Angela Burns is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 businesswoman and politician who was elected as Conservative member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire to the National Assembly for Wales

National Assembly for Wales

The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...

 in May 2007.

Background

Burns was from an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 family and brought up in several foreign countries. She went into business after leaving school, working for companies such as Waitrose

Waitrose

Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...

, Thorn EMI

Thorn EMI

Thorn EMI was a major British company involved in consumer electronics, music, defence and retail. Created in October 1979 when Thorn Electrical Industries merged with EMI, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but it demerged again in...

 and Asda

Asda

Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...

 and becoming a Director of some other companies. She later moved to Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

 with her husband and became active in politics.

In recent times she has become involved with local issues in south Pembrokeshire, particularly the proposed downgrading of the two District Hospitals of Glangwili and Withybush. No such downgrading has occurred.

Political career

She defeated the sitting Labour Party

Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

 member Christine Gwyther

Christine Gwyther

Christine Gwyther is a Welsh Labour politician. She held the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency seat in the National Assembly for Wales from 1999-2007...

 by only 98 votes, and Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru

' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...

's John Dixon by 250 votes, in a very close three way contest in the 2007 Assembly election

National Assembly for Wales election, 2007

The 2007 National Assembly election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament election took place...

. She was the Shadow Minister for Finance and Public Sector Delivery from 11 July 2007 to 16 June 2008, and became the Shadow Minister for Transport and Regeneration on 22 October 2008.

External links

• Member Profile at the National Assembly for Wales
• Personal website

Offices held