Gareth Thomas (Welsh politician)
Encyclopedia
Gareth Thomas is a Labour Party
politician in the United Kingdom
. He was Member of Parliament for Clwyd West
1997-2005.
he is a fluent Welsh language
speaker. He went to Rock Ferry High School on Ravenswood Avenue in Rock Ferry
, Birkenhead
.
After graduating in law (LLB
) from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
in 1976, he was initially employed in the insurance industry and managed a loss adjusting company in the West Indies. He graduated from the Council of Legal Education
(CLE) in 1977. He has been a barrister
in a private practice since 1986 specialising in personal injury litigation and is a member of Amicus
.
County Council
between 1995–97, Thomas was elected to Parliament in the 1997 general election
. His political interests include Wales, legal reform, social security and the environment. He was a member of the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs, the Select Committee on Social Security and the Joint Human Rights Committee.
Following the 2001 general election
he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Secretary of State for Wales
, Paul Murphy, and in October 2002 moved with Murphy to the Northern Ireland Office in the same capacity. He was a member of Labour's Parliamentary Campaign Team.
At the 2005 general election
, Thomas was narrowly defeated by the Conservative Party
candidate David Jones
. Before 1997, Clwyd West had been regarded as a safe Conservative seat and now appears to be reverting to its traditional character.
Thomas has returned to the legal profession, working as a barrister at Atlantic Chambers Liverpool. He has stated that he has no aspirations to return to Westminster.
. He continues to live in his former costituency near Ruthin
. He is married to Jo and between them they have four children.
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...
politician in the United Kingdom
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...
. He was Member of Parliament for Clwyd West
Clwyd West (UK Parliament constituency)
Clwyd West is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
1997-2005.
Early life
Born in Penygroes, Gwynedd, Thomas is the son of a toolmaker. Although brought up on MerseysideMerseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
he is a fluent Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaker. He went to Rock Ferry High School on Ravenswood Avenue in Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the county of Cheshire...
, Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
.
After graduating in law (LLB
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
) from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
in 1976, he was initially employed in the insurance industry and managed a loss adjusting company in the West Indies. He graduated from the Council of Legal Education
Council of Legal Education
The Council of Legal Education was an English supervisory body established by the four Inns of Court to regulate and improve the legal education of barristers within England and Wales.-History:...
(CLE) in 1977. He has been 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...
in a private practice since 1986 specialising in personal injury litigation and is a member of Amicus
Amicus
Amicus was the United Kingdom's second-largest trade union, and the largest private sector union, formed by the merger of Manufacturing Science and Finance, the AEEU agreed in 2001, and two smaller unions, UNIFI and the GPMU...
.
Parliamentary career
A member of FlintshireFlintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
between 1995–97, Thomas was elected to Parliament in the 1997 general election
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...
. His political interests include Wales, legal reform, social security and the environment. He was a member of the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs, the Select Committee on Social Security and the Joint Human Rights Committee.
Following the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
, Paul Murphy, and in October 2002 moved with Murphy to the Northern Ireland Office in the same capacity. He was a member of Labour's Parliamentary Campaign Team.
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....
, Thomas was narrowly defeated by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate David Jones
David Jones (Welsh politician)
David Ian Jones MP , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Clwyd West.-Early life:...
. Before 1997, Clwyd West had been regarded as a safe Conservative seat and now appears to be reverting to its traditional character.
Thomas has returned to the legal profession, working as a barrister at Atlantic Chambers Liverpool. He has stated that he has no aspirations to return to Westminster.
Personal life
Outside of politics, Thomas' interests include restoring old buildings, traditional rural crafts and ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He continues to live in his former costituency near Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
. He is married to Jo and between them they have four children.