A Newport woman has become the first in her party to run for MEP in the city. The Argus finds out more about the build-up to the race for the European Parliament next year.

THE next European elections are not set to take place until May 2014, but Wales’ parties are already settling on who will be running for election next year.

The country counts as a single EU constituency – it elects four MEPs, who are picked under a system of proportional representation, where the number of MEPs each party gets is picked according to their share of the vote.

Who gets elected depends on the order of candidates in each party’s lists – and Newport woman Jayne Bryant is now fighting to be number two for Labour.

She is challenging the former wife of ex-Labour cabinet minister Ron Davies, Christina Rees, in the internal party poll. If she wins she could be in with a chance of becoming an MEP.

Between 1999 and 2009 the party had two MEPs under the list system, but lost its second seat after the Labour vote slumped to the benefit of the Conservatives and UKIP.

Jayne Bryant had already won the right to be in the party list but is fighting Ms Rees to be position two or four – re-selected sitting MEP Derek Vaughan gets to fight the election at the top of the list, but under gender equality rules the list alternates between men and women.

Ms Bryant, 35, who grew up in St Julians and is the first Labour MEP candidate from Newport, needs to campaign all over Wales to win support in the poll.

She says the good in the EU trumps the bad: “While the EU is not perfect it has many benefits, and the benefits outweigh the imperfections.”

Ms Bryant has previously worked for Newport WestAM Rosemary Butler, later joining the office of the area’s MP, Paul Flynn, as a researcher and case worker.

She highlighted that the EU has helped protect the rights of temporary workers and has ensured workers get maternity and paternity provision, as well as four weeks’ annual leave for employees.

“I think it’s about getting the message across about what the EU means to people – it means jobs, it means infrastructure and training, things like tackling climate change,” she said.

“When the Tories talk about getting us out of Europe they talk about getting us out of social Europe. I want to be elected to fight for these protections,” she added.

Her challenger, Ms Rees, who is a Porthcawl councillor, said she had close ties to Gwent, having lived in Caerphilly for many years and set up squash clubs across the area.

She was also previously a councillor in the town.

“This election is about continuing the regeneration funding that is improving their communities, about maintaining jobs security, and increasing investment in our economy on a Wales-wide basis and also across Gwent,” she said.

However, she said being positive about Europe didn’t mean “being uncritical” of the union.

“My vision is of a Europe of democracy, not bureaucracy,” she said.

Labour currently only has one MEP in Wales, before the last election in 2009 – but current MEP Derek Vaughan says he is confident the party can regain a seat.

“The last elections were bad for the Labour Party. They were fought at the end of the last Labour government when it was unpopular, and right in the middle of the expenses scandal,” he said.

“We’re confident that we can get those two.”

Ballot papers have gone out to members and the ballot is due to close on July 31.

Three of Wales’ MEPs are reselected

THREE of Wales’ MEPs have been reselected to run again next year.

As well as Derek Vaughan for Labour, Kay Swinburne, pictured right, for the Conservatives and Jill Evans, pictured left, for Plaid have been reselected to the top of their party lists.

Ms Evans has said the needs of Wales need to be put “before all else”. Marc Jones was elected second on the list in the Plaid poll, followed by Steven Cornelius and Ioan Bellin.

Dr Kay Swinburne has been reselected – a membership ballot is under way for the remaining people on the Tory list.

The MEP was first elected in 2009, when the Conservative Party topped the polls in Wales for the first time with 21.2% of the vote. She said: “I look forward to contesting the European elections next May so as to continue working hard for Wales, and working with David Cameron to help reform our relationship with the European Union.”

John Bufton, UKIP MEP, has announced that he will stand down at the next election.