Wales · 70,153Boundary · 2023

Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney

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Created in the 2023 boundary review, replacing Blaenau Gwent.

Dispatch
Apr 2026

A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review. Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Ebbw Vale, Tredegar and Abertillery. Population 94,392. Recorded crime is 99% below the national average. Median income £26K (below average).

Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney's MP has one notable act of defiance on record: in December 2024, Nick Smith broke with Labour to vote against a Ten Minute Rule motion on proportional representation, siding with defenders of first-past-the-post while his party majority backed the motion. Beyond that single rebel vote, he has been a consistently loyal government supporter -- voting to override multiple Lords amendments on the Victims and Courts Bill and the employer National Insurance rise, and backing Labour's positions on oil and gas and defence. His most visible recent constituency work has been advocacy for former miners affected by the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, earning prominent positive coverage in the South Wales Argus and credit for helping secure a positive outcome for nearly 2,000 local ex-miners.

Smith votes with Labour 100% of the time on divisions where his party takes a clear position, making him one of the more dependable loyalists on the government benches. His participation rate of 77% sits somewhat below the Commons average. His stance data shows consistent support for progressive taxation and the government's fiscal agenda, with notable distance from pro-business and pro-local-democracy positions compared to Labour colleagues. Speech activity is modest -- seven contributions across seven debates recently -- touching on economy, defence, and social care.

361
Commons votes
This parliament
£26k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
70.2k
Electorate
2024 GE

Recorded crime is 99% below the national average.

Current Member of Parliament

Nick Smith

Nick Smith

Labour Party

Nick Smith is the Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.

Notable Votes

A vote on whether to allow a Bill to be introduced that would replace the current first-past-the-post voting system with proportional representation (specifically single transferable vote) for UK parliamentary and English local government elections. The Bill was proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, arguing the current system produces large parliamentary majorities on small vote shares.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review. Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Ebbw Vale, Tredegar and Abertillery. Population 94,392. Recorded crime is 99% below the national average. Median income £26K (below average).

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Smith’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.390 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Smith has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
86
Economy
75
Employment
51
Education
41
Crime & Policing
34
Welfare and Benefits
26
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Elections (proportional representation): Ten Minute Rule Motion 03 Dec 2024 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.20 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Aberbargoed BargoedChris Bissex-Foster354Labour P
Abertillery Six BellsJulie Holt737Independ
Abertillery Six BellsKeith Gerald Chaplin867Labour P
Abertillery Six BellsRoss Thomas Leadbeater835Labour P
BeaufortChris Smith842Labour P
BeaufortDean Woods906Labour P
BeaufortGodfrey Rhys Thomas845Independ
BlainaJohn Patrick Morgan722Independ
BlainaLisa Catherine Winnett770Labour P
BrynmawrJohn Hill504Independ
BrynmawrJules Gardner600Labour P
BrynmawrWayne Kevin Hodgins1,207Independ
Population (2021 Census)
94,392
Electorate 70,153 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,600
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
16.0%
England average 20.0%
Schools
41
0 primary · 0 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

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Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.