Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney is Nick Smith (Labour), returned on 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Nick Smith (Labour) won 16,027 votes, 53.6% of the valid vote; Niamh Salkeld (Plaid Cymru) came second with 3,844. 29,922 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 70,153, 42.7% of those registered. The majority was 12,183.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney has the 4th highest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (35.8%); it also has the 6th lowest share working mainly from home (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (14.7%).
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £138,250 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £77,000. It is the highest March-year median in the series, which starts in 1996. It ranks 9th lowest of 575 constituencies. 918 sales were registered in the period, against 1,006 in the year to March 2025.
61.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±5.1 points). 35.8% were economically inactive.
Workplaces in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney accounted for 23,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 2,310 local units for March 2026.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 95,614; the estimate for 2014 was 96,698. The estimate peaked at 98,140 in 2011. Children under 16 numbered 16,979; people aged 65 and over, 19,586.
Census 2021: 42,525 households, 566.2 people per square kilometre, 14.7% of workers based at home, 22.8% of adults retired.
Full-time employees living in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney had median pay of £34,319 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £31,461. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £33,097. The residents' figure ranks 102nd lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
In 2024/25, 32.7% of children under 16 in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney (5,556) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 26.6% in 2021/22 to 28.4% in 2024/25.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 2,480 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 4.2%. That is up from 2,405 twelve months before.
MP
Nick Smith, Labour
- MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 6 May 2010
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Nick Smith on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Nick Smith in Hansard, on 22 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 148 spoken contributions by Nick Smith since 4 July 2024.
Mr Speaker, I would like to add some words of thanks to the retiring Clerk of the House. I find Thomas Goldsmith to be a very sage official sitting at the heart of our organisation.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
May I thank the Leader of the House and the shadow Leader of the House for their kind words highlighting the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy earlier this week?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Houthi aggression fans the flames in that region. Can the Minister tell us more about the diplomatic measures in hand to help with this crucial situation?
As I have set out, Parliament has made significant progress in reducing single-use plastics across the estate. For example, to minimise the environmental impact, single-use plastic cups are now made from biodegradable material, and we do bags of stuff on composting.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am happy to give my right hon. Friend a whiff, as we say in the valleys. Parliament is taking action to reduce single-use plastics across our estate. This includes removing plastic bottles of water from sale, eliminating about 120,000 of them each year.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Smith | Labour | 16,027 | 53.6% | +3.2 |
| Niamh Salkeld | Plaid Cymru | 3,844 | 12.8% | +6.5 |
| Hannah Jarvis | Conservative | 3,776 | 12.6% | −7.0 |
| Mike Whatley | Independent | 2,409 | 8.1% | |
| Anne Baker | Green Party | 1,719 | 5.7% | +4.8 |
| Jackie Charlton | Liberal Democrat | 1,268 | 4.2% | +0.5 |
| Yas Iqbal | Workers Party of Britain | 570 | 1.9% | |
| Robert Griffiths | Communist Party of Britain | 309 | 1.0% |
Result summary as published: Lab hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 53.6% | Plaid Cymru 12.9% | 12,183 | 42.7% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 50.4% | Conservative 19.6% | 12,969 | 59.2% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Blaenau Gwent W06000019
- Caerphilly W06000018
Who has power over Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
Every body that makes decisions for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Gwent Police police force
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board NHS
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Senedd and Welsh Government makes law for Wales on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney this page: Nick Smith (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney?
Nick Smith (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney?
The House of Commons Library records 16,027 votes for Nick Smith of Labour and a majority of 12,183; 42.7% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,480, 4.2% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney?
£138,250: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £34,319 (April 2025).
How many children in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney live in low income families?
5,556 children under 16, 32.7%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney?
95,614 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.