The Welsh Liberal Democrats are celebrating a return to representation in Parliament after successfully winning the seat of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe from the Conservatives.
David Chadwick won the seat for the Party securing over 30 per cent of the vote compared to 26 per cent for the Conservatives.
Mr Chadwick polled 13,736 votes, with Fay Jones getting 12,264, Labour’s Matthew Dorrance in third place with 9,904 and Reform UK’s Adam Hill in fourth place with 6,567 votes.
David Chadwick won the seat for the Party securing over 30 per cent of the vote compared to 26 per cent for the Conservatives.
Mr Chadwick polled 13,736 votes, with Fay Jones getting 12,264, Labour’s Matthew Dorrance in third place with 9,904 and Reform UK’s Adam Hill in fourth place with 6,567 votes.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The election of the Member of Parliament of the Brecon-Brabant and Coombe-Tarwier constituency, held on the 4th of July 2024.
00:09Do hereby give notice that the number of votes recorded to each candidate at the said election is as follows.
00:30Do hereby give notice that the number of votes recorded to each candidate at the said election is as follows.
00:37David Chadwick, Welsh Liberal Democrat, 13,736.
00:43Matthew James Dorricks, Welsh Labour, 9,904.
00:59Emily Donovan-Rowe, Plaid Cymru, the party of Wales, 2,218.
01:16Emily Donovan-Rowe, Plaid Cymru, the party of Wales, 2,218.
01:22Jonathan Harrington, Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, 372.
01:36Adam Hill, Reform UK, 6,567.
01:48Fay Jones, Welsh Conservative Party candidate, 12,264.
02:06Andrew Ritchie, Welsh Labour, the Green Party, 1,188.
02:26Lady Living the Pink, the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, 237.
02:40The total number of ballot papers rejected was 120.
02:50And I do hereby declare that David Chadwick is duly elected Member of Parliament for the Brecon-Ratner and Clwyd-Towie constituencies.
03:11It is indeed a very good morning here in Brecon-Ratner and Clwyd-Towie.
03:15It's an absolute privilege to have been elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon-Ratner and Clwyd-Towie.
03:21I'm extremely grateful to everyone who came out to vote to make this happen. I'm truly humbled.
03:27Yesterday, this constituency voted in its throes. And when it voted, people from every kind of community, from every part of our enormous constituency, voted decisively to reject the sleaze, scandal and neglect of the outgoing Conservative Government.
03:45Decades of mismanagement have damaged the public's trust in politicians across Wales and across the country.
03:53I intend to restore that trust across our communities.
03:57That starts today with the Welsh Liberal Democrats regaining their presence in Westminster.
04:03Wales will once again have a Liberal voice later fighting its poor.
04:07And that voice is unique. It is one that is strongly rooted in community, believes in putting power as close to the people as possible.
04:17Liberalism's roots are here in Wales, and Mid Wales in particular. And it's fitting that our party's Welsh revival starts here in Brecon-Ratner and Clwyd-Towie, where Richard Livesy once kicked off a previous revival of our party's fortunes.
04:33And while the north of this constituency has a long history of liberalism, some parts of Clwyd-Towie and the early Salisbury Valley haven't had a Liberal MP since 1922, which only goes to demonstrate what a seismic result this is.
04:49My message to these communities is thank you. And I intend to show you how hard-working Liberal Democrats are and to provide you with a voice to demand better for your communities.
05:01I'll be a voice for all of our communities, from the rural peons of Raedau in the far north, to the post-industrial Bally community of Pontarderry in the south.
05:11The people of this constituency may face different challenges, but they are united by a belief that things can be better than they currently are.
05:19We are campaigning for fairer funding for Wales, ending the sewage handling scandal, and standing up for our world-class farmers and tackling child poverty.
05:29These are all the issues we've been campaigning on. Our work hand-in-hand with our Senate Member, Jane Dodds, to tackle NHS waiting times and dental shortages and fight for better public transport.
05:42Our party and Liberalism have so much more problems than is faced with a stagnant Welsh Labour government and a Conservative party in decline.
05:51And our victory here is just the start of our revival as we head towards the Senate elections in 2026.
05:59I'd like to thank the police, the returning officer and the staff for ensuring that our democracy has run smoothly tonight, and to the other candidates standing in this election and for running a hard-fought campaign.
06:11This includes the departing MP, Faye Jones, for her dedicated service to the community.
06:16I'd like to say an enormous thank you to my campaign team and my agent, Mitch, for the enormous amount of effort they put into this election.
06:24Democracy simply wouldn't function without those dedicated volunteers who put in the work to fight for something they believe in.
06:33Our campaign was the best type of campaign, full of great, enthusiastic people, and run locally with volunteers from every corner of this constituency.
06:44A special thanks to our Welsh leader and Senate Member, Jane Dodds, and the former Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon and Bannershire, Roger Williams, for their constant advice this morning. Thank you very much.
06:58Can I start by saying a huge thank you to all of the current staff here tonight? I know it's been a very long night for all of you, but thank you so much for carrying out your job so diligently.
07:08An enormous thank you as well to the returning officer, Sandra Matthews, who has organised this election year for us so well, and I thank her for her support over the four and a half years that I represented the former constituency of Brecon and Bannershire.
07:23I do sincerely congratulate David on winning this seat. It is the very best seat in the country, and it has been the honour of my life to represent it.
07:35I want to thank my incredible campaign team, who never gave up, especially the unbelievable Ian McIntosh, who led from the front every single day, and to all of the staff at Conservative Central Office who led by Tom Davies.
07:51Clearly, this is a sad and difficult night for my party, and I hope you will take the time to reflect widely.
07:59But for now, may I say, truly, it was the most incredible experience being Member of Parliament for Brecon and Bannershire, and I cannot thank my constituents enough.
08:12Those who could have offended me, and those who didn't. It was my privilege to serve you. Thank you.