Andrew Robert Tudor Davies
CBE (born 1968) is a
Welsh politician who has served as
Member of the Senedd
A member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; ; , plural: ) is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd constituency, Senedd constituencies, a ...
for the
South Wales Central region since 2007.
He has previously served as Leader of the
Welsh Conservative Senedd Group from 2011 to 2018
and 2021 to 2024.
Both times Davies resigned due to pressure from within his party to do so. As a consequence of being leader of the Welsh Conservatives, he has served a total of four terms as
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
, from his
first from 2011 to 2016, his
second from 2017 to 2018, his
third from January-March 2021 and his
fourth and final from May 2021-2024.
Background
Andrew Robert Tudor Davies was educated at Llanfair Primary School, St John's Preparatory School,
Porthcawl
Porthcawl () is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is located on the south coast, west of Cardiff and south-east of Swansea.
Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South ...
, and later boarded at
Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College () is an evangelical Colleges of the University of Toronto, graduate school of theology of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...
,
Stroud
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021.
Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...
.
He is married to a qualified
midwife
A midwife (: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and Infant, newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery.
The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughou ...
and they have four children.
He is a partner in the family farming business based in
St Hilary near
Cowbridge
Cowbridge () is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff.
The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council.
A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for elections to ...
in the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...
. Davies was a Welsh delegate on the Council of the
National Farmers Union (NFU),
vice-president of the local Young Farmers Club, and is a former chairman of Creative Communities,
which seeks to develop structural community development. Davies is also a life governor of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and was the Society's
Oxford Farming Conference Scholar in 2002.
He is a former governor at Llanfair Primary School.
Career
Early political career
Joining the Conservative Party in 1997, Davies fought
Cardiff West in the
2001 general election, and
Brecon and Radnorshire in
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
. He served as Deputy Chairman (Political) for the Conservative Party in
South Wales Central from 2002 to 2003, a region that comprises the Conservative Associations in Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Between 2004 and 2005 he was Deputy Chairman of the Cardiff West Conservative Association.
Third Senedd (2007-2011)
In
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, he was elected to the National Assembly of Wales on the South Wales Central regional list. He was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport by
Nick Bourne.
During his time as Shadow Transport Minister he supported protests from Welsh hauliers over the cost of fuel.
On 16 June 2008 he was reshuffled to the role of Shadow Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills.
While in this role, he supported the removal of the flat-rate financial support grant at the time provided to Welsh people who studied at Welsh universities, and criticised that both spending and achievement were lagging behind English counterparts.
He also sat on the Assembly's Petitions Committee and the Subordinate Legislation Committee.
In February 2009 he became the Shadow Minister for Health in the National Assembly for Wales.
He then resigned from the role in November 2010, shortly after a wider reshuffle.
He claimed at the time of his resignation he was not seeking the leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group.
He won an award for being "Assembly Member to Watch" in December 2008.
First leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group
Davies was re-elected as AM for South Wales Central at the
2011 Welsh Assembly election. A leadership election was held after
Nick Bourne lost his seat at that election. RT Davies contested this leadership election, and was elected as Leader of the
Welsh Conservative Group on 14 July 2011, having won 53.1 per cent of the vote, defeating
Nick Ramsay
Nick Ramsay (born 10 June 1975) is a British politician who served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Monmouth (Senedd constituency), Monmouth from 2007 to 2021. Originally a member of the Welsh Conservatives, he served as Shadow Minister of F ...
. He then became
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
in Wales, as the Welsh Conservatives were the second largest party, and appointed his Shadow Cabinet.
In February 2014, Davies removed four ministers;
Nick Ramsay
Nick Ramsay (born 10 June 1975) is a British politician who served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Monmouth (Senedd constituency), Monmouth from 2007 to 2021. Originally a member of the Welsh Conservatives, he served as Shadow Minister of F ...
,
Antoinette Sandbach,
Mohammad Asghar and
Janet Finch-Saunders
Janet Elizabeth Finch-Saunders (born 1958) is a Welsh Conservative Party politician. She is the Member of the Senedd for the Aberconwy constituency.
Political career
Finch-Saunders previously represented the Craig-Y-Don ward on Llandudno To ...
, from his cabinet over a vote on tax-varying powers for the Welsh Assembly. The four ministers failed to support a motion condemning the choice of the lock-step model for devolution of taxation, which would not allow Wales to increase the rate of tax paid on any specific
tax band - instead requiring any change to be made to all of them. They were removed from their roles despite this being the policy of the UK Conservative Party.
After the
2016 Welsh Assembly election, Davies was re-elected but ceased to be Leader of the Opposition, as the Welsh Conservatives became the third largest party. Davies became Leader of the Opposition again in April 2017, after
Mark Reckless rejoined the Welsh Conservative Senedd group, making the Welsh Conservatives the second largest group in the Senedd again.
RT Davies was criticised for allowing Reckless to rejoin the group, with
Byron Davies, then Conservative MP for
Gower describing it as "not a particularly bright idea," and Wales Secretary
Alun Cairns clarifying that Reckless had not been allowed to become a member of the Conservative Party, and was only a member of the Conservative Senedd Group.
In June 2018,
Wales Online
Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd.
History
The ''Western Mail'' was fou ...
led an investigation into what they described as Davies keeping his "public constituency office hidden from the public".
The piece stated the office was located in a "wooden cabin 50 yards beyond a vehicle security barrier on a rural farm estate".
In a freedom of information response by the Assembly Commission,
the address of the office was confirmed as Penllyn Estate, Llwynhelig, Cowbridge CF71 7FF,
a 1,200-acre mixed farm operation. The information only came to light after the FOI request by a Conservative Party member.
A spokesperson for Davies responded to the investigation by stating the arrangements had been made "following a security incident at Andrew’s previous office on Cowbridge High Street where police attended to support a female employee",
necessitating a more secure location. They continued stating that "Andrew regularly hosts constituents and organisations at his office and if he knew a Western Mail journalist had intended to visit he would’ve been there to welcome him with the kettle on".
Resignation
Davies responded to concerns raised by
Airbus
Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
in June 2018 regarding the threat of a
no-deal Brexit
A no-deal Brexit (also called a clean-break Brexit) was the potential Brexit, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) without a withdrawal agreement. Under Withdrawal from the European Union, Article 50 o ...
by stating that "there is a lot of hyperbole flying around" regarding a no deal Brexit. The comments were criticised by Conservative figures including
Guto Bebb.
Bebb went on to dispute Davies title as "Leader of the Welsh Conservatives", stating he only led the Assembly group.
Secretary of State
Alun Cairns described Airbus' comments as a "wake-up call" for "one of the jewels in the crown of UK manufacturing".
A number of Davies' Welsh Conservative colleagues, including Secretary of State
Alun Cairns, Mr Davies' Deputy,
Paul Davies
Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...
, and Monmouth AM
Nick Ramsay
Nick Ramsay (born 10 June 1975) is a British politician who served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Monmouth (Senedd constituency), Monmouth from 2007 to 2021. Originally a member of the Welsh Conservatives, he served as Shadow Minister of F ...
, were all Remain supporters, in contrast to Davies role as a
Vote Leave voice in the Welsh Conservatives.
In Spring 2018, a text was reportedly sent by Cairns which discussed with Welsh Conservative AMs how and when to remove Davies.
Davies initially only stated that a figure in Westminster had sent the text, but refused to name the individual. This text was reportedly sent to Davies by accident, describing how "the other end of the M4" were in support of his replacement.
In around April 2018, it was rumoured that his Deputy Leader
Paul Davies
Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...
was planning a leadership challenge to Davies.
Amid internal discussions in the party, Nick Ramsay reportedly made it clear to Mr Davies that they did not like each other prior to his resignation,
and an AM reportedly "stormed out" of a dinner regarding the leadership of the party after Davies had spoken, who later was reported to be Ramsay.
Davies resigned as Leader of the Welsh Conservatives on 27 June 2018. A source close to Davies described the events at the time as "the revenge of Tory Remainers who can’t forgive him for going against Cameron and campaigning for a Leave vote in the Brexit referendum."
Davies resignation was viewed by some in the media as sparked by Davies' "inflammatory remarks" towards Airbus.
Sources close to Davies however spoke to the media and stated they felt he had been victim of "a plot to get rid of him for "seven or eight weeks"
dating back to his controversial "decision to back a Leave vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum" which came against the wishes of then Prime Minister
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
, who had backed Remain.
Inter-leadership career
RT Davies was appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Sustainability, and Rural Affairs by Paul Davies in September 2018. In the role RT Davies led criticism of
Natural Resources Wales
Natural Resources Wales () is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Countryside Council for Wales, E ...
in November 2018, particularly around their selling of timber on a closed rather than open market.
He proposed splitting NRW into two separate bodies, and described the "bloated and largely incompetent quango" body as "no longer fit for purpose".
Plaid agriculture spokesman
Llyr Gruffydd however stated the issues faced by NRW were down to the 35% real terms cut in their budget and the organisation being under resourced.
In 2019, Davies was reported by
Wales Online
Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd.
History
The ''Western Mail'' was fou ...
as having the highest budget for constituency office spending of any AM in the five Assembly political groups, with a spend of £102,655, including £35,182 for a salary for his wife Julia. Davies did not respond to requests for comments in the piece.
In a June 2019 op-ed on
Nation.Cymru, Davies stated his top wishes from an incoming Conservative prime minister for Wales would be:
* A "shared prosperity fund" replacing the Joint Ministerial Committee.
* A "significant investment in Welsh infrastructure projects" to make up for previous rejections including the M4 Relief Road and tidal lagoon, through a "Green Deal".
* A "broadband revolution".
* The "devolution of air passenger duty" for
Cardiff Airport
Cardiff Airport () is an airport in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan. It is the only airport offering commercial passenger services and cargo services in Wales. The airport is owned by the Welsh Government, operating it at arm's length as a commercia ...
.
* The restructuring of the
Wales Office
The Wales Office (), known as the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales () between 2017 and 2024, is a department of His Majesty's Government. It replaced the former Welsh Office, which had extensive responsibility for governing Wales p ...
.
* Welsh representation on national and cross border bodies, to respond to the issues such as where the
Countess of Chester hospital rejected Welsh patients.
* Welsh figures on regulators such as OFGEM, OFCOM, and Ofwat.
In July 2020, RT Davies was reshuffled from Shadow Environment Minister to Shadow Health Minister.
Following the
storming of the United States Capitol by supporters of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
on 6 January 2021, Davies was criticised for comparing the riot to other British politicians'
opposition to Brexit.
Second leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group
RT Davies was appointed as Leader of the
Welsh Conservatives Group on 24 January 2021,
following the resignation of
Paul Davies
Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...
, after a scandal involving possible breaches of Welsh COVID-19 regulations.
He quickly appointed a Shadow Cabinet on the same day. This ceased to be the Shadow Cabinet on 29 March 2021, after
Nick Ramsay
Nick Ramsay (born 10 June 1975) is a British politician who served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Monmouth (Senedd constituency), Monmouth from 2007 to 2021. Originally a member of the Welsh Conservatives, he served as Shadow Minister of F ...
left the Welsh Conservatives to contest the
2021 Senedd election
The 2021 Senedd election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021 to elect 60 members to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). It was the sixth Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved general election since the Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for ...
as an independent. In the 2021 Senedd election, the Welsh Conservatives received 16 seats. Davies stated his intention to remain as leader of the Welsh Conservatives after this result.
In a July 2021 op-ed for ''
Mail+
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...
'', Davies accused the Welsh media of being "in hock to the
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
agenda". He wrote: "This is what's in store for us in the Senedd over the next five years: listening to Labour ministers regurgitate historically ignorant, politically extreme ideas and a demonstrably poor understanding of sovereignty in Britain as they call for a federalist system that will only serve to worsen, not solve, the issues present in Wales."
Davies took a leave of absence from September to December 2021, citing the impact that bouts of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
and the flu had had on his mental wellbeing.
During his leadership, he opposed the changing of the default urban speed limit from 30mph to 20mph, being censured by the Senedd standards committee for bringing the Senedd into disrepute by inaccurately
describing the policy as blanket.
He also opposed the continued tenure of
Vaughan Gething
Humphrey Vaughan ap David Gething (born 15 March 1974) is a Welsh Labour Co-op politician who served as First Minister of Wales from March to August 2024, and served as leader of Welsh Labour from March to July 2024, making him the first blac ...
as First Minister,
and called for further investigation and publication of evidence with regard to the firing of
Hannah Blythyn. His leadership was increasingly described as
populist
Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
.
2024 leadership crisis
On 24 July 2024, Davies wrote an article for the website of
GB News
GB News is a British free-to-air, editorial, opinion-orientated television and radio news channel. The channel is available on Freeview (UK), Freeview, Freesat, Sky UK, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus, LG web ...
entitled "Children SHOULD NOT be forced to eat Halal school lunches", referring to a story from a member of the public who had allegedly been told that there was no non-halal meat options at their child's school. He had further written to
Vale of Glamorgan Council
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Subdivisions of Wales, Principal Areas of Wales.
History
The new Vale of Glamorgan Council unitary authority came into effect on 1 April 1996, following th ...
, who were responsible for the school. The school later confirmed that Davies assertion that only halal meat options were available was false, and that non-halal meat options were available,
and Vale of Glamorgan Council Leader Lis Burnett stated that Davies had publicly published the letter 5 minutes after sending it to the council, providing no time for a response. However, his false allegations were promoted by far-right activist
Tommy Robinson
Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (' Yaxley; born 27 November 1982), better known as Tommy Robinson, is a British anti-Islam sentiment, anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK's most prominent far-right activists.
Robinson has been active in ...
and gained large social media attention during early stages of the
2024 United Kingdom riots
From 30 July to 5 August 2024, Far-right politics in the United Kingdom, far-right, anti-immigration protests and riots occurred in England and Northern Ireland, within the United Kingdom. This followed a 2024 Southport stabbing, mass stabbin ...
.
Davies' initial article and letter were described as "ham-fisted attempts at dog-whistle racism" and "Islamophobic race-baiting" by the Muslim Council of Wales.
He also faced further criticism from within his own party, with Muslim MS
Natasha Asghar
Natasha Asghar (born 20 October 1983) is a Welsh Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of the Senedd for the South Wales East region since 2021, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education since December 2024. Her father Moham ...
saying she had "raised concerns" directly with Davies about his statements and Shadow Finance Minister
Peter Fox and former leader of the Welsh Conservatives
Nick Bourne both making statements about Islamophobia in the party.
Davies responded by saying "These were legitimate questions and as an elected member, I fulfilled my responsibilities by asking them. Attempts to equate those legitimate concerns with the disorder we’ve seen on our streets is particularly irresponsible. Just as the thuggery we’ve seen cannot be justified by legitimate concerns on political issues, those same concerns must not be ignored by political leaders."
Davies faced further public criticism from within his party after he polled attendees of the Vale of Glamorgan show on whether the Senedd should be abolished, with several members of Shadow Cabinet publicly criticising the poll, with former party leaders
Paul Davies
Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...
and
Nick Bourne both questioning why a policy that is not formally party policy was being polled.
In October 2024, Davies was censured by the Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee, after having been found to have breached the Senedd's Code of Conduct by describing Wales' reduction of the default speed limit in built up areas from 30 to 20 as a "blanket" policy.
His colleague and Shadow Transport Minister
Natasha Asghar
Natasha Asghar (born 20 October 1983) is a Welsh Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of the Senedd for the South Wales East region since 2021, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education since December 2024. Her father Moham ...
had been reprimanded prior to this for the same matter.
He was also found to have breached the Code of Conduct over a tweet in which posted an image from an article from
Guido Fawkes, containing First Minister
Vaughan Gething
Humphrey Vaughan ap David Gething (born 15 March 1974) is a Welsh Labour Co-op politician who served as First Minister of Wales from March to August 2024, and served as leader of Welsh Labour from March to July 2024, making him the first blac ...
and of a pregnant woman with the text "Welsh Government press release celebrates ‘birthing people.’ Wales makes womb for ‘birthing people.'" The Senedd Standards Committee found his tweet to be "a blatant lie", but did not say that any further action in relation to the breach of the Code of Conduct was warranted.
In November 2024, he faced similar criticism for his allegation that the Wales Anti-racism action plan contained a call for "dog-free areas" in the Welsh Countryside, based on an article in the Daily Mail which made the same claim.
The Welsh Government described this as "inaccurate and a complete misrepresentation" of the report. Climate Cymru Ethnic Minorities - who were responsible for the portion of the report the line was included described it as being “out of context, misrepresented and used as clickbait to drive engagement.”
Climate Cymru Ethnic Minorities asked Davies to remove his tweet about the matter on this basis, and he refused, stating he "
adeno apologies for opposing labour's divisive “Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan”." Climate Cymru and Climate Cymru Ethnic Minorities reported harassment after Davies made the claim.
Late 2024 confidence vote and resignation
On 28 November 2024, it was reported by
Nation.Cymru that Davies had been asked to step down by members of the Welsh Conservative group. Later that same day it was reported that
he would face a confidence vote in the Welsh Conservative group meeting on Tuesday 3 December. He survived the confidence vote, reportedly with the support of 9 out of 16 members, including his own.
The vote was not held as a
secret ballot
The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
, instead as a show of hands, after a motion by Davies and seconded by
Laura Anne Jones. Shortly after the vote, Davies resigned as leader of the Welsh Conservatives, stating he viewed his position as untenable, after a number of members of the Conservative Shadow Cabinet privately threatened to resign if he remained in post.
He formally left the role on 5 December 2024, after his replacement
Darren Millar
Darren David Millar (born 1976) is a Welsh politician who has served as the leader of the Welsh Conservatives since December 2024, and Member of the Senedd (MS) for Clwyd West since 2007.
Background
Millar was born and grew up in Towyn. Pol ...
was elected unanimously within the Welsh Conservative group.
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Davies was elected as a County Councillor for
Rhoose in a by-election on 14 February 2019, and claimed a basic councillor allowance of £13,868 before expenses, alongside his salary as a Senedd Member. He did not contest the 2022 local elections.
Political views
Brexit and its impact on Wales
During the
Brexit referendum campaign, Davies suggested Wales would be better off financially outside the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, stating that if the UK voted to leave, it could mean "Wales could be as much as half a billion pounds a year better off".
In a July 2016 interview with WalesOnline, Davies insisted that, as a result of Brexit "Wales must not lose a penny of the money that has historically flowed into Wales". However, after the referendum, the
Secretary of State for Wales
The secretary of state for Wales (), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Ki ...
Alun Cairns, confirmed that the UK Government would in fact reduce the amount allocated for Wales (which the European Union had earmarked at £1.9 billion for the period 2014 to 2020).
In the run-up to the UK's
invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, Davies claimed that the
Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
should be denied the right to be part of
Brexit negotiations
Between 2017 and 2019, representatives of the United Kingdom and the European Union negotiated the terms of Brexit, the UK's planned withdrawal from membership of the EU. These negotiations arose following the decision of the Parliament of th ...
on devolved areas.
Despite his firm anti-EU stance, Davies' family firm TJ Davies and Sons had accepted a total of £96,808.89 in EU subsidies over the period 16 October 2013 to 15 October 2014 alone, including £70,930.63 allocated under the Single Area payment scheme, £24,099.86 in agro-environmental payments, and £1,728.40 from the first Afforestation of Agricultural Land scheme. Commenting on the revelation of these figures,
Britain Stronger in Europe
Britain Stronger in Europe (formally The In Campaign Limited) was an advocacy group which campaigned in favour of the United Kingdom's continued membership of the European Union in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, ...
spokesman James McGrory said "taking money from Europe while saying we should leave is hypocrisy of the first order."
In September 2019, Davies criticised proposals by the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and other parties which would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek an extension to Article 50 if it prevented a no deal exit from the European Union. He described the avoidance of Brexit on 31 October as a "betrayal of democracy". He criticised First Minister Mark Drakeford for recalling the Welsh Assembly to debate Brexit, stating that the decision would "achieve nothing", and joined Conservative ministers in voting against a motion criticising the UK Government's handling of a no deal exit.
Devolution
Davies has frequently been critical of further devolution to the Senedd. In 2022, he called on candidates in the
July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election to pledge that they would not grant further powers to Senedd. In 2024, he polled attendees of the Vale of Glamorgan County show on whether the Senedd should be abolished, prompting criticism from members of his own party.
However, he has supported some policies that would increase Senedd powers, including supporting the ability of the Senedd to raise taxes on individual tax brackets independently, rather than in 'lock-step' as proposed by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2014.
Honours
Davies was made a
Commander of the Order of British Empire (CBE) in the
2020 New Year Honours
The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
, "for political and public service".
Footnotes
References
External links
*
Andrew RT Davies MSon the Senedd website
Conservative Party candidates profile 2005 general election.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Andrew RT
1968 births
Living people
Conservative Party members of the Senedd
Wales AMs 2007–2011
Wales AMs 2011–2016
Wales MSs 2016–2021
Welsh farmers
People from Cowbridge
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Wales MSs 2021–2026
National Farmers' Union of England and Wales officials