Henry Byron Davies, Baron Davies of Gower (born 4 September 1952) is a Welsh Conservative politician, life peer and former police officer who served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales from July to November 2024. He was a Member of the Welsh Assembly from 2011 to 2015, a Member of Parliament from 2015 to 2017, and has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2019.
The Lord Davies of Gower | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Wales | |
| In office 8 July 2024 – 5 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Jo Stevens |
| Succeeded by | Mims Davies |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Maritime and Security | |
| In office 14 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Vere of Norbiton |
| Succeeded by | Mike Kane |
| Lord-in-waiting Government Whip | |
| In office 22 September 2022 – 14 November 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak[1] |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Gascoigne |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 10 October 2019 Life Peerage | |
| Member of Parliament for Gower | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 3 May 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Caton |
| Succeeded by | Tonia Antoniazzi |
| Member of the Welsh Assembly for South Wales West | |
| In office 6 May 2011 – 15 May 2015[2] | |
| Preceded by | David Lloyd |
| Succeeded by | Altaf Hussain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 September 1952 Swansea, Wales |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of West London |
Early life and career
editByron Davies was born on 4 September 1952[3] at Port Eynon, Gower,[4] educated at Knelston County Primary School and Gowerton School, then an all-boys grammar school,.[3] He later earned a law degree from the University of West London in later life.[5]
From 1971 to 2003, he was a police officer in the Metropolitan Police Service.[3]
A career detective who, in the latter part of his career, was seconded to the National Crime Squad and spent a number of years in Eastern Europe on behalf of the European Union, specialised in combating organised crime and rose to the rank of detective chief inspector. He spent several years living and working in eastern Europe helping to prepare EU candidate countries for accession.[6][7] He later rose to the rank of detective chief inspector.[8][9]
Political career
editDavies stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative Party candidate for Gower in both the Welsh Assembly Election 2007 and at the 2010 general election. In May 2011, Davies was successful in being elected to the National Assembly for Wales representing South Wales West.[10] On 7 May 2015, he was elected the Member of Parliament for Gower at the 2015 general election. Davies’ win meant the 109-year Labour stronghold of Gower Constituency had fallen to the Conservatives[11] On 9 May 2015 shortly after the Westminster election), he decided to step down as an Assembly Member so that he could fulfil his parliamentary duties for Gower.
Davies was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[12] He was defeated at the 2017 general election.
In the Rishi Sunak government he served both in the Wales Office, also as a Government Whip and latterly as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.[9]
Post Parliamentary career
editFrom September 2017 to September 2020, Davies served as chair of the Welsh Conservatives taking over from former MP and MEP Jonathan Evans.[13]
House of Lords
editDavies was nominated for a life peerage in Theresa May's resignation honours list on 10 September 2019.[14] He was created Baron Davies of Gower, of Gower in the County of Swansea, on 10 October 2019.[15] He served as a government whip under both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak from 2022 to 2023. In November 2023 he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, and served in that position until the end of Sunak's administration.
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
editFollowing the 2024 general election in which no Conservative MPs were elected in Wales, Davies was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in the Shadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak; this marks the first time that the position was held by a peer.[16][17]
In an op-ed, he said that his number one task in the role would be to ensure the Welsh Conservatives are “fully prepared for our much-anticipated comeback over the coming months and years.” [18]
Following an exercise involving engaging public opinion as to whether the Welsh Conservatives should support the abolition of devolution, Davies criticised the Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies, saying: “On the issue of abolishing the Senedd, the Conservative Party has no plans to support a move towards this and I see any action to test public opinion on this as completely futile.” [19]
Personal life
editOne of the main reasons for his electoral defeat in 2017, Davies claimed, was a member of the public claiming in online platforms that he was “being investigated for electoral fraud”. The claim was false and Davies successfully sued.[11]
He lives in Ceredigion, Wales.
Honours
edit
| Ribbon | Details | Year awarded |
|---|---|---|
| |
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
|
|
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Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal |
References
edit- ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Byron Davies AM". National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Davies of Gower, Baron, (Henry Byron Davies) (born 4 Sept. 1952)". Who's Who 2023. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Wales Online. "Who are the candidates standing in Gower in the General Election 2017?". Wales Online. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Davies of Gower, Baron, (Henry Byron Davies) (born 4 Sept. 1952)." WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 1 Dec. 2011
- ^ "Lord Davies of Gower". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Blake, Aled (6 May 2011). "Assembly election: Meet the incoming AMs". WalesOnline website. Media Wales Ltd. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Youle, Richard (17 October 2019). "Gower's new peer is about to take his seat in the House of Lords". Wales Online. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ a b https://www.gov.uk/government/people/lord-davies-of-gower
- ^ "Wales elections > South Wales West". BBC News. BBC. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ a b https://conservativehome.com/2018/04/27/byron-davies-how-i-won-an-apology-from-a-corbyn-supporter-for-falsehoods-that-helped-cost-me-my-seat/
- ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "Byron Davies elected Welsh Tory chair". 4 September 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Resignation Honours 2019". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ "No. 62798". The London Gazette. 16 October 2019. p. 18552.
- ^ "UK politics live: Lord Cameron resigns as Rishi Sunak announces interim shadow cabinet". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Mosalski, Ruth (9 July 2024). "The new shadow secretary for Wales has been announced". Wales Online. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/the-general-election-heartbreaking-conservative-29579566
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjwd033n0ko