Geraint Davies
Encyclopedia
Geraint Richard Davies is a British
politician
who is the Labour Co-operative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Swansea West
. Previously, Davies was the Labour Party
MP for Croydon Central
from 1997-2005. He had also served as Leader of Croydon Borough Council
.
; his civil servant
father is from Aberystwyth
and his mother's family are from Swansea
. He was brought up in Cardiff
where he attended Llanishen High School
, before studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Jesus College
, Oxford
; while at Oxford he was Junior Common Room President. He married Dr. Vanessa Fry in September 1991 and they now live in Swansea
.
as a Group Product Manager in 1982, and later Colgate-Palmolive
Ltd. as Marketing Manager before starting his own companies including Pure Crete Ltd. He became active in the Labour Party, being Assistant Secretary for Croydon North East
Labour Party and Chair of Croydon Central
Constituency Labour Party
, and was a member of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
, and later the Manufacturing, Science and Finance
union. before joining the GMB in 1985. He has been a member of the Co-operative Party since 1984.
ward, which he retained at the 1990 and 1994. Davies became Director of Pure Crete Ltd, described as a 'Green tour operator', in 1989.
When Labour won control of Croydon Borough Council in the 1994 election, Davies became Chairman of the Housing Committee, and in 1996 was chosen as Leader of the Council. He was chair of the London Boroughs Association Housing Committee from 1996 to 1997.
, at the age of 27 Davies contested the Croydon South
constituency, where he increased the Labour vote by a third and came third with less than 10% of the votes. In 1992
, he stood in another Conservative safe seat Croydon Central
constituency, where he took second place, reducing a large Conservative Party
majority. At the 1997 general election
, aged 36, he overturned the Conservative majority of 14,661 and was elected as Croydon Central's MP a with Labour majority of 3,897.
Davies was re-elected in 2001
with 47.2% of the vote and a majority increased to 3,984. At the 2005 election
his vote fell by 1,700 and the Conservative candidate Andrew Pelling
gained 2,300 to take the seat with a majority of 75 votes.
Davies was selected for the Labour seat of Swansea West following the announcement of the retirement of the constituency's MP of 45 years, Alan Williams
. In the General Election of May 2010 the Labour vote fell by 1500 and the Liberal Democrats
vote increased by 2000 reducing the Labour majority to 505.
Re-elected in 2001, Davies was appointed NSPCC Parliamentary Ambassador in 2003 (-2005) following his proposed Regulation of Childcare Providers Bill in April 2003 which meant childminders were no longer permitted to smack children and parents had the right to see records of complaints about prospective childminders in respect of child safety. These provisions were subsequently adopted by Government. He then proposed the Physical Punishment of Children (Prohibition) Bill in July 2003 which made striking children across the head, with implimeents or shaking them illegal. He sought to address children's issues with a Healthy Children Manifesto (June 2004) to ban junk food advertising to children and regulate food labeling (adopted by Government 11/06) and a School Meals and Nutrition Bill in January 2005 that sought to include nutrition in OFSTED and to ban unhealthy vending (provisions adopted 3/05 & 10/05). He also sponsored the Regulation of Hormone Disrupting Chemicals Bill (May 2004) to impose precautionary bans on chemicals with evidence of being dangerous. This bill was incorporated in the EU REACH directive 09/06 and supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature
UK. He was also involved in a high profile campaign for the release of British detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay.
Feroz Abbasi
and Moazzam Begg
were finally released on 25 January 2005.
On his re-election for Swansea West in 2010 Davies became the first newly elected MP to present a private bill - The Credit Card Regulation (child pornography) Bill July 2010 that received national media coverage and cross party support including an Early Day Motion signed by 203 MPs. The Bill penalises credit and debit card companies for facilitating the downloading of child abuse images and requires that pre-paid credit cards below £100 are only issued when the identity of those buying them is recorded in order trace their source if used for illegal downloading or underaged purchases of weapons or alcohol. Davies also serves on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee which has opposed reducing the number of MPs from Wales by a quarter. He is active in the Chamber speaking out against Government moves to increase student fees and to provide anonymity for those accused of rape.
, hardly ever voting with the opposition against the Labour government and whip
. He supported Labour in most of the major parliamentary rebellions, including the Iraq war but opposed the Government in voting for an all elected second chamber during the Reform of the House of Lords.
Since returning in 2010 he has only voted against the Labour Whip once against having General Elections and the Welsh Assembly Election on the same date.
to London Victoria by National Rail is twenty minutes and with 15 minutes walk either end. Davies also claimed £38,750 in postage expenses. as some 20,000 constituents contacted him. Mr Davies correspondence included his annual report produced as a calendar. He repaid £156 used to post these calendars to constituents who contacted him because he mistakenly used prepaid envelopes instead of stamps. . The wide variation between individual MPs postage fuelled suspicion that MPs who sent more correspondence were more likely to win re-election. Davies explained his larger than usual postage costs on having one of the largest and busiest constituencies containing the Lunar House Home Office Immigration Department. "Somebody has got to do the most work. I am proud it was me," he said.
According to the Daily Telegraph Davies spent £4,000 renovating his designated second home before losing his seat in 2005. Davies said £2,285 was spent on the kitchen in April 2004 two years before the election deadline and £1,500 was spent on the living room, also in a state of disrepair." and he was expecting to be returned as an MP in 2005 having increased the Labour vote to 47.2% in 2001 with the Conservatives down to 38.2%.
The Daily Telegraph claimed that Davies was reimbursed for taxi fares and travel costs which were not at that time permitted under the second home allowance.
MP, the Father of the House
, as Labour's candidate for the Swansea West constituency at the 2010 general election.
The contest generated a record 80% member participation and a clear result, and he is strongly endorsed by Alan Williams
, and by Assembly Minister Andrew Davies.
On 6 May 2010, Geraint Davies was elected MP for Swansea West with 12,335 votes and a majority of 504.
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who is the Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
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 Swansea West
Swansea West (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea 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 system of election....
. Previously, Davies was 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...
MP for Croydon Central
Croydon Central (UK Parliament constituency)
The comparison is with the notional 2005 result for the new boundaries which made Croydon Central a Labour defence.-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
from 1997-2005. He had also served as Leader of Croydon Borough Council
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
.
Personal life
Davies' family comes from west WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
; his civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
father is from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and his mother's family are from Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. He was brought up in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
where he attended Llanishen High School
Llanishen High School
Llanishen High School is an English speaking-medium secondary school based in Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales and has approximately 1700 students, making it the largest single-site secondary school in Cardiff.-School buildings:...
, before studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Jesus College
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
; while at Oxford he was Junior Common Room President. He married Dr. Vanessa Fry in September 1991 and they now live in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
Professional background
Davies joined UnileverUnilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
as a Group Product Manager in 1982, and later Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
Ltd. as Marketing Manager before starting his own companies including Pure Crete Ltd. He became active in the Labour Party, being Assistant Secretary for Croydon North East
Croydon North East (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon North East was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
Labour Party and Chair of Croydon Central
Croydon Central (UK Parliament constituency)
The comparison is with the notional 2005 result for the new boundaries which made Croydon Central a Labour defence.-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
, and was a member of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
ASTMS - The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs was a British trade union, created in 1969 when ASSET merged with the AScW under the leadership of joint general secretaries: Clive Jenkins of ASSET and John Dutton of the AScW.ASSET, the larger of the two...
, and later the Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance was a trade union in Britain...
union. before joining the GMB in 1985. He has been a member of the Co-operative Party since 1984.
Municipal life
Davies was elected to Croydon Borough Council in 1986 for New AddingtonNew Addington
New Addington is an area on the edge of South London in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside, woodland and golf courses. The Prime Meridian crosses the eastern edge of New Addington...
ward, which he retained at the 1990 and 1994. Davies became Director of Pure Crete Ltd, described as a 'Green tour operator', in 1989.
When Labour won control of Croydon Borough Council in the 1994 election, Davies became Chairman of the Housing Committee, and in 1996 was chosen as Leader of the Council. He was chair of the London Boroughs Association Housing Committee from 1996 to 1997.
Election to Parliament
At the 1987 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, at the age of 27 Davies contested the Croydon South
Croydon South (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon South is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency, where he increased the Labour vote by a third and came third with less than 10% of the votes. In 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, he stood in another Conservative safe seat Croydon Central
Croydon Central (UK Parliament constituency)
The comparison is with the notional 2005 result for the new boundaries which made Croydon Central a Labour defence.-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
constituency, where he took second place, reducing a large 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...
majority. At 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...
, aged 36, he overturned the Conservative majority of 14,661 and was elected as Croydon Central's MP a with Labour majority of 3,897.
Davies was re-elected in 2001
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...
with 47.2% of the vote and a majority increased to 3,984. At the 2005 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....
his vote fell by 1,700 and the Conservative candidate Andrew Pelling
Andrew Pelling
Andrew John Pelling is a British politician. First elected as a Conservative he was an independent Member of Parliament for Croydon Central and on 30 March 2010 announced his intention to contest the seat as an Independent at the 2010 general election, but lost the seat to his former party...
gained 2,300 to take the seat with a majority of 75 votes.
Davies was selected for the Labour seat of Swansea West following the announcement of the retirement of the constituency's MP of 45 years, Alan Williams
Alan Williams
Alan John Williams is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Swansea West from 1964 to 2010.-Early life:...
. In the General Election of May 2010 the Labour vote fell by 1500 and the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
vote increased by 2000 reducing the Labour majority to 505.
In Parliament
In his first term in Parliament, Davies was appointed Chair of the Environment Transport & Regions Departmental Committee and served on the Public Accounts Committee.Re-elected in 2001, Davies was appointed NSPCC Parliamentary Ambassador in 2003 (-2005) following his proposed Regulation of Childcare Providers Bill in April 2003 which meant childminders were no longer permitted to smack children and parents had the right to see records of complaints about prospective childminders in respect of child safety. These provisions were subsequently adopted by Government. He then proposed the Physical Punishment of Children (Prohibition) Bill in July 2003 which made striking children across the head, with implimeents or shaking them illegal. He sought to address children's issues with a Healthy Children Manifesto (June 2004) to ban junk food advertising to children and regulate food labeling (adopted by Government 11/06) and a School Meals and Nutrition Bill in January 2005 that sought to include nutrition in OFSTED and to ban unhealthy vending (provisions adopted 3/05 & 10/05). He also sponsored the Regulation of Hormone Disrupting Chemicals Bill (May 2004) to impose precautionary bans on chemicals with evidence of being dangerous. This bill was incorporated in the EU REACH directive 09/06 and supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
UK. He was also involved in a high profile campaign for the release of British detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay.
Feroz Abbasi
Feroz Abbasi
Feroz Abbasi is one of nine British men who were held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. He was released from detention on 25 January 2005 along with Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar, the other five having previously been...
and Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
were finally released on 25 January 2005.
On his re-election for Swansea West in 2010 Davies became the first newly elected MP to present a private bill - The Credit Card Regulation (child pornography) Bill July 2010 that received national media coverage and cross party support including an Early Day Motion signed by 203 MPs. The Bill penalises credit and debit card companies for facilitating the downloading of child abuse images and requires that pre-paid credit cards below £100 are only issued when the identity of those buying them is recorded in order trace their source if used for illegal downloading or underaged purchases of weapons or alcohol. Davies also serves on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee which has opposed reducing the number of MPs from Wales by a quarter. He is active in the Chamber speaking out against Government moves to increase student fees and to provide anonymity for those accused of rape.
Voting record
In the House of Commons, Davies was a loyal Labour backbencherBackbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
, hardly ever voting with the opposition against the Labour government and whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. He supported Labour in most of the major parliamentary rebellions, including the Iraq war but opposed the Government in voting for an all elected second chamber during the Reform of the House of Lords.
Since returning in 2010 he has only voted against the Labour Whip once against having General Elections and the Welsh Assembly Election on the same date.
Expenses
For the year 2004–05, Davies' MP costs, including four staff and fully equipped offices in Parliament and his constituency, were £176,026, which was the highest for that Year. Davies said "this shows I was one of the most hard-working MPs in Britain." This included the overnight cost allowance to stay in Westminster for late votes and early meetings as the commute from East CroydonEast Croydon station
East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
to London Victoria by National Rail is twenty minutes and with 15 minutes walk either end. Davies also claimed £38,750 in postage expenses. as some 20,000 constituents contacted him. Mr Davies correspondence included his annual report produced as a calendar. He repaid £156 used to post these calendars to constituents who contacted him because he mistakenly used prepaid envelopes instead of stamps. . The wide variation between individual MPs postage fuelled suspicion that MPs who sent more correspondence were more likely to win re-election. Davies explained his larger than usual postage costs on having one of the largest and busiest constituencies containing the Lunar House Home Office Immigration Department. "Somebody has got to do the most work. I am proud it was me," he said.
According to the Daily Telegraph Davies spent £4,000 renovating his designated second home before losing his seat in 2005. Davies said £2,285 was spent on the kitchen in April 2004 two years before the election deadline and £1,500 was spent on the living room, also in a state of disrepair." and he was expecting to be returned as an MP in 2005 having increased the Labour vote to 47.2% in 2001 with the Conservatives down to 38.2%.
The Daily Telegraph claimed that Davies was reimbursed for taxi fares and travel costs which were not at that time permitted under the second home allowance.
Swansea West
Davies serves as a school governor at Dylan Thomas Comprehensive School, Swansea. In July 2007, he was selected to succeed Alan WilliamsAlan Williams
Alan John Williams is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Swansea West from 1964 to 2010.-Early life:...
MP, the Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
, as Labour's candidate for the Swansea West constituency at the 2010 general election.
The contest generated a record 80% member participation and a clear result, and he is strongly endorsed by Alan Williams
Alan Williams
Alan John Williams is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Swansea West from 1964 to 2010.-Early life:...
, and by Assembly Minister Andrew Davies.
On 6 May 2010, Geraint Davies was elected MP for Swansea West with 12,335 votes and a majority of 504.
External links
- Geraint Davies MP official constituency website
- Geraint Davis MP Welsh Labour Party profile