It has been a tricky start to the General Election results for the Tories in Wales as a former minister lost his seat and other Conservative candidates look set to face a similar fate.
This comes as Rishi Sunak’s Welsh Secretary, David TC Davies, said he is expecting to lose his seat and an exit poll indicated Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party will sweep to power.
In a first blow for the Conservatives in Wales, Alun Cairns, a former Welsh secretary, has been ousted by Labour’s Kanishka Narayan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Swansea West’s winner Torsten Bell, who is the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation think tank, previously received criticism for being “parachuted” in by the party.
Polling strongly suggests Plaid Cymru could make gains in Caerfyrddin where chief whip Simon Hart is standing, and in the Ynys Mon constituency, which is currently held by Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie.
Tory minister Mr Davies does not see himself back in Parliament following the result in Monmouthsire, BBC Wales has reported.
The result of Mr Davies’ constituency is “too close to call”, according to the exit poll carried out by Ipsos UK, which predicts a 61% chance of a Conservative hold and a 39% chance that Labour will claim the seat.
The Liberal Democrat candidate for Monmouthshire, Bill Powell, seemed surprised by Mr Davies’ comments, stating that “the Conservatives are still competitive here”.
Mr Davies has served as the MP for Monmouth since 2005, and has been Wales’ minister in the cabinet since October 2022.
Mr Sunak’s term as Prime Minister looks set to end in electoral disaster, with the Conservatives forecast to endure heavy losses. The exit poll suggests Labour is on course for 410 seats, with the Tories reduced to 131.
Despite being embroiled in the election date betting scandal, Mr Sunak’s former parliamentary aide Craig Williams is predicted to hold his seat in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr.
Th exit poll has suggested just a 3% likelihood that Labour will make a gain in Mr Williams’ constituency.
Tory support was withdrawn from Mr Williams after he admitted having a “flutter” on the election date.
We are a party that exists to govern and improve people’s opportunities.
Let’s be frank: We’ve let a lot of people down.
In Wales, the Welsh Conservatives have a solid record in our communities at all levels of government, from local government, to the Senedd, to Parliament.…
— Andrew RT Davies (@AndrewRTDavies) July 4, 2024
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said the Tories have “let a lot of people down” and taken voters for granted.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the member of Senedd said: “Let’s be frank: We’ve let a lot of people down.
“In Wales, the Welsh Conservatives have a solid record in our communities at all levels of government, from local government, to the Senedd, to Parliament.
“And we’re going to take the lead in rebuilding our party in the run up to 2026. Step one: Stop taking lifelong Conservative voters for granted.”
