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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a UK General Election for July 4.
Speaking outside Downing Street today, May 22, Mr Sunak, who replaced Liz Truss in Number 10 in October 2022, said: “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future and to decide whether we want to build on the progress we have made or risk going back to square one. With no plan and no certainty.”
The election call is a bold move by the Prime Minister with Labour ahead by around 20 points in the polls.
The Conservatives have been in government since 2010, when the party first formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.
The party, under the leadership of David Cameron, won a slight majority in 2015. Following his resignation as PM after the Brexit vote, Theresa May led the Tories in 2017 to a minority government before Boris Johnson won a majority of 80 in 2019.
Sir Keir Starmer, the UK leader of the Labour Party, said the General Election is the moment the country had been waiting for.
He said: “By the force of our democracy, power returns to you. A chance to change for the better your future.
“It will feel like a long campaign, I’m sure of that. But no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about.”
What’s happening in Caerphilly County Borough?
Wales has powers over certain laws and areas of public life, such as health, education, transport, and local government through the Senedd and Welsh Government.
Westminster though still has a huge impact on our lives.
It oversees things such as policing, the judiciary, border control and immigration, benefits, and the majority of income tax – not to mention constitutional affairs, including devolution.
It also funds public services in Wales through the money it gives the Welsh Government.
UK boundaries governing UK parliamentary seats for Caerphilly County Borough are changing – under proposals agreed by the Boundary Commission for Wales.
The changes have prompted a lot of confusion.
Currently, Wales is divided into 40 constituencies for UK Parliament Elections, with each constituency electing one Member of Parliament. This number is being reduced to 32 ready for the General Election.
However, these boundary changes will not affect Senedd constituency boundaries, which will remain as they are. All areas currently under Caerphilly County Borough Council will continue to be so – meaning we all still pay our council tax to the same organisation.
Who is standing?
The changing boundaries had prompted disagreements within the Labour Party over where candidates can stand, with current Islwyn MP Chris Evans selected to stand in Caerphilly, while current Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MP Gerald Jones heading for the newly-created Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare seat.
Labour’s Wayne David is standing down after 23 years as Caerphilly’s MP.
Veteran Plaid Cymru politician, and former council leader, Lindsay Whittle has already launched his campaign.
What are the new constituencies?
Under the new boundaries, Caerphilly County Borough would still cover three constituencies.
The new Caerphilly constituency will be made up of: Morgan Jones, St James, and St Martin’s (which cover Caerphilly town), Aber Valley, Penyrheol, Bedwas, Trethomas, Machen, Nelson, Llanbradach, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, St Catwg, with the new additions of Pengam, Pontllanfraith, Maesycwmmer and Ynysddu.
The new seat of Newport West and Islwyn will include the wards of Abercarn, Argoed, Blackwood, Crosskeys, Crumlin, Newbridge, Penmaen, Risca East, Risca West and Cefn Fforest. They would be linked with the Newport council wards of Allt yr Yn, Gaer, Graig, Marshfield, Rogerstone and Tredegar Park.
Aberbargoed, which alongside Bargoed, Gilfach and the Upper Rhymney Valley, would become part of the new Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney constituency.
The Boundary Commission has said it took geography, such as lakes, rivers and mountains, as well as local authority and council ward boundaries, into account when creating its initial proposals. It also said local ties, such as shared history and culture, were taken into account.
Why are these changes happening?
The changes are happening as part of a UK-wide shake-up of parliamentary constituency boundaries.
Earlier proposals would have seen the number of MPs reduced from 650 to 600 across the UK, but this reduction was shelved due to the increased workload faced by MPs in the aftermath of Brexit.
Under rules set out in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, each constituency proposed by the Boundary Commission must contain a roughly similar size electorate – somewhere between 69,724 and 77,062 electors.
The shake-up is happening due to the fact populations change over time, so therefore boundaries need to be redrawn to ensure communities are fairly represented in Parliament.
However, the Boundary Commission for Wales had no power in setting the number of constituencies in Wales – that was decided by the UK Government.
These boundary changes are happening across the UK to ensure parliamentary constituencies contain roughly similar size electorates. Due to population changes over the years, these boundaries have been redrawn numerous times in the past.
But while Wales loses eight seats, England’s number of seats will rise by ten to 543.
The number of seats in Scotland will drop by two to 57, while the number of seats in Northern Ireland (18) will stay the same.