Tories Swept Aside in Wales

Richard Livsey for the Liberal Democrats ousted the Welsh Office minister, Jonathan Evans, who was defending a majority of only 130 votes.

Mr Livsey took the seat with a majority of 5,097, a swing of around five per cent.

The picture across the country was repeated in Wales, with Labour taking 34 of the 40 Welsh constituencies - five of them from the Conservatives.

Plaid Cymru retained its four Westminster seats and the Liberal Democrats kept Montgomeryshire.

"These are stunning results by any standard. The Tories seem to be heading for a wipeout in Wales," said Ron Davies, the newly re-elected Caerphilly MP and Shadow Welsh Secretary.

Mr Davies, who set the target of a Tory-free Wales some two years ago, said it was "a dream coming true".

Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Wigley congratulated Mr Davies on defeating the Government, but warned that the people of Wales now expected Labour to deliver on devolution.

One of the most crushing and significant victories was in suburban Cardiff North where the Welsh Office minister Gwilym Jones was ousted by Labour's Julie Morgan, who swept in with an 8,000 majority.

She is the wife of Rhodri Morgan, who has been re-elected as Labour MP for Cardiff West.

Counting votes at Radnor

In the rural seat of Monmouth, social services minister Roger Evans lost to Labour's Huw Edwards, quickly adding to the Tory casualty list in the Principality that already included the Vale of Glamorgan and seats in North Wales.

In the marginal seat of Vale of Glamorgan, Labour's John Smith had needed a swing of just 10 votes. But he swept the Tories aside, scoring a massive majority of more than 10,500.

"What has happened is that the whole country has now seen the vision of New Labour and they loved it. They have embraced our vision for a whole generation," he said.

Labour also increased its majority in Wrexham to 11,762 - a 7.4% swing away from the Tories.