Constituency profile

Ceredigion Preseli

Wales · County constituency

Ben Lake MP
Sitting MP

Ben Lake

Plaid Cymru

First elected June 2017

Current PollCheck projection

Region & type
Wales
County constituency
Last 5 GE winners
LDLDPCPCPC
Plaid Cymru 3/5, Liberal Democrats 2/5
EU referendum 2016
50.3% Leave
UK average 51.9%; -1.6pp below mean
Current outlook
Plaid Cymru +40.5pp
vs Reform UK 15.3%
WelshBrexit-marginal

About the Ceredigion Preseli constituency

Ceredigion Preseli is a county constituency in Wales, spanning parts of Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and neighbouring councils. The sitting MP is Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru), first elected in June 2017.

At the 2024 general election, Plaid Cymru won Ceredigion Preseli with 47.0% of the vote, ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 15.0%, a majority of 14,789 votes. Turnout was 61.2%.

If a general election were held today, PollCheck's projection at the current seven-poll average has Plaid Cymru on 55.8% and Reform UK on 15.3% in Ceredigion Preseli, a margin of 40.5 points. The projection updates automatically as new polls are added.

Demographically, Ceredigion Preseli is closely divided in the 2016 EU referendum (an estimated 50.3% voted Leave in 2016). About 35.1% of residents hold a degree, 69.9% of homes are owner-occupied, and the seat has a median age of about 48 (2021 Census).

Across the last 5 general elections on record, the seat has been won by Plaid Cymru 3 times, the Liberal Democrats 2 times (earlier years may be on predecessor boundaries).

Who lives in Ceredigion Preseli? Constituency demographics

From the 2021 Census and 2016 EU referendum estimates. Constituency-level data on 2024 boundaries.

Leave vote 2016
50.3%
UK average ~52%
Degree or above
35.1%
UK average ~34%
No qualifications
15.4%
UK average ~18%
Owner-occupied
69.9%
UK average ~63%
Renting (social + private)
29.7%
UK average ~36%
Median age
48.4
UK median ~40
Age 65+
30.7%
UK average ~19%
Age 18-34
27.5%
UK average ~28%

How did Ceredigion Preseli vote in 2024 and how would it vote now?

2024 vote shares from the HoC Library. Current projection is at the 7-poll average.

2024 general election

PC hold · majority 14,789 votes (32.0pp) · turnout 61.2%

Current projection

If a general election were held today, at current poll average

Map of Ceredigion Preseli

Switch between ward-level 2024 election winners and a demographic view. Ward winners are Britain Elects' / New Statesman modelled estimates with an average ~4pp margin of error per ward. The demographic view splits the seat into small neighbourhoods (around 1,500 residents each, from the 2021 Census). Hover any area for detail.

Senedd 2026 layer

How Ceredigion Preseli voted at the Senedd election (7 May 2026)

Ceredigion Preseli sits entirely within the Senedd constituency of Ceredigion Penfro. Senedd elections use a closed-list proportional system; each Senedd seat returns six members.

Senedd constituencyShare of Ceredigion PreseliWinnerRunner-upSeats (6 per constituency)
Ceredigion Penfro100%Plaid Cymru 35.8%Reform UK 25.8%3 Plaid Cymru, 2 Reform UK, 1 Conservative

Senedd 2026 results from official declarations. Overlap percentages are area-based using the post-2024 Westminster boundary against the new 16-seat Senedd boundary.

Council layer (not Westminster)

Ceredigion Preseli within Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire

Ceredigion Preseli crosses multiple council boundaries: Ceredigion (76%), Pembrokeshire (24%). English councils rotate their election cycles and none of the constituent councils were due to vote in 2026, so the figures below show the most recent ward result available for each ward.

Council overlap

CouncilShare of seat
Ceredigion
45 LSOAs
76%
Pembrokeshire
14 LSOAs
24%

Recent council by-elections

Council ward by-elections held inside this seat, most recent first. The result column shows which party won; the share column shows the top three parties’ vote shares on the day.

DateWardResultTop 3 vote shares
11 Feb 2026Fishguard: North East
Pembrokeshire
PC GAIN from Ind
19 Oct 2024Tirymynach
Ceredigion
LD HOLD
18 Nov 2023Aberystwyth Penparcau
Ceredigion
PC GAIN from Ind
20 Oct 2022Lampeter
Ceredigion
PC GAIN from Lab

Most recent council ward results

Latest council winner per ward. Where the council held a May 2026 election, those results are shown; otherwise we show the most recent available ward result (via DCLEAPIL, 2014-2024), or, where the seat was uncontested at the last election, the current sitting councillor from OpenCouncilData. The "Shift since GE2024" column is only computed for May 2026 results - earlier council votes pre-date the GE, so no directional shift is shown.

Ward GE2024 winner Latest council winner Shift since GE2024 Turnout

Projection trajectory

PollCheck's projection for Ceredigion Preseli at each of the last 60 GB polls. Hover the chart for the underlying poll details.

Who has won Ceredigion Preseli at past general elections?

2024 result is on current boundaries. The 2019 row is the UK Parliament's notional recalculation onto the 2024 boundaries (directly comparable to 2024). The 2010, 2015 and 2017 rows are on the boundaries in force at the time and aren't directly comparable.

Year Result MP Lab Con LD Right (Ref/UKIP) Green Other Majority Turnout
2010predecessorLD holdMark Williams Ceredigion MP5.8%11.6%50.0%2.6% UKIP1.8%-8,32463.9%
2015predecessorLD holdMark Williams Ceredigion MP9.7%11.0%35.9%10.2% UKIP5.6%-3,06769.0%+5.1
2017predecessorPC gain from LDBen Lake Ceredigion MP20.2%18.4%29.0%1.5% UKIP1.4%0.4%10473.3%+4.3
2019notionalPlaid Cymru winnerBen Lake Ceredigion MP, pre-review boundary20.8%28.3%14.6%-1.3%35.0%1,44369.8%
2024PC holdBen Lake11.6%10.3%15.0%11.6% Ref4.0%0.5%14,78961.2%-8.6

Ceredigion Preseli was created or substantially redrawn by the 2023 boundary review. Pre-2024 rows below are for the predecessor seat Ceredigion (the seat that covered most of this area), so vote shares and majorities aren’t directly comparable to the post-2024 figures.

Constituencies most like Ceredigion Preseli

Five seats with similar demographic profiles to Ceredigion Preseli. Politics shown for context.

What would change this seat?

Move the sliders to set national vote shares. The per-seat projection updates live. Reset returns to the current 7-poll average.

Related

Sources

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