(), also known as Carmarthen ( ), is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament, first contested at the 2024 general election, following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies. It is currently represented by Ann Davies of Plaid Cymru.
In the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the name is given as Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen). Of the twenty-five Welsh constituencies with names in both English and Welsh, Caerfyrddin is the only one where the Welsh name comes first followed by the English name in brackets (in each of the other cases, the opposite is true). Caerfyrddin is the form used by the UK Parliament.
A similar constituency existed between 1918 and 1997 under the name Carmarthen.
Boundaries Under the 2023 review, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following wards of the County of Carmarthenshire, as they existed on 1 December 2020:
Abergwili; Ammanford; Betws; Carmarthen Town North; Carmarthen Town South; Carmarthen Town West; Cenarth; Cilycwm; Cynwyl Elfed; Cynwyl Gaeo; Garnant; Glanamman; Laugharne Township; Llanboidy; Llanddarog; Llandeilo; Llandovery; Llandybie; Llanegwad; Llanfihangel Aberbythych; Llanfihangel-ar-Arth; Llangadog; Llangeler; Llangunnor; Llansteffan; Llanybydder; Manordeilo and Salem; Penygroes; Pontamman; Quarter Bach; St. Clears; Saron; Trelech; and Whitland.
Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2022, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the County of Carmarthenshire from the 2024 general election:
Abergwili; Ammanford; Betws; Carmarthen Town North and South; Carmarthen Town West; Cenarth and Llangeler; Cilycwm; Cwarter Bach; Cynwyl Elfed; Garnant; Glanamman; Laugharne Township; Llanboidy; Llanddarog; Llandeilo; Llandovery; Llandybie; Llanegwad; Llanfihangel Aberbythych; Llanfihangel-ar-Arth; Llangadog; Llangunnor; Llanybydder; Manordeilo and Salem; Penygroes; Saron; St. Clears and Llansteffan; Trelech; and Whitland.
History The Parliamentary Borough of Carmarthen (made up of Carmarthen town and Llanelli) existed from 1542 to 1832 alongside the Parliamentary County of Carmarthenshire, each returning one member. Under the Great Reform Act of 1832, the Borough was expanded to include both Carmarthen town and Llanelli (known as the Carmarthen Boroughs), and the representation of the county was increased to two members. In 1885, Carmarthenshire was split into the two county constituencies of East Carmarthenshire and West Carmarthenshire with one member each.
In 1918, the borough constituency was abolished (as well as East and West Carmarthenshire), but the name Carmarthen was transferred to one of the divisions of the county of Carmarthenshire. The new constituency was made up of the whole of the county of Carmarthenshire except for the new Llanelli constituency (the urban area around Llanelli). Notable towns were Carmarthen itself, Ammanford and Llandeilo.
In 1997, the Boundary Commission for Wales recommended an extra seat for Dyfed.C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.12 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995) This led to the seat being split two to one between Carmarthen East & Dinefwr and Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire.C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.202 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
The constituency was re-established as Caerfyrddin as part of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final proposals of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
Political history Because the seat contained mining areas in the valley of the River Gwendraeth (until the 1980s), much countryside and a high proportion of Welsh speakers, it was fertile territory for the Labour Party, the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru alike. Although the Conservatives never won the seat, they came within 1200 votes of doing so in 1983.
Carmarthen is notable as the first constituency to elect a Plaid Cymru MP, Gwynfor Evans, at a 1966 by-election. Evans was later involved in one of the closest general election results ever in February 1974, when he lost to the Labour candidate by only three votes.The BBC article quoted above says that it was the second closest General Election result since the Second World War. But the Winchester general election result of 1997 was closer. The constituency also shot to fame in the following election in October 1974 as the only seat in the country to see its turnout rise on that of February 1974.
Members of Parliament
1918–1997: county constituency ElectionMemberParty1918 John Hinds Coalition Liberal 1922 National Liberal Nov 1923 LiberalDec 1923 Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith Liberal1924 by-election Alfred Mond Liberal1926 Conservative1928 by-election William Nathaniel Jones Liberal1929 Daniel Hopkin Labour1931 Richard Thomas Evans Liberal1935 Daniel Hopkin Labour1941 by-election Moelwyn Hughes Labour1945 Rhys Hopkin Morris Liberal1957 by-election Lady Megan Lloyd George Labour1966 by-election Gwynfor Evans Plaid Cymru1970 Gwynoro Jones LabourOct. 1974 Gwynfor Evans Plaid Cymru1979 Roger Thomas Labour1987 Alan Williams Labour1997 constituency abolished: see Carmarthen East & Dinefwr andCarmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire
MPs since 2024 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire prior to 2024.
ElectionMemberParty 2024 Ann Davies Plaid Cymru
Elections
Elections in the 20th century Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 21st century
Elections in the 2010s 2019 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 20,89139.2 Plaid Cymru 16,36230.7 Labour 13,38025.1 Brexit Party 2,0233.8 Liberal Democrats 6861.3Majority4,5298.5Turnout53,34273.4Electorate72,683
Elections in the 2020s
Notes
References
External links Caerfyrddin UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK