Four candidates are running for election in Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.

They are Jonathan Edwards of Plaid Cymru, Maria Carroll of Labour, Havard Hughes of the Conservatives and Peter Prosser of the Brexit Party.

All candidates recognise that these are odd political times, and that is demonstrated for Jonathan Edwards by this being his fourth election in nine years.

The Plaid Cymru candidate said: “I remember standing for the first time in 2010. I was only 34 at the time and I thought to myself, if I fight and win five elections, by that time it will almost be time to retire.

“As it is I am only 43 and this is my fourth election which I think is an example of just what a state British politics is in at the moment.

“The Tories’ ‘Get Brexit Done’ slogan is nonsense. The next phase is when the real political decisions have to be made. That is going to be ten times worse.

“Brexit is like a black hole sucking in all political light. I have tried to compromise and be flexible and voted for a soft Brexit in the past. In fact 95 per cent of MPs have voted for some form of Brexit or another. But the British Government has shifted and are seeking a hard Brexit that will have disastrous consequences for Wales.”

Whilst Brexit has dominated the national political landscape, Mr Edwards also spoke about his ambitions on a local level.

He added: “Plaid Cymru is a community based party. I am very proud of some of things we have achieved for the community in my time in office.

“Llangadog school has essentially been rebuilt thanks to a huge investment in local educations facilities. There is more in the pipeline for schools in Gorslas and Ammanford as well.

“Another big success was the roundabout in Ammanford, and, particularly close to my heart as a Capel Hendre boy, the traffic lights on the crossroads in Capel Hendre, which had been a problem all my life.

“It is about working with the Assembly Member, in this case Adam Price, and the local authority to maximise what we can achieve. I believe it would be better to have someone who can work with Adam and the council, than someone who would play politics.”

This is also not the first election for Tory candidate Havard Hughes, having stood in the seat in 2017.

Speaking about his ambitions he said: “I feel very strongly about this community and I do not think that we have been getting a fair deal from the Welsh Government or from Westminster, and I want to make a real difference.

“I want to get Brexit done, I want to fight to save Glangwili and I want to introduce harsher punishment for rural crimes.

“That is a huge problem I am finding at the moment. It is not just farms, it is anyone who works with tools, and the problem isn’t just the cost of the tools themselves, but the cost of the work that cannot be done while the tools are missing.

“Glangwili is also a crucial issue to many, as I can attest to from personal experience. When I was door knocking in Llandovery last week I was bitten by a dog and had to go to Glangwili, without that I would have had to go to Aberystwyth, and that is something of concern to a lot of residents.”

Mr Hughes believes this election is a two horse race.

He added: “The difference this time is quite stark. The parties’ positions are a lot clearer when it comes to Brexit.

“We are seeing a lot people moving away from Labour and towards us. Nobody is really mentioning anything to us on the doors about the Brexit Party.

“Last time we received 11,000 votes and I believe we can improve this time. It is a clear choice between the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru.”

Labour candidate Maria Carroll disagrees, and believes the main issue for people in this election is climate change.

She said: “We are having very positive responses on the doorsteps. This is not a Brexit election this is a climate election.

“I am absolutely inspired by the youth movement looking at their determination to tackle the climate crisis we are living in. Politicians can set their climate emergencies but it is not enough. Just look at the climate march in Llandeilo to see how much people care.

“I would want to see investment according to our Green Industrial Revolution plan in jobs for that change. We have got a problem here in that our young people are moving away from the area.

“There are no transport links here, they can’t afford a car, and they can’t afford homes, so or are stuck living at home with mum and dad.

“The NHS is also a huge issue, and we have problems here but you only have to look over the bridge to see our NHS is suffering. Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan will harm the NHS. “

All candidates are encouraging voters to turnout and have their voice hear on December 12, despite the cold.

Maria Carroll said: “It is absolutely vital people go out and vote so that we can stop Boris Johnson, who will put our NHS at risk. The only way we can stop this is by voting for Labour. Four MPs from a minority party is not going to achieve that. It is a once in a generation election, if we carry on ignoring climate change it will be too late.”

Mr Edwards added: “It is a really bad time for an election. It is difficult to have these conversations on the doorstep. Hopefully people will go and look at my track record as an MP and see I am hardworking and have always stood up for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.”

Mr Hughes said: “I think it is vital people get out and vote. A lot of people are registering for postal votes which is a great way to ensure their voice is heard in this election.”

The Brexit Party were contacted to take part.