Polls close in Cardiff South and Penarth by-election

  • Wales
Polling stations were open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday Credit: Rui Vieira / PA Archive / Press Assocation Images

Polls have closed in Cardiff South and Penarth, in a by-election to choose a new MP. Ballots will now be counted, with the result due to be declared overnight.

It's Wales' largest constituency and the seat has belonged to Labour since the Second World War. It was first occupied by one-time Prime Minister James Callaghan. Since 1987, the MP has been Alun Michael, the former Welsh Secretary, who has stepped down to stand for the position of South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner.

In 2010, Mr Michael held off his Conservative challenger Simon Hoare by 4,709 votes, his majority from 2005 nearly halved.

As a mid-term by-election, it serves as a referendum on the coalition government in power at Westminster. The Liberal Democrats, in particular, have been campaigning hard to hold onto third place, against rising challenges from UKIP and Plaid Cymru. With the Senedd as a symbol of devolved power standing within the constituency, voters in Cardiff South and Penarth may also be minded to deliver their verdicts on the Labour Welsh Government.

Here's the full list of candidates:

  • Stephen Doughty - Labour

  • Robert Griffiths - Communist

  • Andrew Jordan - Socialist Labour

  • Bablin Molik - Liberal Democrats

  • Luke Nicholas - Plaid Cymru

  • Anthony Slaughter - Green Party

  • Craig Williams - Conservative

  • Simon Ziegler - UKIP

There are also elections for Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales' four force areas, and 37 in England, and parliamentary by-elections being held in Corby, in Northamptonshire, and Manchester Central. The ITV News website will be covering those results as they come in.