Claire Hughes is the Labour MP for Bangor Aberconwy, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Hughes received 14,008 votes (33.6%). The Plaid Cymru candidate, Catrin Wager, received 9,112 votes (21.9%), while the Conservative candidate, Robin Millar, secured 9,036 votes (21.7%). Hughes was elected with a majority of 4,896 votes.

The Bangor Aberconwy constituency is located in North Wales and was newly created ahead of the 2024 election.

The seat was formed from the abolished Aberconwy constituency, parts of the abolished Arfon constituency and a small part of the abolished Clwyd West constituency. The MP for the former Aberconwy seat was Robin Millar of the Conservative Party, who held the seat from 2019 to 2024.

Political Career

Hughes currently serves as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Wales Office and junior lord of the Treasury (government whip). She was appointed to the latter role in July 2026, following the Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

Hughes was appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state for Wales in the September 2025 ministerial reshuffle.

Hughes served as an assistant government whip from September 2025 to July 2026.

Previously, Hughes served as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Department for Business and Trade (2024-2025).

Hughes was appointed as a government “business champion” for technology in Wales – a role established in February 2025 to facilitate engagement between the Labour administration and the private sector.

The position was part of a network of approximately 40 MPs appointed by the Department for Business and Trade to act as conduits for industry views on government policy. The grouping operated under the oversight of Dan Tomlinson, the national “mission champion” for growth.

The selection of champions was designed to leverage the professional expertise of the 2024 intake of MPs, and the role was seen as an early step on the Westminster ladder. However, the scheme was reportedly scrapped in July 2025 following a meeting at 10 Downing Street. According to a Guido Fawkes report, the business champions were told that their services were no longer required.

In May 2026, Hughes raised the alarm over “AI videos being made in Sri Lanka, shared here in Britain to stoke fear and division.” She highlighted a Facebook page called Heart of UK, which reportedly used artificial intelligence to fabricate videos of British people on the streets.

In a viral social media post, shared around 2,000 times on X (formerly Twitter), Hughes warned that the account was being used to “divide our country, influence our elections and drive support for Nigel Farage.”

Hughes has sat as a member of the Welsh affairs select committee (2024-2025).

Hughes delivered her maiden speech on 17 October 2024 during a debate on the International Investment Summit.

In it, she said: “I am proud to be part of a Labour government who are firmly on the side of working people. I am proud to be part of a Labour government who are committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity for young people growing up in communities like ours.

“And I am proud to be part of a Labour government who understand that tackling the climate and nature crisis is not only the biggest challenge we face, but an opportunity for economic growth.”

She added: “Before coming to this place, I spent my career working with start-ups and SMEs, so I know how important economic and political stability is for business.

“Under this new government, Britain is truly the best place to do business, and there is huge potential in our corner of Wales ready to be unleashed. Everywhere you look, you will find ingenuity and innovation, and communities full of pride, purpose and potential.”

Before entering parliament, Hughes served as a town councillor on Llanfairfechan Town Council from May 2017 to May 2023.

Hughes was also digital communications lead for the 2016 Welsh Assembly election campaign and worked for former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson.

Political Views

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Hughes voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Hughes 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

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Hughes 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

Hughes was born in Bangor and raised in Penmaenmawr, North Wales. She attended Ysgol Aberconwy secondary school in Conwy.

She later studied at Cardiff University, graduating in 2000 with a degree in journalism, film and broadcasting.

After university, she pursued a career in the technology and innovation sector for nearly a decade, working for start-up companies in London, including as an account director at TradeDoubler Ltd from 2003. In 2011, she co-founded Handmade Horizons, a marketing training programme for creative business owners.

Personal Life

Hughes lives in her Bangor Aberconwy constituency.

In her 2024 maiden speech, Hughes thanked her partner and two children, “who I will not name – because my entry into the world of politics has already caused them enough embarrassment as it is.”

In October 2025, Hughes said she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She said she would be taking a “little bit of a step back” from work.

Trivia

Hughes was appointed as a government “business champion” in 2025.