Mark Fraser Williams (born 24 March 1966) is a British politician, who was the leader of the
Welsh Liberal Democrats
The Welsh Liberal Democrats ( cy, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru) are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to Decemb ...
from 2016 to 2017. He is a former
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for the
Ceredigion constituency, between
2005 and
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
. He sat on the
Welsh Affairs Select Committee
The Welsh Affairs Select Committee (or simply the 'Welsh Affairs Committee') is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy ...
, and in 2006 he became a Shadow Minister for Wales under
Menzies Campbell.
Williams is a graduate of the
University 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 = ...
and the
University of Plymouth
The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...
, and is now Headteacher of a school in Llangorse near
Brecon
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
.
Early life
Mark Williams was born in
Hertfordshire on 24 March 1966. His mother worked as a
classroom assistant, and his father ran a
printing business; he has two older sisters. He attended the local village primary school and then
Richard Hale Secondary School,
Hertford, from where he moved on to the
University 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 = ...
in 1984 to study politics.
It was at school during the days of the
SDP-Liberal Alliance that he become involved in
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politics, later saying:
:"I instinctively knew I wasn’t a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, despite coming from a formally conservative family and the
Labour Party was in perpetual decline."
Political career
Within a week of arriving in
Aberystwyth, Williams became secretary of the student group and had met local Liberal MP
Geraint Howells
Geraint Wyn Howells, Baron Geraint (15 April 1925 – 17 April 2004) was a leading Welsh Liberal Democrat politician.
Howells was born in Ponterwyd in Cardiganshire. He was the son of David John and Mary Blodwen Howells, both farmers.
Educat ...
. After graduating, he became a part-time researcher to the Liberal peers in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
,
but was determined to stay 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 ...
and spent half the week and all of the Parliamentary holidays as assistant to Howells in Ceredigion, until he lost the seat at the
1992 general election.
He then returned to student life at the teacher training college in
Exmouth
Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter.
In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the 5th most populous settlement in Devon.
Histo ...
, part of the
University of Plymouth
The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...
. After securing this qualification, he taught in primary schools in
Penzance and
Barnstaple, before becoming a deputy headteacher in Llangors School,
Powys
Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Geog ...
in 2000.
During this period, Williams fought
Monmouth at the
1997 general election, finishing third.
In February 2000, after a spell as President of Ceredigion
Liberal Democrats, Williams was selected to fight the Ceredigion seat in the
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
caused by the resignation of
Cynog Dafis
Cynog Glyndwr Dafis (born 1 April 1938) is a Welsh politician and member of Plaid Cymru. Born Cynog Glyndwr Davies at Treboeth in Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales, he was initially a school teacher and researcher before entering politics.
Ed ...
. In that by-election, the Liberal Democrats rose back into second place, and in the
general election of 2001 consolidated that by coming second, being just 3,944 votes behind
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 May 2005, 13 years after Howells had been defeated, the Liberal Democrats regained Ceredigion, with Williams as their candidate, by a very narrow majority of 219 votes. Williams described his victory as an "amazing result", while the then Welsh Liberal Democrat leader,
Lembit Öpik
Lembit Öpik (, ; born 2 March 1965) is a former British politician. A former member of the Liberal Democrats, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat at the ...
, said that "Mark Williams has pulled off the result of the night in Ceredigion".
Williams was the first non-Welsh-speaking Member of Parliament to represent the constituency since the widening of the electoral franchise in 1867. In 2010, he substantially increased his majority, winning just over 50% of the vote; this was the first time any candidate had won more than 50% of the vote in Ceredigion since 1959.
Williams sat on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee between 2005 and 2017, and held various shadow ministerial roles in the 2005–2010 Parliament. He called for
Saint David's Day
Saint David's Day ( cy, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant or ; ), or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrat ...
to be made a
public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year.
Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...
in Wales. He proposed a private member's bill with the backing of a leading charity to update child protection legislation. It would amend the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, because this only covers physical harm, and not psychological neglect. The bill is backed by
Action for Children
Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) is a UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children & young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 services in the ...
.
Williams was defeated in the
2017 general election by
Ben Lake
Ben Morgan Lake (born 22 January 1993) is a Plaid Cymru politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ceredigion since 2017.
Background
Lake was born and brought up in Lampeter, the son of a police officer and a council worker. He at ...
of
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 ...
, whose majority of 104 made the seat one of the most marginal in the country. The result left the Liberal Democrat Party without an MP in Wales, a situation which had not existed since the founding of the Liberal Party in 1859. He resigned as leader of the
Welsh Liberal Democrats
The Welsh Liberal Democrats ( cy, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru) are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to Decemb ...
shortly after his defeat.
Williams unsuccessfully re-contested Ceredigion in the
next general election, falling to third place behind Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives. Following this, he paid tribute to Lake, and then subsequently announced that he would not stand for parliament again.
In December 2022 Williams was among 32 individuals and entities banned from entering
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for views which the Iranian regime claim “promote terrorism and violence”. Responding to this Williams said: “I have always been steadfast in my support for a free and democratic Iran...The campaign for justice in Iran will go on regardless of any sanctions by the Iranian regime."
Electoral history
Westminster Parliament elections
Family life
Mark Williams and his wife Helen have four children, Eleanor, Anna, and twins Eliza and Oliver.
References
External links
Mark Williams AS/MP''official constituency website''
Profileat the Welsh Liberal Democrats
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mark
1966 births
Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Alumni of the University of Plymouth
English Anglicans
English Christians
Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies
Living people
People educated at Richard Hale School
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015
UK MPs 2015–2017