Rod Richards

Rod Richards
Member of the Welsh Assembly for North Wales
In office 6 May 1999 – 10 September 2002
Preceded by	New Assembly
Succeeded by	David Jones
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly
In office 1999–1999
Preceded by	(new post)
Succeeded by	Nick Bourne
Member of Parliament for Clwyd North West
In office 9 April 1992 – 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Sir Anthony Meyer
Succeeded by	(constituency abolished)
Personal details
Born	(1947-03-12) 12 March 1947 (age 65) Llanelli, Wales
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	Llandovery College, Aberystwyth University
Occupation	Royal Marines, Ministry of Defence, Journalist, Broadcaster

Roderick Richards (born Llanelli 12 March 1947) was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Clwyd North West, in Wales, from 1992 to 1997, when he lost his seat in the Labour Party landslide. He was also the Conservative leader in the Welsh Assembly in 1999, after being elected as an Assembly Member for North Wales.

Background

Richards was born to the late Ivor George Richards and Lizzie Jane Richards (née Evans). Welsh speaking Richards was educated at Llandovery College and at Aberystwyth University(1965–68). He first rose to public prominence in the 1980s as a Welsh-language newsreader for BBC Wales. Before that, he had spent some time in the Royal Marines, including service in Northern Ireland. He also served on the intelligence staff of the Ministry of Defence, and worked as an economic forecaster.^[1] Richards, at one point, worked for MI-6^[2]

Political career

UK Parliament

He first tried to enter parliament at the 1987 general election, when he stood unsuccessfully for the Carmarthen seat. He was unsuccessful again two years later at a by-election for the Vale of Glamorgan, but at the 1992 general election he was elected as MP for the former parliamentary seat of Clwyd North West. During John Major's government he was appointed Welsh Office junior minister in 1996, but was forced to resign when revelations about his private life appeared in a Sunday tabloid newspaper.^[3]

National Assembly for Wales

Although defeated in his constituency seat during the first Welsh Assembly elections in 1999, he was elected to the new body as lead candidate on the Conservatives' regional top-up list. He was appointed the Conservative party leader in the Welsh Assembly defeating Nick Bourne,^[4] who was then widely regarded as William Hague's first choice for the job (and eventually went on to become leader), but stood down after he was accused of assaulting a young woman. He was cleared of assault in June 2000.

Rod Richards had the party whip withdrawn from him following his decision to abstain rather than vote with his fellow Conservatives against the Assembly's budget at the end of 1999. He continued to sit in the Assembly, as an 'Independent Conservative' until 2002 when he resigned as an Assembly Member (AM), saying he was leaving the assembly immediately in the interests of his health.

Richards and his successor, Nick Bourne were known for hating one another. In one interview, Richards called Bourne: "A complete gay prat"^[5] Things turned nasty, when Bourne turned against Richards, during his alleged affair. Later, once Bourne had been elected party leader, he refused to give Richards a portfolio in his 25 August reshuffle, leaving him as the only Welsh Tory backbencher.^[6] Richards stated the following: On the Welsh: "We are perfectly happy to continue to promote the Welsh language. But we will not discriminate against those Welsh people who don't speak Welsh, or indeed anyone else who comes to live in Wales." On Plaid Cymru: "They are an anti-British party. They reject everything that is British: our history, our values, our great achievements, our language, indeed the very existence of our British family. "They want Wales out of the United Kingdom and into a federal European state. They want separation from England so that Wales can be ruled by Brussels."^[7]

Personal

At the High Court in London in February 2003, Rod Richards was declared bankrupt with debts estimated at more than £300,000.^[8]

On 30 April 2006 he entered the debate regarding John Prescott's marital affair. Speaking on a Radio Five Live phone in, Richards described how after his own affair in 1996, Prescott had acted in an 'ungentlemanly' fashion, both in public and in private.

It was reported on 17 April 2008 that Richards had been arrested in connection with an alleged assault on a Conservative party worker.^[9] He was later released after receiving a caution from police.

Richards was married to a psychologist, Liz, until their divorce, upon her discovering of his affair. The couple have two children.

References

Offices held