David Chadwick is the Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Chadwick won 13,736 votes, representing 29.5% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Fay Jones, received 12,264 votes (26.3%). The Labour candidate, Matthew Dorrance, secured 9,904 votes (21.3%). Chadwick was duly elected with a majority of 1,472.

The Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency is located in Wales and was created for the 2024 general election, largely replacing the former Brecon and Radnorshire seat.

Fay Jones represented the former Brecon and Radnorshire seat, a Conservative-Liberal Democrat marginal, from 2019 to 2024.

Political Career

Chadwick currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as Wales spokesperson. He was appointed to this role in September 2024.

Chadwick is also a member of the House of Commons Welsh affairs select committee (since October 2024). The Welsh affairs committee examines the UK government’s policy and spending as it relates to Wales. Its primary role is to scrutinise the work of the secretary of state for Wales and the Wales Office.

Chadwick delivered his maiden speech on 8 October 2024 in a debate on farming and food security.

In it, he said: “I stand here as the first ever MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe. It is the largest constituency in England and Wales, and I therefore have a foot in two worlds – one in rural mid-Wales and the other in the Swansea valley.”

He added: “I am sorry to say that the Welsh NHS is in dire straits. Its outcomes are worse than those in England, yet no equivalent review is taking place in Wales. Instead, the Welsh government are forcing health boards to make heavy budget cuts.

“They are proposing to cut the opening hours of minor injuries units at hospitals in Brecon, Llandrindod Wells and Ystradgynlais, forcing local residents to travel long distances, relying on roads that are often closed or bus journeys that can take a whole day. People living in rural areas should not have to pay a rural penalty to access healthcare.”

Chadwick stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Dorset in the 2019 general election. He won 11,404 votes (20.3%), placing second behind the Conservative incumbent, Simon Hoare, on 35,705 votes (63.6%).

Political views

The Liberal Democrats (or Lib Dems) are a liberal political party, occupying the centre to centre-left ground in British politics.

The preamble to the Lib Dem constitution begins: “The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.”

The Liberal Democrat autumn conference in 2021 ratified a policy paper entitled What Liberal Democrats Believe. The paper, an attempt to expand on the constitution’s preamble, was framed around seven “principles and values”.

The party’s core values were described as “liberty, equality, democracy, community, internationalism and environmentalism.”

Chadwick is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for fair elections – a cross-party group of MPs and peers that campaigns for electoral reform. The group’s stated aims include replacing the first past the post (FPTP) voting system with a form of proportional representation, eliminating “dark money” and “undemocratic influence” from politics, and countering disinformation.

In December 2024, Chadwick voted in favour of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill – introduced by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Sarah Olney under the 10-minute rule procedure. The bill sought to “introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections and for local government elections in England”.

A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s bill.

Introducing the bill, Olney told the House: “First past the post is a broken and unfair system. This summer, the Labour party won a landslide election victory, securing 63% of seats in the House of Commons in return for just 34% of the vote.

“The system leaves millions of voices unheard and creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Chadwick voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Assisted dying

Chadwick voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Chadwick was one of the 38 Liberal Democrat MPs who voted for the Tobacco and Vapes Act at its House of Commons third reading.

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Chadwick voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Before Politics

Chadwick grew up in Gloucestershire in the 1990s. He attended Leiden University in the Netherlands, studying international studies.

Chadwick later studied for a master’s degree in European history at St Cross College.

He was accepted into the Army Intelligence Corps aged 19 but reportedly had to withdraw due to “over-training”.

Chadwick suffered a serious leg injury after being hit by a car in 2012 whilst in the Netherlands. He was put into an induced coma, later commenting that his treatment by international students “confirmed my belief in people and internationalism.”

In 2014, Chadwick was left “totally paralysed” after a yellow fever vaccination triggered Guillain-Barré syndrome. It took him three years to recover.

Personal Life

Chadwick lives in Brecon, Powys with his partner and two sons.

In his 2024 maiden speech, Chadwick told the House: “I thank my partner, Gemma, whose bravery and resourcefulness continue to inspire me; my son, William; and our next soon-to-be-born child, who does not have a name yet.

“I am opting for Enzo, so I would love the House’s support for that.”

Trivia

Chadwick is currently the only Liberal Democrat MP representing a constituency in Wales.