Kenneth Christian Skates MS (born 2 April 1976) 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 ...

politician. Skates has represented the constituency of Clwyd South in the Senedd since the election of 2011. He is an alumnus of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, and worked as a journalist prior to becoming a politician. In September 2014 he became the deputy minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport. From May 2016 to December 2018 he was the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills, and was the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales until he stood down on 13 May 2021.

Early life and career

Skates was born in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, Wales, and attended Ysgol y Waun in Gwernaffield and the

Alun School Alun School is a secondary school located in the community of Mold, Flintshire, Wales. It was formed in 1970 as a result of the merger of the Alun Grammar School and the Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School. Some of the school's present buildin ...

Mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...

, where he studied A-levels in physics, maths, English and politics. After achieving four A grades he went to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge to study social and political sciences, specialising in European regional policy and economics. After graduating, Skates took a gap-period in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, before joining '' The Leader'' (Wrexham) newspaper. He studied for his NVQ in journalism at

Yale College, Wrexham Yale College, Wrexham (''Coleg Iâl'') is now part of Coleg Cambria. Formerly a further education college situated in Wrexham, North Wales, Yale College, Wrexham merged with Deeside College in August 2013 to create Coleg Cambria, the college f ...

, and then went freelance working for the '' Daily Express''.

Politics

Whilst working as a freelance journalist, Skates began working as office manager for

Mark Tami Mark Richard Tami (born 3 October 1962) is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Alyn and Deeside since 2001. Early life Born in Enfield, north London, Tami was educated at Enfield Grammar School (b ...

MP for Alyn and Deeside. Skates was the lead Labour candidate for the

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

regional seat in 2007 but wasn't elected. In 2011 he stood and was elected with 42% of the vote in Clwyd South, and was successfully re-elected in 2016. In 2012 he was one of four MSs to stand up in the Senedd chamber to talk about their experiences with

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

problems. In June 2013, Skates was appointed by Welsh First Minister

Carwyn Jones Carwyn Howell Jones (born 21 March 1967) is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones served as the Member of the S ...

as Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology. In a reshuffle in September 2014 he was made Deputy Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport in September 2014, replacing John Griffiths. Following his re-election as MS for Clwyd South in the May 2016 Senedd elections, Ken Skates was promoted to Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills in the Welsh Government. In the formation of the Drakeford government in December 2018, Skates was appointed Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales. After the May 2021 Senedd elections, Skates stepped down from the government, and his role was split into two.

Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething (born 15 March 1974) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician serving as Minister for the Economy since 2021. He previously served as the Minister for Health and Social Services from 2016 to 2021. He has been the Membe ...

became the new Minister for the Economy, while

Lesley Griffiths Susan Lesley Griffiths MS (born 1960), known as Lesley Griffiths, is a Welsh Labour politician serving as Trefnydd of the Senedd since 2021. She worked as a secretary to John Marek and the constituency assistant to Ian Lucas, successive Member ...

took over responsibility for North Wales as the new Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales.

References

External links

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Official website

National Assembly for Wales – Assembly Member details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skates, Ken 1976 births Living people People educated at Alun School, Mold Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Labour Co-operative members of the Senedd Wales AMs 2011–2016 Wales MSs 2016–2021 Wales MSs 2021–2026 Welsh republicans