1972 Merthyr Tydfil by-election

The Merthyr Tydfil by-election of 13 April 1972 was held after the death of S. O. Davies on 25 February the same year. The Labour Party won the by-election in what had traditionally been a safe seat, although Davies had been elected in the 1970 general election as an Independent after he had been deselected due to his age.

Results

Merthyr Tydfil by-Election, 1972

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Edward Rowlands	15,562	48.58	+19.89
	Plaid Cymru	Emrys Roberts	11,852	37.00	+27.44
	Conservative	Christopher Barr	2,336	7.29	−2.56
	Communist	Arthur Lewis Jones	1,519	4.74	New
	Liberal	Angus Donaldson	765	2.39	New
Majority			3,710	11.58	N/A
Turnout			32,034
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing