MS ‘staggered by largest majority’
LABOUR’S Lee Waters triumphed in the latest bout of tug of war for the keenly-contested Llanelli Senedd seat.
Mr Waters, pictured, won the constituency seat with 13,930 (46%) of the total votes, increasing his vote from 10,267 in 2016 to 13,930 this time round.
Plaid Cymru’s Helen Mary Jones was runner-up again. She polled 8,255 votes, almost 8% below her total of 9,885 in 2016.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Waters said: “I’m staggered by the win. It’s the largest majority ever in Llanelli in devolved elections. It’s 10 times my previous majority, I’m blown away by it really.”
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LABOUR’S Lee Waters triumphed in the latest bout of tug of war for the keenly-contested Llanelli Senedd seat.
Mr Waters won the constituency seat with 13,930 (46%) of the total votes, increasing his vote from 10,267 in 2016 to 13,930 this time round.
Plaid Cymru’s Helen Mary Jones was runner-up again. She polled 8,255 votes, almost 8% below her total of 9,885 in 2016.
There were eight candidates in the running.
The Llanelli seat has been won twice by Plaid since 1999, on both occasions by Ms Jones, and now on four occasions by Labour.
Lee Waters won in 2016 after he beat Plaid Cymru’s Helen Mary Jones by just 1.3%. Despite defeat,
she later returned to the Senedd when she replaced Simon Thomas on the regional list.
In the 2003 election Ms Jones lost by just 21 votes, with Labour victorious.
The majority is often a few percentage points, the largest only 14.1% in 2003 in Plaid Cymru’s favour.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Waters said: “I’m staggered by the win. It’s the largest majority ever in Llanelli in devolved elections.
“It’s 10 times my previous majority, I’m blown away by it really.”
Mr Waters said he felt the support from voters was a recognition of the work done by Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford and his team “during very difficult times”, and recognition of the work done in Llanelli locally since 2016.
He added: “And I think it’s a vote of confidence that Welsh Labour have got a programme that will bring deliverable change that will make things better.”
Full result:
Lab hold
■ Lee Waters (Lab) 13,930 (46.10%, +9.58%)
■ Helen Mary Jones (PC) 8,255 (27.32%, -7.84%)
■ Stefan Ryszewski (C) 4,947 (16.37%, +9.48%)
■ Howard Lillyman (UKIP) 722 (2.39%, -12.31%)
■ Gareth Beer (Reform)
672 (2.22%)
■ Jonathan Burree (LD) 606 (2.01%, +0.74%)
■ Sian Caiach (Gwlad) 544 (1.80%)
■ Shahana Najmi (Ind)
542 (1.79%)
■ Lab maj 5,675 (18.78%)
■ 8.71% swing PC to Lab
■ Electorate 63,065;
■ Turnout 30,218 (47.92%, +0.78%)
■ 2016: Lab maj 382 (1.36%) turnout 28,116 (47.13%) Waters (Lab) 10,267 (36.52%); Jones (PC) 9,885 (35.16%); Rees (UKIP) 4,132 (14.70%); Ryszewski (C) 1,937 (6.89%); Caiach (PF) 1,113 (3.96%); Smith (Green) 427 (1.52%); Bowker (LD) 355 (1.26%)