BBC NEWS | VOTE 2003

DESCRIPTION: Clwyd West

Before this constituency underwent a slight change of name and boundaries in 1997, it was a safe Conservative seat. Among the colourful MPs for the old Clwyd North-West were Sir Anthony Meyer - �stalking horse� challenger to Margaret Thatcher for the Tory leadership � and then combative former Welsh Office Minister Rod Richards. But that all changed with Tony Blair�s 1997 landslide. Clwyd West elected a Labour MP, who retained his seat in 2001. In 1999 it chose a Labour AM as well. But at assembly level Clwyd West is a three-way marginal, with fairly high-profile candidates standing here - including the Tory Brynle Williams, who helped lead the fuel protests during autumn 2000. The Tories hope to begin a revival here. In the 1999 assembly elections Clwyd West was one of their top targets, but the then Welsh Conservative leader Rod Richards was again defeated by Labour - by a mere 760 votes. Mr Richards did become an AM through the regional list system, but has since stepped down. Plaid Cymru saw a vast improvement in their performance, coming third within 158 votes of the Tories.

The seat covers a large area of central north Wales. On the coast, it runs from Rhos on Sea to Kinmel Bay, taking in Colwyn Bay, with a high number of retired people from England. Further inland, it covers the town of Ruthin and inland rural areas with a greater proportion of Welsh-speakers. Tourism is the area�s main industry, but agriculture is more important away from the coast and manufacturing is also significant.

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