Laura Anne Jones has been confirmed as the new Senedd Member for South Wales East, following the death of Welsh Conservative MS Mohammad Asghar in June.

Mr Asghar, who was 74 when he died, had served in the Senedd since 2007 – becoming the first ethnic minority member elected to the institution, as well as the first Muslim Senedd Member.

His successor, Ms Jones, previously represented South Wales East in the Senedd between 2003 and 2007, and the was the Welsh Conservative spokesperson for sport during her time in office.

She was also the youngest member of the then-called Welsh Assembly.

During the 2015 General Election, Ms Jones stood in Iswlyn, finishing third.

Arrangements are currently being made for Ms Jones to take her oath.

Ms Jones, who currently serves as a councillor in Monmouthshire, was second on the Conservatives’ regional list in 2016, behind Mr Asghar.

Ms Jones said: “Although this is an exciting opportunity, I am immensely saddened to be taking up this role following the sudden loss of my Welsh Conservative colleague and friend Mohammad Asghar – or Oscar as many of us knew him.

“Oscar’s dedicated public service and his work to foster community relations is something that was an example to us all and I look forward to carrying on his good work.

“With less than a year to go until the next Welsh Parliament elections, I am looking forward to working hard to serve my constituents and hold this failing Welsh Labour-led Government to account; they have held Wales back for long enough.”

Welsh Conservative leader Paul Davies said: “While we have been sad to lose our much loved colleague Mohammad Asghar, the Welsh Conservatives are delighted to be welcoming Laura back to the Senedd.

“No one can replace our colleague Oscar, but I know that Laura will be just as dedicated to serving the people of South Wales East and bring a wealth of experience to her new role.”

Mr Asghar’s funeral was held on June 25, with his horse-drawn procession leaving Newport Central Mosque before passing by and stopping at his constituency office in Newport, where mourners paid their respects.

Regional seats do not require a new election if one becomes vacant, but are instead allocated through the Additional Member System rather than the First Past the Post system that elects constituency Senedd Members.

Regional Senedd Members are elected from a list of candidates submitted by each political party at elections.

The three other Senedd Members representing South Wales East are the Brexit Party’s Mark Reckless and David Rowlands, as well as Plaid Cymru’s Delyth Jewell, who became a Senedd Member last year following the death of Steffan Lewis.