The 2018
Welsh Labour Party
Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
deputy leadership election took place from 16 February to 21 April 2018. It followed a review in the Welsh Labour Party which for the first time formalised the role of Deputy Leader. As the then leader
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones (born 21 March 1967) is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones served as the Member of the Se ...
was male, only women were eligible to stand for the role of deputy.
On 21 April 2018, Swansea MP
Carolyn Harris
Carolyn Harris (born 18 September 1960) is a Welsh politician serving as Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Swansea East since 2015.
Harris served as Shadow Minister for Safeguarding and Vul ...
was elected as Deputy Leader.
Voting system
The election was conducted under an
Electoral College system in which Labour Party members, affiliated trade union members and Welsh Labour elected officials all held an equal share of the votes.
Based on the turnout figures, Welsh Labour has approximately 25,000 individual members and 76,400 affiliated union members,
as well as 58 elected officials (29 AMs, 28 MPs and 1 MEP).
Candidates and Endorsements
To stand, candidates needed the support of a minimum of 12 parliamentarians with a minimum of three AMs and three MPs
Nominations closed at Midday on 16 February and two candidates – Swansea East MP
Carolyn Harris
Carolyn Harris (born 18 September 1960) is a Welsh politician serving as Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Swansea East since 2015.
Harris served as Shadow Minister for Safeguarding and Vul ...
, and Cardiff North AM
Julie Morgan
Julie Morgan (née Edwards; 2 November 1944) is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North seat in the Senedd since the 2011 election. She was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff Nort ...
were successfully nominated.
Newport Council Leader
Debbie Wilcox
Deborah Ann Wilcox, Baroness Wilcox of Newport (born 15 June 1957) is a Welsh Labour councillor, and former teacher, who had served from May 2016 until September 2019 as Leader of Newport City Council. She is also head of the Welsh Local Govern ...
announced her candidacy but withdrew in favor of Julie Morgan.
The following were reported as endorsements at the close on nominations on 16 February 2018:
Derek Vaughan
Derek Vaughan is a Welsh Labour politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Wales between 2009 and 2019.
Early life and career
Vaughan was born in Merthyr Tydfil, first studying at Afon Taf High School before worki ...
MEP supported
Carolyn Harris
Carolyn Harris (born 18 September 1960) is a Welsh politician serving as Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Swansea East since 2015.
Harris served as Shadow Minister for Safeguarding and Vul ...
.
Results and turnout
The results were announced at the Welsh Labour Conference in
Llandudno
Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Pe ...
on 21 April 2018.
Carolyn Harris
Carolyn Harris (born 18 September 1960) is a Welsh politician serving as Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Swansea East since 2015.
Harris served as Shadow Minister for Safeguarding and Vul ...
was elected as Deputy Leader. Harris won decisively amongst affiliated members and elected members, whilst Morgan won even more decisively amongst the votes of full party members by a 2:1 margin. Moreover Morgan won 1,401 more votes than Harris if all three sets of results are aggregated. The overall result saw Harris win by 52%–48% in the electoral college. Morgan won the popular vote 54%–46%.
The turnout among Parliamentarians was 93.1% (with 4 non voters), among full party members it was 38.3% and among affiliate members it was 4.7%, giving an overall turnout of 9.4%.
See also
*
2018 Welsh Labour Party leadership election
The 2018 Welsh Labour Party leadership election took place between 9 November and 6 December 2018 to elect a successor to Carwyn Jones as leader of the Welsh Labour Party.
Carwyn Jones, who had led Welsh Labour since 2009, announced his intent ...
References
{{UK Labour Party
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
2018 in Wales
Welsh Labour Party deputy leadership election