Alun Cairns

The Right Honourable
Alun Cairns
MP
Secretary of State for Wales
Assumed office
19 March 2016
Prime Minister David Cameron
Theresa May
Preceded by Stephen Crabb
Under Secretary of State for Wales
In office
15 July 2014 – 19 March 2016
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Stephen Crabb
Succeeded by Guto Bebb
Member of Parliament
for Vale of Glamorgan
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by John Smith
Majority 2,190 (4.1%)
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for South Wales West
In office
6 May 1999 – 6 May 2011
Preceded by Assembly established
Succeeded by Suzy Davies
Personal details
Born (1970-07-30) 30 July 1970
Swansea, Wales
Political party Conservative
Alma mater University of Wales
Website Official website

Alun Hugh Cairns[1] MP (born 30 July 1970) is a Welsh Conservative politician, who became Secretary of State for Wales on 19 March 2016. He was previously a member of the National Assembly for Wales for the South Wales West region from the 1999 Welsh Assembly Election until 2011, and was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Vale of Glamorgan.

Early life and career

Brought up in Clydach near Swansea, he attended Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pontardawe and Ysgol Gyfun Ddwyieithog Ystalyfera and is a fluent Welsh language speaker. His father was a welder for British Steel and his mother was a shop-keeper. At the time of his election to the Welsh Assembly, was completing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales, Newport, specialising in corporate location and inward investment.[2] Cairns worked for Lloyds Banking Group as a Business Development Consultant before being elected to the National Assembly.[2][3]

Political career

Cairns unsuccessfully stood as the Conservative Party candidate for the Westminster Parliament in Gower at the 1997 general election.

National Assembly for Wales

First elected to the assembly as AM for South Wales West in 1999,[2] he was re-elected in 2003 and 2007 and served as the party's spokesman on economic development and transport for eight years. In the Third Assembly, he held the education and lifelong learning portfolio and also chaired the Assembly's Finance Committee. On 11 July 2007, he became the Shadow Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills in the National Assembly for Wales. As a member of the assembly's economic development and audit committees, he criticised the Welsh Government over a range of issues from transport infrastructure, European regional aid, public spending, and the Welsh economy. Cairns has also been a vocal opponent of the Scarweather Sands offshore wind farm development near Porthcawl.

Controversy, resignation and reinstatement

In September 2008, Cairns admitted that he asked for a National Assembly rule to be "clarified" to determine whether he could claim expenses for a second home in Cardiff. A rule change introduced in late 2006 by the Assembly's House Committee allowed him to claim expenses related to a flat in Cardiff even though his main home was reclassified as being situated in the Vale of Glamorgan.[4]

While taking part in BBC Radio Cymru's weekly radio show, Dau o'r Bae, on 13 June 2008, Cairns was asked to apologise on air for referring to Italians as "greasy wops", and immediately did so.[5] He subsequently resigned from his post in the Shadow Cabinet on the following day.[6] He was re-appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Local Government on 22 October 2008 after completion of a party investigation.[7]

House of Commons

Cairns was the Conservative Party's candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan at the 2005 general election, and was re-selected as Parliamentary candidate for the seat in July 2007. Cairns was suspended as the parliamentary candidate while the party carried out an investigation over his radio comments,[8] Cairns was reinstated as the parliamentary candidate on 22 October 2008.[7]

Cairns was elected as the MP for the Vale of Glamorgan at the May 2010 general election, gaining the seat from Labour with a majority of 4,307.

Cairns is a member of the ‘Curry Club’ group of Conservatives, a dining society set up in 2010 composed of Conservative MPs that were seen as independently-minded though not hostile to the then Prime Minister David Cameron.[9][10][11]

In 2011 Cairns became co-chairman of the newly formed All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Arch Cru Investment Scheme, intended to investigate the facts surrounding Arch Cru investment funds scandal and achieve justice for the victims.[12][13][14]

He was re-elected in 2015 with an increased majority of 6,880.[15]

In January 2016, Cairns was one of 72 MPs who voted down an amendment in Parliament on rental homes being “fit for human habitation” who were themselves landlords who derived an income from a property.[16]

Secretary of State for Wales

On becoming Secretary of State for Wales on 19 March 2016, Cairns replaced Stephen Crabb who became Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and was appointed to the Privy Council on 22 March.[17]

Cairns supported a Remain vote in the 2016 EU membership referendum. He was once more re-elected to his Vale of Glamorgan seat in the 2017 general election, and increased his vote share for the third consecutive time.[18]

After re-election, in July 2017, Cairns announced that tolls on the Severn bridges from Wales to England would be abolished by the end of the following year,[19] a move which he said could boost the south Wales economy by about £100m a year.[20]

Cairns caused controversy in April 2018 when he announced the Severn Bridge between Wales and England was to be renamed 'Prince of Wales Bridge' to mark the 60th anniversary of Prince Charles becoming the Prince of Wales.[21][22][23][24] Cairns defended the decision by responding that a "silent majority" supported the name change, but a poll conducted by YouGov shortly after revealed 34% of respondents to be against the name change and only 17% in favour, while 47% had no strong feelings either way.[25][25]

Cairns has claimed he supports the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon renewable energy power plant, although he has expressed reservations in regard to the financial viability of the project, stating in 2017 that "none of us would want it to happen if it’s not good value for money for the taxpayer."[26][27][28] Cairns came under criticism in 2018 when reports emerged the government was considering abandoning the project, Plaid Cymru politician Jonathan Edwards referring to Cairns as the "grim reaper of Welsh politics - the bearer of bad news" after Cairns highlighted concerns over the cost of the tidal lagoon relative to nuclear power stations.[29][30][31][32]

In June 2018, the UK government announced that the plans for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon would be scrapped.[33] This led to Plaid Cymru tabling a motion of no confidence in Cairns at the Welsh Assembly, a vote that if passed would not have forced Cairns to resign as Welsh Secretary but rather would serve as symbolic disapproval.[34][35] The motion was defeated, with 9 in favour to 40 against, on 27 June.[36]

In Parliament, Cairns has previously served on the Public Administration Committee and Welsh Affairs Committee.[37]

Views

Cairns believes the best route out of poverty is through employment. At a live BBC event in 2017, he said "Getting a job is absolutely the best way out of poverty", but that increasing the personal allowance for tax and raising the National Living Wage were also important.[38]

He has spoken in favour of fox hunting as he says it is a part of "countryside conservation".[39]

Cairns has claimed society is only on "step one" of gender equality, and further progress has to be made.[40][41] He believes all of society stands to gain from gender equality because the UK economy depends on "harnessing the talent of women, capitalising on the wealth of skill they bring to our workplaces".[42]

As part of the Downing Street Policy Board in 2013, Cairns asserted that it is the duty of the BBC to educate children about online dangers such as grooming and adult content, and implied it could be done through television shows such as EastEnders which he pointed out had educated the public in the past on issues like HIV, he said "the BBC's mission statement and stated public purposes fit perfectly for it to become the trusted source of advice on how to protect children online."[43][44] In relation to the television licence fee, Cairns described it as “probably the UK’s most regressive tax”, and stressed this meant transparency was vital.[45] Despite this, Cairns considers himself a "critical friend" of the BBC.[45]

Cairns supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 UK European Union membership referendum. In the campaign period leading up to the referendum, in a government pamphlet sent to all homes across Wales, he stated: "One thing I think we can all agree on is that Europe needs reform. The Prime Minister has fought hard to get a deal which gives the UK the protections it needs." He further stated that the UK had achieved "a special status" within Europe and how the deal negotiated would allow Britain to avoid "the Euro, open borders or the prospect of ever-closer union."[46][47] After the UK voted to leave the European Union, Cairns came out in support of Brexit. In 2018 he said he was "delighted" economic predictions about Brexit had been "proven wrong", adding, "I think people should be excited about the new opportunities as we leave the European Union."[48] He rejects the idea of the UK remaining in the EU single market in a 'soft' Brexit.[49]

Cairns is a proponent of government decentralisation for Wales. He has noted specifically the example of English devolution and how it has created a "new dynamic" in England,[50] one which he would like Wales "to be able to respond to" by "empowering the regions, north Wales, west Wales” as part of its own "new dynamic."[51] Cairns envisions Wales as part of a potential "Western powerhouse", similar to the idea of the Northern Powerhouse in England, and in early 2018 set up the Severn Growth Summit to explore opportunities for boosting Welsh economic growth.[52][53][54]

Personal life

Cairns lives in London and his Vale of Glamorgan constituency with his wife Emma and son Henri.[3] [55]

He is an avid marathon runner, and as of 2018 has completed seven runs of the London Marathon. His London Marathon personal best time of 3:28:02 makes him the seventh fastest running MP of all time.[3][56][57] Through his marathon runs, he has raised money for NSPCC Wales and women's aid charity Atal y Fro.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "No. 59418". The London Gazette. 13 May 2010. p. 8747.
  2. 1 2 3 "BBC News AMs profile". BBC. 12 May 1998. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  4. ↑ Shipton, Martin (28 March 2013). "Alun Cairns admit lobbying over expenses on Bay second home". Wales Online. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Tory candidate apologises for 'greasy wops' comment". The Guardian. London. 14 June 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  6. ↑
  7. 1 2 "Greasy wops slur Tory is general election candidate". Wales Online. 22 October 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
  8. ↑ "Tory suspended as party candidate". BBC Online. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
  9. ↑ Hardman, Isabel (4 June 2013). "Curry Club Conservatives can spice things up". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "How Westminster's Tory Curry Club has suddenly found favour". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Ministry Of Defence Insiders Have Serious Doubts About Gavin Williamson". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "PM vows to see if more can be done for Arch Cru victims". This is Money. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Spence, Alex (22 June 2011). "Low risk investors lose out in failed funds settlement". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. ↑ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Groups as at 30 March 2015: Arch Cru Investment Scheme". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "Vale of Glamorgan parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Tories vote down law requiring landlords make their homes fit for human habitation". Independent. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Orders approved at the Privy Council" (PDF). Privycouncil.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  18. ↑ "Vale of Glamorgan parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "Severn tolls abolished by end of 2018". BBC News. 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  20. ↑ Slawson, Nicola (2017-07-21). "Severn crossings tolls to be scrapped next year". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  21. ↑ Williamson, David (5 April 2018). "Uproar at lack of consultation on the Severn Bridge name change". walesonline. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "Cairns defends bridge name change". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  23. ↑ "'Republicans' should 'respect' Prince". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  24. ↑ Blake, Aled (6 April 2018). "Some people in Wales are furious about the new name for the Severn Bridge". mirror. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  25. 1 2 Crisp, Wil (8 April 2018). "Online petition demanding bridge is not named after Prince Charles attracts 25,000 signatures". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  26. ↑ Barry, Sion (8 November 2017). "Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon must pass value for money test". walesonline. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  27. ↑ "Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns would `really like tidal lagoon to go..." This is Money. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  28. ↑ "'You haven't got the ear of your prime minister'". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  29. ↑ Williamson, David (13 June 2018). "Alun Cairns dubbed 'grim reaper' over handling of the Swansea tidal lagoon". walesonline. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  30. ↑ "'Everything possible' to back lagoon". BBC News. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  31. ↑ "Subscribe to read". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  32. ↑ "Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns defends position over tidal lagoon after coming under fire from MPs". ITV News. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  33. ↑ "Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project turned down by government". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  34. ↑ "Welsh Assembly to hold unprecedented vote of no confidence in Welsh Secretary following lagoon rejection". ITV News. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  35. ↑ Shipton, Martin (2018-06-26). "Cairns faces no confidence vote in the National Assembly over Swansea lagoon". walesonline. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  36. ↑ "Cairns no confidence motion defeated". BBC News. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  37. ↑ "Alun Cairns MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  38. ↑ "'Get a job' poverty advice from Tory". BBC News. 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  39. ↑ Collins, Peter (2014-12-26). "Boxing Day hunts spark debate on Hunting Bill ahead of May's General Election". walesonline. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  40. ↑ "Society 'on step one of gender equality'". BBC News. 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  41. ↑ "UK Government and Chwarae Teg join forces to #PressforProgress to mark International Women's Day". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  42. ↑ "'Everyone gains' from closing gender pay gap". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  43. ↑ Graham, Georgia (2013-10-21). "BBC has 'duty' to educate children about dangers online". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  44. ↑ Reporter, Owen Bennett - Political (2013-10-21). "BBC has a responsibility to help protect children online, claims MP". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  45. 1 2 Williamson, David (2013-10-27). "'How many scandals or examples of wrongdoing about the BBC have been prompted by the BBC?'". walesonline. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  46. ↑ Williamson, David (2016-05-09). "Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns makes the case for staying in the EU". walesonline. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  47. ↑ Cornock, David (2016-02-22). "Cameron defends EU grants for Wales". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  48. ↑ Cornock, David (2018-03-29). "Brexit predictions & walking holidays". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  49. ↑ "Cairns rejects 'softer' Brexit calls". BBC News. 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  50. ↑ "Too much power in Cardiff, says Cairns". BBC News. 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  51. ↑ Brennan, Shane (2017-09-18). "'Give us more powers' says Secretary of State for Wales". northwales. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  52. ↑ Dickins, Sarah (2018). "'Western powerhouse' aim to boost jobs". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  53. ↑ Williamson, David (2018-01-22). "Vision of a Cardiff/Bristol powerhouse laid out at business summit". walesonline. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  54. ↑ Morris, Steven (2018-01-22). "Call for abolition of tolls on Severn bridges to create 'western powerhouse'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  55. ↑ "IPSA record". IPSA. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  56. ↑ "MP Alun Cairns in London Marathon test". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  57. ↑ Topping, Alexandra (2014-04-13). "Record number of MPs run in London Marathon". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
National Assembly for Wales
New creation
 Assembly Member
for South Wales West
1999–2011		 Succeeded by
Suzy Davies
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
John Smith		 Member of Parliament
for Vale of Glamorgan
2010–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Stephen Crabb		 Secretary of State for Wales
2016–present		 Incumbent
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