THERE are seven candidates contesting the new Dwyfor Meirionnydd seat.
This constituency now encompases part of the old Arfon and Clwyd South constituencies.
The full list of candidates for the new Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, are:
- Tomos Day: Welsh Conservatives
- Karl Drinkwater: Green Party
- Joan Ginsberg: Heritage Party
- Phoebe Jenkins: Liberal Democrats
- Lucy Murphy: Reform UK
- Liz Saville Roberts: Plaid Cymru The Party of Wales
- Joanna Stallard: Labour Party
- The Local Democracy Service approached all of them to ask why voters should back them on July 4.
- Here are their responses: (Presented alphabetically)
Tomos Day: Welsh Conservatives
Supporting the economy and championing Wales are among the aims of the Welsh Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd.
So says the 27 year old who grew up in Mid Wales and studied at Aberystwyth University.
“My family’s roots have always been in Mid Wales with family in Carmarthenshire, Montgomeryshire and Gwynedd,” he said.
“I currently work as a Parliamentary Aide to an MP and before that worked as Private Secretary to the Deputy Ambassador of Japan.
“In Dwyfor Meirionnydd my focus is supporting the local economy to ensure it thrives.
“We are fortunate to have a fantastic tourist and agricultural sector which brings decent-paying jobs to the area. Unfortunately, business and workers have been seriously let down by a Welsh Labour Government and a Plaid Cymru-run Gwynedd Council that has saddled us with regulation and taxes that make our lives harder.
“Local politicians should have laser focus on ways to improve the standard of living for those who elect them.
“The best way to achieve this is by allowing people to keep more of their money and have policies that foster economic growth. When your average pub is £7,000 a year worse off than a pub in England, I cannot help but feel that politicians’ priorities are wrong.
“I hope to be the kind of politician that champions all the things that makes Wales a fantastic place to live, work and do business.
“We have huge potential – it’s time we harness it so we can create the same success stories the Conservatives have done in places like Birmingham, Manchester, and the North East of England.”
Karl Drinkwater – Green Party
As an author, Karl says he dreams of better worlds. With his community work – environmental campaigner, litter picker, creative writing teacher, and community councillor – he says he puts his values into practice.
He wrote his first novel on Ynys Enlli, and had a 20-year librarian career at Aberystwyth University, where he says he would enjoy summer days cycling the Mawddach Trail or exploring Barmouth and Harlech.
Karl says he has the “heart of a Celt and dreams of a fully independent Wales, Scotland and united Ireland, and a subsequent alliance of Celtic countries”.
“Finally free of England’s war-mongering, colonialisation and resource theft, the daffodil, thistle and shamrock could thrive again,” he said.
“There’s an urgent need for change. To get rid of politicians who destroy public services, increase inequality, promote violence in foreign policy, stifle opposition, enable genocide, support apartheid, increase debt, destroy the environment, and lie to us.
“Career politicians just seeking more power and perks for themselves and those who buy them.
“We need to protect what’s good, and rediscover what has been lost. We are not separate from nature, we are a part of it. We must imagine a world that reconnects us to the land, that is fair and equal, where we can experience fulfilling and sustainable lives in friendly communities.”
Additionally, Karl adds he is “proud to be detested by racists, bigots, megarich tax dodgers, fascists, sexists, apartheid defenders, homophobes, people who are cruel to animals, colonialists, regressives; those who adore inherited privilege, imperialists, and warmongers”.
He adds that he “can’t be bought or bribed” and states he “is respected and loved by those who want peace, equality, justice and cooperation”.
Joan Ginsberg: Heritage Party
A passion for childrens’ education and wellbeing is at the heart of the Heritage Party candidate Joan Ginsberg’s election bid.
Joan says she is a retired teacher, a 73 year old grandmother, and hails originally from Stoke-On-Trent. She settled in North Wales in 1981.
“Having come from an industrial background and spending my childhood holidays caravanning in North Wales, I always hoped that one day this beautiful place would be my home,” she said.
“I felt privileged to have attained a grant which allowed me to study modern languages at university. This is where I met my Welsh husband, and it became our joint aim to return to his country of birth.
“I have lived in the Caernarfon area since moving to Wales and was delighted to find that the Welsh language was still the language of choice.
“I immediately set about learning the language whilst raising my six children with Welsh as their mother tongue.
“I am still deeply passionate about children’s education and well-being, hence the main reason for me standing in the General Election.”
Phoebe Jenkins: Liberal Democrats
The Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Phoebe Jenkins, says she wants to “end the chaos brought about by the UK Conservative government and move forward into meaningful change”.
The working mum told the the Local Democracy Reporting Service in a statement that she wants to “champion the voices of local residents by prioritising their needs and concerns in Parliament, ensuring that they are no longer being ignored”.
She added: “It can be difficult to pick a single issue to focus on after 14 years of disastrous Tory rule but the housing crisis, child poverty, poor access to GPs and dentists are just some of the problems plaguing our rural communities.
“As someone who loves our natural environment, I am very concerned by the polluting of our waterways here in Wales which is why I will push for harsher regulations against sewage dumpers.
“For far too long now our rural communities and farming sector have been neglected by an indifferent UK Conservative government and a Welsh Labour government who have no grasp on the situation at hand.”
If elected, Phoebe says she will “promise to work towards a fair deal for our rural areas and our farmers”.
She said: “As a working mother with a young family, I understand the day-to-day struggles that can come from searching for affordable childcare which is why I will work towards lifting the barriers that are preventing so many families from accessing childcare.
“I want to give the electorate of Dwyfor Meirionnydd the opportunity to vote for a candidate and party that will deliver them and the whole of Wales a fair deal.
“If elected, I promise that I will build on the hard work already being undertaken by the Welsh Liberal Democrats within Dwyfor Meirionnydd and work alongside them both in Westminster and in the Senedd to push towards a fair deal for all.”
Lucy Murphy: Reform
Lucy Murphy is the Reform candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd. She says she has decided to stand as a candidate because she “believes in a bright future for Wales”.
Growing up in Corwen, Denbighshire, she attended secondary school in Llangollen.
“Like many in my generation, I moved away for university training and then again for employment. I believe that training should be diverse, including apprenticeships, internships, and scholarships,” she said.
“During my time in Derby, I contributed to Reform’s campaign, leading to the election of the first Reform Mayor. It was fantastic to see local people having a voice.
“In recent years, Welsh options at the ballot box have become limited. Inspired by my experience in Derby, I decided to stand as a candidate to offer the people of Dwyfor Meirionnydd a genuine choice at the ballot box.
“I am committed to addressing the concerns of locals and supporting the Welsh economy.”
Lucy says she believes the Welsh economy has “tremendous potential”.
“From small business owners to farmers and labourers. Unfortunately, this potential has been hindered by over-regulation, high taxation on those least well off, and increasingly poor-quality infrastructure,” she said.
“For the first time, there is a party that will raise the tax threshold to £20,000, reduce the burden on small independent businesses, and most importantly, control Britain’s borders. My goal in this campaign is to give you, the electorate, a real choice at the ballot box.”
She added: “My aim is to offer local people a choice at the ballot box and representing their views and supporting the local economy.”
The politician said she is looking forward to campaigning and the results in July.
The Rt Hon Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru
Liz was first elected to Parliament in 2015, the first woman to represent Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Plaid Cymru’s first female MP.
She retained the seat at both the 2017 and 2019 snap elections with a significantly increased share of the vote.
Originally from Eltham in south London, Liz learnt Welsh whilst at university in Aberystwyth.
She previously worked as a journalist in London and north Wales, and then as a further education lecturer with Coleg Meirion Dwyfor where she led on Welsh language education.
Prior to her election to Parliament, Liz was a Gwynedd County Councillor between 2004 and 2015, representing Morfa Nefyn. In 2017, Liz was appointed Plaid Cymru Westminster Group Leader.
She was awarded MP of the Year in 2020 and in 2024, made the 100 Women in Westminster list. She has lived in Pen Llŷn with her husband Dewi since 1993. They have two daughters. In her spare time Liz enjoys horse riding and walking.
According to the Liz, a vote for Plaid Cymru is a vote for “fairness, ambition and a strong local voice that will put Wales’ interests first in Westminster.”
“The Tories’ economic crisis has caused the cost of bills, fuel, and food to rise – but the pay packet isn’t keeping up. But Labour won’t give Wales fairer funding either, money that would make a real difference to the lives of people in Dwyfor Meirionnydd,” she said.
“We’re seeing u-turn after u-turn from Starmer – and still no pledge of more cash for Wales. Both the Tories and Labour take Wales for granted. I am proud to be a strong local voice for Dwyfor Meirionnydd – your voice in Westminster, not Westminster’s voice in Wales. Plaid Cymru is the only party demanding fairer funding for Wales so we can invest in our economy, NHS, and schools.
“We are the only party demanding the billions owed to us in rail funds from HS2 so we can connect our communities, north to south.
“We are the only party demanding more powers over our natural resources and economy so we can create well-paid, green jobs. Plaid Cymru is proud to be a strong local voice with real ambition for our nation.”
Joanna Stallard: Welsh Labour
Raised bilingually in Llangollen, Joanna says she got involved in politics as a teenager as part of the Youth Parliament.
She said: “I spoke about local Hedd Wyn during the Youth Debate in Parliament in 2014, where I made a point of using my Welsh and telling a story about Eisteddfod culture to highlight the importance of representation.
“Amplifying the Welsh voice and challenging the disparities of our current system are my core missions.”
Apart from politics Joanna says she is also is a “big enthusiast” of languages, having been raised bilingually through English and Welsh and having studied German at University. She is also a big musical theatre fan.
In terms of her politics, she says: “Tackling the cost-of-living crisis is the number one priority for me. We can do this through the creation of new jobs in North Wales.
“I’m passionate about the creation of new sustainable local jobs to ensure people, particularly young people who may be thinking of leaving Wales for work, have attractive opportunities nearer to home to induce them to stay and grow the local economy.
“I want a level playing field for Wales and Welsh people. Wales is so often an afterthought in national discussion, and I want to raise more awareness about Welshness and the Welsh language as part of a national conversation which is more aware of the need to be inclusive.”
