Swansea West: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Torsten Bell (Labour) is the MP for Swansea West, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. Torsten Bell took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 14,761 votes (41.4%), ahead of Patrick Benham-Crosswell (Reform UK) on 6,246. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 48.0% (35,657 of 74,236); the winning margin was 8,515 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set Swansea West apart: the 5th lowest employment rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (58.7%), and the 35th highest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (30.6%).
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 58.7% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 6.0 points. The economically inactive share was 30.6%.
Half of the homes sold in the year to March 2026 went for more than £170,000 and half for less. That is up 48% on £115,000 ten years before. It ranks 50th lowest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,009 recorded sales.
Jobs based in Swansea West paid more than its residents earned in April 2025: median full-time pay was £37,154 for workplace jobs and £34,736 for residents. A year before, the residents' median was £32,111. The residents' figure ranks 128th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
3,280 business sites were registered in Swansea West in March 2026 (3,235 a year before), and employed 52,000 people in 2024.
About 112,800 people live in Swansea West: the ONS figure for mid-2024 is 112,825. 18,984 were aged 65 or over and 18,670 were under 16.
5,579 children in Swansea West were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 29.9% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 24.0% in 2024/25, from 23.3% in 2021/22.
Census 2021: 46,105 households, 3,258.5 people per square kilometre, 22.9% of workers based at home, 19.9% of adults retired.
In September 2026, 4.3% of 16 to 64 year olds in Swansea West were claimants (3,255 people). A year earlier the count was 3,085.
MP
Torsten Bell, Labour
- MP for Swansea West since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Torsten Bell on this site
In Parliament
What Torsten Bell said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 12 October 2026 to 22 October 2026). Hansard search returns 795 spoken contributions by Torsten Bell since 4 July 2024.
I will come to the hon. Gentleman’s last question towards the end of my remarks, but on his first point he is absolutely right to say that the then Government’s key consideration—when I referenced taxpayers—was the public finances. That is the point being made.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is always a privilege to respond to a debate under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss. Let me start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton) for opening the debate.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The answer to that is the legal position I have just set out, which is that the DWP does take that seriously, has considered it and is content that this is consistent with our obligations under the armed forces covenant. I think the hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The straight answer is that my hon. Friend’s question has been tested on a number of occasions and the answer is no, but the legal question is not sufficient. The question is this: what is the right thing to do and are we supporting our veterans?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
This Government promised in our 2024 manifesto to ensure that the state pension in Scotland, England and Wales would rise every single year, and that is exactly what this Government are getting on with doing.
Read from the Hansard API on 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torsten Bell | Labour | 14,761 | 41.4% | −10.0 |
| Patrick Benham-Crosswell | Reform UK | 6,246 | 17.5% | +10.7 |
| Michael O'Carroll | Liberal Democrat | 4,367 | 12.2% | +5.8 |
| Gwyn Williams | Plaid Cymru | 4,105 | 11.5% | +5.6 |
| Tara-Jane Sutcliffe | Conservative | 3,536 | 9.9% | −18.8 |
| Peter Jones | Green Party | 2,305 | 6.5% | +5.6 |
| Gareth Bromhall | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 337 | 0.9% |
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 41.4% | Reform UK 17.5% | 8,515 | 48.0% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 51.4% | Conservative 28.7% | 10,037 | 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
Swansea West lies within Swansea.
- Swansea W06000011
Who has power over Swansea West
Every body that makes decisions for Swansea West, 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 3: Local councils
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- South Wales Police police force
- Swansea Bay 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
- Swansea West this page: Torsten Bell (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 Swansea West?
UK Parliament lists Torsten Bell, Labour, as the Member of Parliament for Swansea West since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Swansea West?
Torsten Bell (Labour) won with 14,761 votes, a majority of 8,515, on a turnout of 48.0% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Swansea West?
4.3% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 3,255 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Swansea West?
The median price paid was £170,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Swansea West?
Median full-time pay of residents was £34,736 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Swansea West live in low income families?
DWP counts 5,579 (29.9% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Swansea West?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 112,825 residents.
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.