Shropshire Star

General Election 2019: Montgomeryshire - Landslide as Craig Williams holds seat for Conservatives

It was a landslide victory for the Conservatives in Montgomeryshire as newcomer Craig Williams won more than half of the vote.

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The counts for Montgomeryshire and Brecon & Radnorshire

Results:

  • Craig Williams, Conservative - 20,020

  • Kishan Devani, Lib Dems - 7,882

  • Kait Duerden, Labour - 5,585

  • Gwyn Wigley Evans, Gwlad Gwlad - 727

  • Turnout - 70.27 per cent

Mr Williams says he hopes to one day fill the boots of his predecessor Glyn Davies, who stepped down this year after nine years representing the constituency.

Turnout was 70.27 per cent, with 34,428 voters having their say.

And the majority of them – 20,020 in fact – put their cross in Mr Williams’ box, in what he said was a strong message that the people of Montgomeryshire want to get Brexit done.

In the last General Election in 2017, the party won 18,075 votes.

Speaking after the result was announced, Mr Williams thanked his supporters for turning the constituency “very blue”.

“It’s a real privilege to be elected in your home seat,” said Mr Williams, who was previously an MP for Cardiff North.

“I would like to pay tribute to all the candidates.

“Thank you to the people of Montgomeryshire for giving me a strong mandate to represent the constituency and, dare I say it, get Brexit done.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Kishan Devani came in second with 7,882 votes, a reduction for the party from 8,790 in 2017.

The constituency, a former Liberal Democrat stronghold, has been held by the Conservatives since Glyn Davies unseated Lembit Opik in 2010. In the three elections since, the party has increased its vote share.

Fight

Labour supporters were pleased to come in a close third, in what is the only constituency in Wales never to have been held by the party.

Labour candidate Kait Duerden overtook Mr Devani in the larger towns like Newtown, Welshpool and Llanidloes, and received 5,585 votes in total, slightly up from 5,542 last time around.

She said there had always been Labour support in Montgomeryshire, but the party had not previously put any resources into its campaign there, and all but encouraged people to vote tactically for the Liberal Democrats.

Ms Duerden said: “The Liberal Democrat vote has gone down and down. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different answer. So we decided we would fight.”

Gwyn Wigley Evans, leader of Gwlad Gwlad, won 727 votes.

He decided to stand last-minute after Plaid Cymru – along with the Green Party – pulled out of the seat as part of the Unite to Remain pact with the Liberal Democrats.

The Brexit Party also chose not to field a candidate, to increase the Conservatives’ chances of holding the seat.