Dai Davies (politician)

David Clifford Davies (born 26 November 1959),[1] commonly known as Dai Davies, is a Welsh politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Blaenau Gwent constituency in South Wales from 2006 to 2010, representing the Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group. He was elected at a by-election in June 2006 following the death of independent MP Peter Law, but lost his seat the at the 2010 general election to Labour's Nick Smith by 10,516 votes.

Dai Davies
Member of Parliament
for Blaenau Gwent
In office
29 June 2006 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byPeter Law
Succeeded byNick Smith
Majority2,488 (9.7%)
Personal details
Born
David Clifford Davies

(1959-11-26) 26 November 1959
Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales
Political partyPeople's Voice (2005–2010)
Labour (before 2005)
Spouse(s)Amanda
Children1 son

Background

Davies was born in Ebbw Vale in 1959 and was the son and grandson of steelworkers. He attended Willowtown Secondary Modern School.[2]

After leaving school at the age of 16, Davies worked in the electrical department at the Ebbw Vale Steelworks for 26 years; he was a senior trade union shop steward for over 15 years and a member of the Nation Industrial Committee for Steel.[2][3] After losing his job at the steelworks that was shortly to close, he took a job with the union and he oversaw the loss of thousands of jobs. He was a trustee of the British Steel plc Pension Scheme.

Davies was a voluntary school governor at both primary and secondary level, a former Chair of a Community Health Council and a Community First Partnership Board. He has been a Director of a Development Trust.

Political career

Davies was agent for both Llew Smith and Peter Law, and a political research officer and campaign manager for Law.[4]

Until his defeat in 2010, he was the leader of Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group, a political party that had announced intentions to expand outside his own constituency in the 2007 Assembly elections.[5]

The election result was the first occasion an independent had held a seat occupied by a previous independent in a by-election since Sir C. V. F. Townshend held The Wrekin in 1920. The traditionally Labour seat 'returned to the fold' in electing Nick Smith on 6 May 2010, on a 29% swing to Labour and with a majority of over 10,000.

Whilst Davies was in the House of Commons, two other MPs had the same phonetic name as him: David Davies, a Welsh Conservative MP elected in 2005, and David Davis, an English Conservative MP and runner-up in that party's previous leadership election. The resignation of Davis from the Commons in June 2008 allegedly proved problematic for the Monmouthshire MP, and one could assume that Dai Davies was also included in this confusion.[6]

On 23 June 2010, Davies gave his first interview since being defeated by his former party. He stated that he would be leaving frontline politics and standing down as Leader of The People's Voice; after these comments the future of the party he led from 2006 became unclear. He said he would still try and work for the people of Blaenau Gwent. Davies has refused to comment on recent rumours that he wants his former running mate Trish Law to stand aside and give him a chance of trying to win a seat in the National Assembly for Wales.

In 2017 he was elected as one of three councillors for the Ebbw Vale North Ward on Blaenau Gwent Council.[7]

Personal life

Davies is married to Amanda and they live in Ebbw Vale.[8] They have a son.[9]

References
  1. Dod's Parliamentary Companion - Google Books
  2. The Almanac of British Politics - Robert Waller, Byron Criddle - Google Books
  3. No welcome in these valleys for Labour - Telegraph
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jul/28/famous-independent-parliamentary-candidates
  5. "People's Voice gets louder". South Wales Argus.
  6. Parry, Phil (14 June 2008). "Political mix-up over two Davids". BBC News.
  7. "Notice of results" (PDF). www.blaenau-gwent.gov.uk. 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/heart-surgery-for-mps-wife-2186938
  9. MP’s wife on road to recovery | South Wales Argus
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