David Davies

David Davies MP
Member of Parliament for Monmouth
Incumbent
Assumed office  5 May 2005
Preceded by	Huw Edwards
Majority	4,527 (9.9%)
Member of the Welsh Assembly for Monmouth
In office 6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007
Preceded by	new constituency
Succeeded by	Nick Ramsay
Born	27 July 1970 (1970-07-27) (age 39) Newham, London
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Aliz Harnisfoger

David Thomas Charles Davies (born 27 July 1970) is a British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Monmouth.

Background

Davies was born in London and was educated at Bassaleg School on Forge Lane in Bassaleg, Newport. After leaving school in 1988 he worked for the British Steel Corporation and served with the Territorial Army, before he went travelling in Asia and Australia, whilst on his travels he had many small jobs including picking grapes and tobacco and running a backpacker's hostel in Queensland. He worked for his family in their shipping company, Burrow Heath Ltd, before he entered politics.^[1]

In his spare time he is also a Special Constable with the British Transport Police.^[2]

He married Aliz Harnisfoger, who is Hungarian, in October 2003 in Monmouth and they have two children (including a daughter born August 2004). He has been the deputy leader of the Conservative Party in Wales since 1999, and he enjoys surfing and can often be found in the sea at Porthcawl or Llantwit Major.

Political career

He unsuccessfully contested the safe Labour seat of Bridgend at the 1997 General Election but finished in second place some 15,248 votes behind the sitting Labour MP Win Griffiths. He was elected to the National Assembly for Wales at the inaugural 1999 Welsh Assembly Election for the seat at Monmouth.^[1]

He was elected as member of the House of Commons at the 2005 General Election for Monmouth, the same seat he holds in the Welsh Assembly. He defeated the sitting Labour MP Huw Edwards by 4,527 votes, and remains the MP there. He made his maiden speech on 18 May 2005, in which he gave a history of his constituency from Geoffrey of Monmouth forwards. [2] In parliament he joined the Welsh Affairs Select Committee on his election.

As his name sounds the same as David Davis, a candidate in the 2005 Conservative leadership contest, confusion could occur between the two in Westminster. Therefore, David Davies is referred to in the House of Commons in Westminster as David T.C. Davies. This has caused opposition MPs to refer to him in jest as Top Cat, a cartoon character who shares the same initials, T.C.. This confusion led to controversy in 2008 when the National Black Police Association mistakenly invited Davies to speak at a conference instead of his more prominent near-namesake. The Monmouth MP attracted criticism with a speech condemning the NBPA's race-based membership policy.^[3]

He is a supporter of the Better Off Out campaign, which campaigns for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.^[4]

References

External links

• David Davies MP website
• David Davies AM weblog
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: David Davies MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - David Davies MP
• Web page of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, House of Commons
• BBC Politics page

News items

• Making an arrest in May 2007
• Father dropped as candidate in February 2007
• Burgled in June 2006
• Looking at the possibility of registering himself as a Gypsy in October 2005
• Criticising a grant for Gypsies in Hampshire in September 2005
• Resigns from Welsh Assembly's equal opportunities committee in April 2004
• Walks out of Welsh Assembly meeting in April 2004
• Commission for Racial Equality in February 2004
• Beca Brown in August 2001
• Honouring seamen in September 2000
• Alison Halford thinks he has a nice bottom in December 1999

Offices held