Denzil Davies
Encyclopedia
David John Denzil Davies (born 9 October 1938 in Cynwyl Elfed
, Carmarthenshire
) is a former British Treasury Minister . He served for 35 years as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Llanelli
for the Labour Party
from 1970
to 2005
, and is a member of the Privy Council
.
where he graduated with a First Class Honours BA
in Law and Gray's Inn
where he qualified as a barrister
. He lectured in Law at Chicago University in 1963 and the University of Leeds
from 1964. He practiced at the tax bar between 1967 and 1975. Later he also practiced in the field of personal injuries and served as a head of chambers.
Minister in James Callaghan
's Government
. He was seen as a Eurosceptic
, and he opposed the National Assembly for Wales
.
Davies served in a number of posts when Labour formed the Official Opposition after the election of Margaret Thatcher
in 1979
, including Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in Michael Foot
's Shadow Cabinet and hadow Secretary of State for Defence
in Neil Kinnock
's. Like his predecessor as Shadow Defence Secretary, John Silkin, he resigned from the front bench in June 1988 in protest at Neil Kinnock
's management style. The trigger for his resignation was Neil Kinnock's announcement, without reference to Davies or the Shadow Cabinet, of a change in Labour's defence policy from unilateral nuclear disarmament to multilateral nuclear disarmament then back to unilateral nuclear disarmament over a period of three days. He made an unsuccessful bid for the Labour Party deputy leadership in 1983.
He was one of the few Labour MPs with ministerial experience remaining after the 1997 landslide
that returning Labour to power after 18 years in opposition.
He stood down at the 2005 general election
, and was replaced by Nia Griffith
.
Maximise Damages, Minimise Taxes (1993)
World Trade Organisation and GATT '94
The Galilean and the Goose - How Christianity converted the Roman Empire (2010 ISBN 9780956648907)
Cynwyl Elfed
Cynwyl Elfed is a village and community located in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. As a community it contains the villages of Cynwyl Elfed, Blaenycoed and Cwmduad. It is situated three miles from Abernant and had a population of 953 in 2001...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
) is a former British Treasury Minister . He served for 35 years as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Llanelli
Llanelli (UK Parliament constituency)
Llanelli is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1918 to 1970 the official spelling of the constituency name was Llanelly...
for the 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...
from 1970
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
to 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, and is a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
.
Early life
He attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys in Carmarthen, and then Pembroke College, OxfordPembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
where he graduated with a First Class Honours BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Law and Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
where he qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He lectured in Law at Chicago University in 1963 and the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
from 1964. He practiced at the tax bar between 1967 and 1975. Later he also practiced in the field of personal injuries and served as a head of chambers.
Parliamentary career
Davies as a TreasuryHM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
Minister in James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
's Government
Callaghan Ministry
This is the Cabinet list for former Prime Minister James Callaghan. His Cabinet was formed on 5 April 1976 after he took over from Harold Wilson and ended, upon his resignation, on 4 May 1979.-The Ministry:-See also:...
. He was seen as a Eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
, and he opposed 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...
.
Davies served in a number of posts when Labour formed the Official Opposition after the election of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
in 1979
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, including Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
's Shadow Cabinet and hadow Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
in Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
's. Like his predecessor as Shadow Defence Secretary, John Silkin, he resigned from the front bench in June 1988 in protest at Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
's management style. The trigger for his resignation was Neil Kinnock's announcement, without reference to Davies or the Shadow Cabinet, of a change in Labour's defence policy from unilateral nuclear disarmament to multilateral nuclear disarmament then back to unilateral nuclear disarmament over a period of three days. He made an unsuccessful bid for the Labour Party deputy leadership in 1983.
He was one of the few Labour MPs with ministerial experience remaining after the 1997 landslide
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
that returning Labour to power after 18 years in opposition.
He stood down at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, and was replaced by Nia Griffith
Nia Griffith
Nia Rhiannon Griffith is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Llanelli since 2005.-Background:...
.
Personal life
He married Mary Ann Finlay in 1963. They have a son and daughter. They divorced in 1988. Married Ann Carlton in 1989.Publications
Booth: Residence and Domicile in U.K. Taxation (successive editions)Maximise Damages, Minimise Taxes (1993)
World Trade Organisation and GATT '94
The Galilean and the Goose - How Christianity converted the Roman Empire (2010 ISBN 9780956648907)