Thomas Alun Rhys Davies (born 12 February 1964) is a
Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
and
Co-operative party politician serving as the
Member of the Senedd (MS) for
Blaenau Gwent since 2011, and formerly
Mid and West Wales
Mid and West Wales or Mid and South West Wales refers to an ambiguous region of Wales that is sometimes used, consisting broadly of the preserved counties of Dyfed and Powys, sometimes Swansea and sometimes parts of Gwynedd. It is also used ...
from 2007 to 2011. He has served in several
Welsh government
, image =
, caption =
, date_established =
, country = Wales
, address =
, leader_title = First Minister ()
, appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...
offices, including Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services, Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language, and Minister for Natural Resources and Food.
Davies previously worked as a public affairs consultant, and began his political career in
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
before joining Welsh Labour. He was sacked from his Cabinet role in 2014 for pressuring civil servants to reveal private information about opposition Members, shortly after facing calls to resign after an investigation determined he had breached the Ministerial Code on a separate issue.
Background
Davies was born in
Tredegar
Tredegar (pronounced , ) is a town and community situated on the banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the In ...
and went to Tredegar Comprehensive School followed by the
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
where he graduated with a
BSc (Econ) degree in International Politics in 1986.
He was involved in student politics at the time and was elected President of
National Union of Students Wales. He first worked as a campaigner on environmental issues for the
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
, and later as a poverty campaigner for
Oxfam during which time he visited
Rwanda and the former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
Professional career
Davies worked as public and corporate affairs manager for Hyder, which combined Wales' main utilities, and Davies specialised in its capital investment programme. He subsequently transferred to be Head of Public Affairs at the
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ...
, and later became Director of Corporate Affairs for
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...
television station
S4C. In 2004 he started Bute Communications, his own public affairs consultancy.
Political career
Davies stood as a Plaid-Green Alliance candidate for the
Blaenau Gwent parliamentary seat in
1992. He also stood for
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
in the
Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south of th ...
.
After taking some years out of politics to pursue his professional career he was selected as Labour's candidate in
Ceredigion
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...
at the
2005 general election.
On 10 August, Davies became the fifth
Welsh Assembly Member (AM) to declare an interest in standing to be the next
Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
Leader and next
First Minister
A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...
. He withdrew on 18 September 2018 after failing to secure any nominations and instead endorsed
Eluned Morgan Eluned Morgan may refer to:
*Eluned Morgan (author) (1870–1938), Welsh writer
*Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely (born 1967), Welsh politician
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Eluned ...
.
National Assembly for Wales
He was chosen as first on the Labour Party list for 'top-up' seats from the
Mid and West Wales region for the
2007 Assembly election, and because of Labour losses in the region the party secured two seats.
Since being elected to the Assembly he was awarded the BBC Wales' AM:PM award for "Newcomer of the Year" and has chaired the Broadcasting Committee and the Rural Development Sub-Committee.
In July 2009 he was selected to fight his home seat of Blaenau Gwent at the next Assembly elections; he won the seat with a majority of 9,120 over the Independent candidate.
On 13 May 2011 Davies was appointed Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes in the Welsh Government.
On 14 March 2013 he was appointed Minister for Natural Resources and Food in the Welsh Government. Davies was however removed in July 2014 by First Minister Carwyn Jones from the Cabinet for "unacceptable behaviour" involving requests for information about farm subsidies paid to opposition AMs including
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
AM
Llyr Gruffydd and Conservative Antoinette Sandbach.
In May 2016 he was re-elected as the Assembly Member for Blaenau Gwent and was re-appointed to the Welsh Government as Minister for Lifelong Learning and the Welsh Language
where he was responsible for the new Welsh language strategy to create a million Welsh speakers and reforming the education framework for learners with additional learning needs.
After a BBC Newsnight report on the Welsh language, Davies publicly released a rebuttal as Minister for the Welsh Language in August 2017, stating the broadcaster had presented the issue as if "the Welsh language had to justify its own existence". He questioned the decision to not bring on a Welsh speaker to talk about the language as part of the broadcast, and accused the London broadcaster of treating Wales "like a nation far away about whom Newsnight knows little".
On 3 November 2017, Davies was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services. He again left the cabinet in December 2018 after a re-shuffle by incoming First Minister
Mark Drakeford.
In January 2022, Davies called for those who are unvaccinated against
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
to be banned from using public transport, coffee shops and gyms.
Controversies
In 2005, while Labour's candidate for Ceredigion, he clashed with Welsh actor
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...
at a Cardiff hotel over support for the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
. The police were called, no charges were brought and Davies subsequently apologised.
After becoming an AM in 2007, he was criticised for claiming back the mortgage interest payments for a home he bought in Cardiff five years before he became an AM.
''"In a letter to the Finance Committee about the Natural Resources department's budget, the AMs said: "We are disappointed with the timeliness of information provided by the minister, and the oral evidence session, where a number of questions were evaded or contradictory information provided. We believe that this is an indicator of problems at the heart of financial management and planning of this department and we will continue to keep a very close eye on these issues both in-year and at future budget rounds. We believe the department's approach to financial management hinders general transparency. We are therefore unable to assess whether the budget is appropriately prioritised and is providing value for money."''
In the Spring of 2014 he confessed to entering into a relationship with his own special advisor,
Anna McMorrin, and confirmed that both had left their long-term partners as a result. McMorrin was moved from her role.
On 10 June 2014, the First Minister announced an investigation into a letter Davies wrote to
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) regarding environmental concerns with the proposed development of the
Circuit of Wales
Circuit of Wales ( cy, Cylchffordd Cymru) is a failed motor racing circuit and technology park development proposal in Blaenau Gwent on the outskirts of Ebbw Vale, Wales, adjacent to the Neath to Abergavenny Trunk Road (A465). The intention wa ...
race track in his own constituency. As well as making up part of his ministerial portfolio, NRW had expressed concerns about the race tracks development. In an investigation undertaken by Permanent Secretary
Sir Derek Jones CMG, his report published on 1 July 2014 concluded that Davies had breached the
Ministerial Code
The Ministerial Code is a document setting out "rules" and standards for government ministers in the United Kingdom. Separate codes exist for ministers of the Scottish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive (based on the St Andrews Agreemen ...
.
The report noted that in March 2013, Davies had been advised by his own department not to lobby even as the AM in the case of the race track, but had ignored this advice and had then written to NRW as the affected AM.
[ The report also revealed that the First Minister had contacted Davies in August 2013, after Davies had expressed support for the circuit openly in quote to the '' Western Mail'' newspaper.][ Davies faced no punishment by the First Minister, but endured sustained calls for him to resign due to his behaviour.
On 8 July 2014 he was sacked by First Minister Carwyn Jones following his repeated written requests to his civil servants for the private details of ]Common Agricultural Policy
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce the ...
payments made to opposition members, including: Andrew RT Davies (Leader, Welsh Conservatives); Antoinette Sandbach (Conservative); Kirsty Williams (Leader, Welsh Liberal Democrats); William Powell (Welsh Liberal Democrats); and Llyr Gruffydd (Plaid Cymru).
In October 2018 he was criticised for comparing councils who asked for extra funding to Oliver Twist.
He was suspended from the Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
group in the Senedd on 19 January 2021 after allegedly drinking alcohol on Senedd premises while a ban on alcohol sales was in force throughout Wales. The incident happened on 8 December 2020 when Alun Davies met with conservative members Paul Davies
Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...
, Darren Millar and Nick Ramsay
Nick Ramsay (born 10 June 1975) is a British politician who served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Monmouth from 2007 to 2021. Originally a member of the Welsh Conservatives, he served as Shadow Minister of Finance under Conservative Leader ...
over alcohol in a Tŷ Hywel
Tŷ Hywel (Hywel House or Hywel's House) is a building in Cardiff, Wales, used by the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ; formerly the National Assembly for Wales). It is named after the medieval king (''Howell the Good''), King of Deheubarth in South W ...
tearoom to seek their support on his Bill, Welsh Hearts Bill. The Senedd Commission
The Senedd Commission () is the corporate body for the Senedd of Wales. The Commission is responsible for ensuring the property, staff and services are provided for the Senedd. The Commission consists of the Presiding Officer and four Members ...
said it was investigating the incident which "may have been contrary to public health regulations". Welsh Government brought in COVID-19 regulations on 4 December 2020, banning the sale of alcohol in licensed premises. At the time of the suspension Alun Davies said he was sorry that the incident gave the impression that he was not upholding the regulations, adding that "The Senedd Commission has already confirmed to me that I did not breach the coronavirus regulations on the consumption of either food or alcohol that were in force at that time."
Alun Davies was re-admitted to the Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
group in the Senedd on the 23 February 2021, he also continued to stand in the 2021 Senedd election
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
for his constituency. He was reelected.
References
External links
Alun Davies AM Website
Offices held
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Alun
1964 births
Living people
People from Tredegar
Wales AMs 2007–2011
Wales AMs 2011–2016
Wales MSs 2021–2026
Welsh Labour members of the Senedd
Labour Co-operative members of the Senedd
Plaid Cymru politicians
Welsh-speaking politicians