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Tory MS frustrated with Senedd reform could ‘jack it in’ at next election

08 Jan 2025 5 minute read
Gareth Davies MS in the Senedd Chamber

Emily Price 

A Conservative MS has said he may “jack it in and do something else” at the next election because he disagrees with the Senedd’s new voting system and boundary changes.

Vale of Clwyd MS Gareth Davies made the comments in a long message posted to his Facebook page on Wednesday morning (Jan 8).

In the post, he described the Senedd’s reforms as a “shameful act of betrayal against the people and an affront to democracy”.

The Tory politician, who has recently been appointed the culture brief in Darren Millar’s shadow cabinet, said he was “undecided” on whether to stand at the next election because he had “come to hate the system” he has to operate within.

Controversial

The Senedd’s expansion has been described as a pivotal moment for devolution.

From 2026, the controversial changes backed by Labour and Plaid Cymru will see votes cast for political parties instead of individual candidates.

The Senedd will increase from 60 Members to 96 with fewer and larger constituencies created by pairing up Wales’ 32 Westminster seats into 16 constituencies.

Mr Davies – who recently opened up about his bipolar diagnosis – was elected the first ever Conservative to represent the Vale of Clwyd in 2021.

He has lived in the area all his life. He was born and grew up in St Asaph, before moving on to Rhyl and now resides in Prestatyn with his family.

The Tory MS says he had “fought like mad” with the Boundary Commission to keep his  constituency which will only exist for another year before it is split between Clwyd North and Clwyd East.

He is now considering stepping down at the next Senedd election.

‘Unique’

Posting to Facebook he wrote: “The Vale of Clwyd constituency, for me, is still the best.

“It is pretty much gone and only exists as a Senedd constituency for another year as we’ve been split between Clwyd North and Clwyd East now.

“But the Vale is unique because it combines Rhyl, Prestatyn, Meliden, Rhuddlan, St Asaph, Denbigh, Dyserth, Bodelwyddan etc, where the others don’t.

“It also only covers one local authority in DCC rather than two or three as is now the case.

“I fought like mad to keep the Vale of Clwyd constituency with the boundary commission at the time, saying similar things, but sadly wasn’t successful.

“And for me personally, and like I’ve said many times before, it’s more than just a constituency only by coincidence as I was born in St Asaph, grew up in Rhyl, live in Prestatyn now, lived in Denbigh for a bit in my youth too.

“I was even married here at the Oriel House, my kids have been born here in Glan Clwyd, go to local schools etc etc.

“My family also go back to at least the 1800’s in Rhyl as they used to live in cottages on Williams Street before they became flats.”

Plucky

Mr Davies continued: “I never really leave the area much if I don’t have to because everything I’ve pretty much got is here and always has been. Like I said in my campaign in 2021, I will always live here and never desire to be anywhere else.

“We’ve also got some of the best and most pluckiest people I’ve ever met. Areas like Rhyl have been badly, badly let down over the years, but that community spirit and willingness to help other people has always shone through.

“And places like Rhyl & District RFC have enhanced that community spirit and have been a pillar to make us great again. Personally, I think Rhyl will come back in the long run and if I can do something with that I’ll certainly be in the queue.

“But for me, it looks like I’ll need to stand in the new Clwyd Senedd seat, which combines Clwyd North and Clwyd East, ‘represented’ by six MS’s voted for on a proportional basis. No more whoever gets the most votes wins.

“You can’t vote for me personally anymore and will need to vote for a party rather than the person. Of course the party matters, but you won’t be able to vote for an individual person anymore.

“I think it’s a shameful act of betrayal against the people and an affront to democracy. The Senedd seems more focused on justifying its own place in society over the needs of people and that is the sad state of affairs this country has become.

“They want people to take the place seriously, but then move the goalposts to confuse people even more. I and others managed to get a 46% turnout in the Vale of Clwyd in 2021, which is the highest we’ve ever had and was a system that was working and could have been made better in 2026.

“But oh no, they had to have their own way and engineer something completely different which I think will decrease voter turnout next time and further erode public trust in politicians. As if we need any more reasons!!”

Thinking

Signing off the post with “keep it real” – Mr Davies said he planned to be there for the Vale of Clwyd “to the very death”.

He wrote: “Personally, I’m undecided whether I’m going to stand again at the moment. I love what I do, but have come to hate the system I have to operate within.

“I’m not in any camp at the moment, one day I think I could do it for the next 256 years, and the next I want to jack it in and do something else.

“Got a lot of thinking to do and speak to some key people in order to make a full and informed decision.

“But whatever happens, the wagon will always keep rolling and I’ll be here for the Vale of Clwyd to the very death!! Keep it real.”


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hdavies15
hdavies15
5 hours ago

Off you go then good boy. Plenty of others happy to fight for your place, from within your party and its rivals. If your heart’s not in it then no point you being there.

Karl
Karl
5 hours ago

Bye bye,don’t mind the door slam behind you. A Tory, the party that removed 8 mp’s from us,is against more representation. We don’t need fools who don’t wish to fight for people, just moan on social media

Erisian
Erisian
4 hours ago

PR too democratic for him and his kind? Seems to be.

Paul ap Gareth
Paul ap Gareth
3 hours ago

The new voting system is not perfect, but lets not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. The new voting system is a marked improvement.

Furthermore, his Vale of Clwyd constituency went when the Conservative UK government reduced the number of Welsh constituencies from 40 to 32. That wasn’t the Senedd’s doing. The Senedd simply used used these new constituencies otherwise there would be a confusing mess of overlapping constituencies with the same, or similar, names. It is a simple and elegant solution.

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
3 hours ago

‘Areas like Rhyl have been badly, badly let down over the years’ and as someone who has lived there for so long, he will know that the worst of those many years were the Thatcher and post Thatcher devastation decades of the ‘80s & ‘90s before Wales even had its’ own Assembly or Parliament but being a member of a lie by omission organisation, he won’t tell you that.

John Ellis
John Ellis
3 hours ago

Is this just a face-saving method of expressing a suspicion that he believes he’s not likely to be re-elected?!

Pedro Griffiths
Pedro Griffiths
2 hours ago

Wales is thriving with the Senedd in charge. Labour has its finger on the button and is going from strength to strength.

Garycymru
Garycymru
1 hour ago

Off you go, I believe there’s plenty of space on GB news or “independent candidate” places. Take your disgusting anti Wales views with you.
Every time a Tory leaves Welsh politics brings a little bit more hope.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
46 minutes ago

You could have voted for the Single Transferable Voting system (STV).
That system would allow the voter to vote for their favourite candidate by name in the prefered order: 1-2-3 etc.
Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats support STV.

But, your party wouldn’t have it and we are now left with a Labour party botched system.

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