Welsh Conservative Party

Welsh Conservatives Ceidwadwyr Cymru
Leader in the House of Commons	David Cameron MP
Leader in the Welsh Assembly	Andrew RT Davies[1]
Founded	1921
Headquarters	4 Penlline Road Whitchurch Cardiff, Wales CF14 2XS
Ideology	Conservatism, British unionism
Political position	Centre-right
International affiliation	International Democrat Union
European affiliation	Movement for European Reform
European Parliament Group	European Conservatives and Reformists
Official colours	Blue
House of Commons
Welsh Assembly
European Parliament
Local government in Wales
Website
http://www.welshconservatives.com/
Politics of Wales Political parties Elections

The Welsh Conservatives & Unionists (Welsh: Ceidwadwyr Cymru), informally the Welsh Conservatives or Welsh Tories, are the part of the Conservative Party which operates in Wales. In UK General Elections it is the second most popular political party in Wales, having obtained the second largest share of the vote in Wales in a majority of UK General Election since its formation in 1921 (and in every such election since 1931).^[2] In Welsh Assembly elections the Welsh Conservatives are currently the second most supported party, having overtaken Plaid Cymru in the 2011 election.

The Welsh Conservatives have one of four Welsh seats in the European Parliament, eight of 40 Welsh seats in the UK Parliament and 14 of 60 seats in the National Assembly for Wales.

History

The Welsh Conservatives were formed (as the Wales and Monmouthshire Conservative and Unionist Council) in 1921 by the merger of the three existing Welsh Provincial Associations of the Party's National Union.^[3] For much of their history they were dominated by the party in England, even to the extent of supplying the Welsh Secretaries of State. It was after the Assembly came to be established in 1999, which their members oppossed, that they adjusted to becoming more of a Welsh orientated party. Their first Welsh Assembly leader, the former Welsh Office Minister Rod Richards, showed a combative style of politics against the Labour Assembly government. Richards subsequently resigned shortly after the Assembly had become established in response to allegations of an assault, from which he was later cleared^[4]. Nicholas Bourne, a law professor and former leader of the No campaign in the Welsh Assembly referendum then became the leader, in an election that was unoppossed. From 1999-2007 the party remained firmly in opposition in Wales, opposed to forming an alliance with other political parties. This changed in 2007 when the Welsh Conservatives were briefly involved in coalition talks after the indecisive 2007 Welsh election on a "rainbow coalition" with the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru which collapsed after the Liberal Democrats backed out. Plaid Cymru ruled itself out of having a coalition with the Conservatives on an ideological basis. Plaid Cymru and Labour eventually formed the government under the terms of their One Wales agreement.^[5] As a result of the agreement, the Conservatives, the largest opposition party, became the Official Opposition in the Welsh Assembly.

In the otherwise mainly successful Welsh Assembly elections of 2011 the long serving Welsh Conservative Party leader, Nicholas Bourne (2000-2011) lost his regional list seat in Mid and West Wales. He had been the longest serving of the party political leaders in the Welsh Assembly. The Preseli Pembrokeshire Assembly Member Paul Davies then became the interim leader whilst an election took place. The contest then consisted of Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central) against Nick Ramsay (Momouthshire). Andrew RT Davies won with some 53.1 per cent of the vote on a 49 per cent turnout of the party's Welsh membership. Also in the post May 2011 Welsh Assembly elections period David Melding (South Wales Central) was elected as the Deputy Presiding Officer for the Welsh Assembly. The first time a Conservative had held this post.

Electoral performance

European Parliament Elections

Year	Percentage of vote in Wales	Seats won
1979	36.6%	1 (of 4)
1984	25.4%	1 (of 4)
1989	23.5%	0 (of 4)
1994	14.6%	0 (of 5)
1999	22.8%	1 (of 5)
2004	19.4%	1 (of 4)
2009	21.2%	1 (of 4)

UK General Elections

Year	Percentage of vote in Wales	Seats won
1922	21.4%	6 (of 36)
1923	21%	4 (of 36)
1924	28.3%	9 (of 36)
1929	21.9%	1 (of 36)
1931	22.1%	6 (of 36)
1935	23.3%	6 (of 36)
1945	16.5%	3 (of 36)
1950	21%	3 (of 36)
1951	27.6%	5 (of 36)
1955	26.7%	5 (of 36)
1959	29.6%	6 (of 36)
1964	27.6%	6 (of 36)
1966	27%	3 (of 36)
1970	27.7%	7 (of 36)
1974 (Feb)	25.9%	8 (of 36)
1974 (Oct)	23.9%	8 (of 36)
1979	32.2%	11 (of 36)
1983	31%	14 (of 38)
1987	29.5%	8 (of 38)
1992	28.6%	6 (of 38)
1997	19.6%	0 (of 40)
2001	21%	0 (of 40)
2005	21.4%	3 (of 40)
2010	27.1%	8 (of 40)

Welsh Assembly Elections

Year	Percentage of vote (constituency)	Percentage of vote (regional)	Seats won (constituency)	Seats won (regional)
1999	15.8%	16.5%	1 (of 40)	8 (of 20)
2003	19.9%	19.2%	1 (of 40)	10 (of 20)
2007	22.4%	21.4%	5 (of 40)	7 (of 20)
2011	25.0%	22.5%	6 (of 40)	8 (of 20)

References

1. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-14143317
2. ^ Jones, B, Welsh Elections 1885 - 1997(1999), Lolfa
3. ^ Melding, D, Have We Been Anti-Welsh? The Conservative Party and the Welsh Nation (2005), Cymdeithas Y Kymberiaid
4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/415784.stm
5. ^ BBC News - Labour agrees historic coalition