| The Right Honourable Alan Williams MP |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Tam Dalyell |
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Member of Parliament
for Swansea West |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 15 October 1964 |
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| Preceded by | Hugh Rees |
| Majority | 4,269 (12.9%) |
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| Born | 14 October 1930 Caerphilly, Wales, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
Alan John Williams (born 14 October 1930) is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Swansea West since 1964.
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Early life
Williams was educated at Cardiff High School for Boys (a state grammar school) then Cardiff College of Technology and Commerce when he gained a BSc in economics in 1954 (awarded by the University of London). At University College, Oxford he studied PPE. He became an economics lecturer at the Welsh College of Advanced Technology then a broadcaster and journalist.
Parliamentary career
He contested Poole in 1959.
Williams served under Harold Wilson as Under-Secretary of State for Economic Affairs from 1967 until 1969 and then as a Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Technology until 1970 when Labour lost power. When Labour were returned to power at the February 1974 general election, Williams was made Minister of State at the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection, serving until Wilson left office in 1976. The new Prime Minister, James Callaghan, then appointed him as Minister of State at the Department of Industry in which post he served until Labour lost power to the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher in the 1979 general election.
Williams was made a Privy Counsellor in 1977. He has been on the backbenches since 1989, and chair of the Liaison Committee since 2001.[1] He is a Eurosceptic and was opposed to the devolution settlement that established the National Assembly for Wales.
Father of the House
Following the retirement of Tam Dalyell at the 2005 general election, Williams became the MP with the longest continuous service in the House, earning him the title of Father of the House.[2]
Williams is the last parliamentary survivor of those who were elected in Harold Wilson's 1964 election win. He has stated his intention to retire from Parliament at the 2010 general election.
As Father of the House, Williams presided over the Commons Speaker election on 22 June 2009.
Personal life
He married (Mary) Patricia Rees in June 1957 in Bedwellty. They have two sons and a daughter.
References
- ^ House of Commons Votes and Proceedings - 5th November 2001
- ^ "The Father of the House" (PDF). House of Commons Information Office. November 2006. http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M03.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Alan Williams MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Alan Williams MP
- Ministerial posts
- BBC Politics
News items
Offices Held
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by Hugh Rees |
Member of Parliament for Swansea West 1964–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Tam Dalyell |
Father of the House 2005–present |
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This page was last modified on 24 January 2010 at 18:50.
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