Huw Lewis

Huw Lewis
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
In office
6 May 1999 – 6 April 2016
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Dawn Bowden
Majority 7,051 (36.5%)
Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
In office
14 March 2013 – 26 June 2013
First Minister Carwyn Jones
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Jeff Cuthbert
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
In office
26 June 2013 – 7 May 2016
First Minister Carwyn Jones
Deputy Ken Skates
Preceded by Leighton Andrews
Succeeded by Kirsty Williams
Personal details
Born (1964-01-17) 17 January 1964
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Political party Labour Co-operative
Spouse(s) Lynne Neagle AM
Alma mater University of Edinburgh
Occupation Teacher, political advisor
Website Welsh Labour

Huw Lewis AM (born 17 January 1964) is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician. Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Lewis represented the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency in the National Assembly for Wales from 1999 to 2016.

Early life

Born in Merthyr Tydfil and brought up in Aberfan, he attended the University of Edinburgh. Active in the local Scottish Labour Party, he worked for both Labour Party leader John Smith and later Donald Dewar. Lewis campaigned for a Scottish Assembly alongside Edinburgh Labour Club colleagues Douglas and Wendy Alexander, and Pat McFadden.[1]

Returning to South Wales, Lewis worked briefly as a chemistry teacher at Afon Taf High School, before working full-time for the Labour Party.

Political career

Elected to the position of Assistant General Secretary of Welsh Labour, he organised the campaign for the Labour "Yes" Vote campaign in 1997, that lead to the creation of the Welsh National Assembly.

Elected to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 as a Labour and Co-operative Party candidate to represent Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. He has been party Whip in the Assembly, a post he resigned following the resignation of Alun Michael as First Secretary. He has also been Deputy Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning in October 2000, a post he resigned following the use of a landfill site in Trecatti, within his constituency, for the disposal of carcasses during the foot and mouth crisis (16 April 2001).

He was re-elected in 2003 and was appointed Deputy Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration in May 2003. In the Third Assembly he was appointed Deputy Minister for the Economy and Transport on 31 May 2007 but announced to the media that due to his private opposition to One Wales coalition deal with Plaid Cymru he had been sacked on 18 July 2007.[2] On 26 June 2013 in light of the resignation of Leighton Andrews, Lewis was appointed Minister for Education and Skills.[3] Not being a Welsh language speaker, that brief was returned to First Minister Carwyn Jones.

In January 2016, Lewis announced that he would leave the Assembly at the election in May of that year.[4]

Personal life

Lewis is married to his second wife Lynne Neagle, the Labour Assembly member for Torfaen and they have a son.

References

  1. ↑ "About Huw". Huw Lewis. Archived from the original on 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  2. ↑ Huw Lewis: Sacked and Back! Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "Education Minister Huw Lewis to quit assembly at election". bbc.co.uk. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2018.

Offices held

National Assembly for Wales
Preceded by
(new post)		 Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
1999–2016		 Succeeded by
Dawn Bowden
Political offices
Preceded by
(new post)		 Deputy Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning
2000 - 2003		 Succeeded by
(post reorganised)
Preceded by
(new post)		 Deputy Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration
2005 - 2007		 Succeeded by
(post reorganised)
Preceded by
Brian Gibbons		 Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport
2007		 Succeeded by
(post reorganised)
Preceded by
(new post)		 Deputy Minister for Children
2009 - 2011		 Succeeded by
Leighton Andrews
Preceded by
(new post)		 Minister for Housing, Regeneration & Heritage
2011 - 2013		 Succeeded by
(post reorganised)
Preceded by
Leighton Andrews		 Minister for Education and Skills
2013 - 2016		 Succeeded by
Kirsty Williams
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