the Labour party. In the last couple of years, a lot have been looking for an alternative.

“I do not think there is enough engagement on health and social care. I am a care worker, and it really needs a massive change and the and the pay isn’t good enough for what people do.”

Plaid Cymru candidate, Niamh Salkeld said: “When the Brexit referendum happened and Trump was elected, I was just 18 years old. I remember seeing it and thinking, I can’t do anything about it. I decided to go into politics.”

Full results:

• Labour, Nick Smith = 16027

• Conservative, Hannah Jarvis = 3776

• Liberal Democrat, Jackie Charlton = 1268

• Plaid Cymru, Niamh Salkeldn = 3844

• Green, Anne Bakern = 1719

• Workers Party of Britain, Yas Iqbal = 507

• Communist, Robert Griffiths = 309

• Independent = 2409