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Hywel Rhodri Morgan (29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017) was a
Welsh Labour Welsh Labour (), formerly known as the Labour Party in Wales (), is an autonomous section of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK), Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears have won a p ...
politician who was the
First Minister of Wales The first minister of Wales () is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal. The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Welsh Government po ...
and the Leader of
Welsh Labour Welsh Labour (), formerly known as the Labour Party in Wales (), is an autonomous section of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK), Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears have won a p ...
from 2000 to 2009. He was also the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011 and the Member of Parliament for Cardiff West from 1987 to 2001. He remains the longest-serving First Minister of Wales, having served in the position for 9 years and 304 days. He was Chancellor of
Swansea University Swansea University () is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it chang ...
from 2011 until his death in 2017.


Early life and education

Hywel Rhodri Morgan was born at Mrs Gill's Nursing Home in
Roath Roath () is a district and Community (Wales), community to the north-east of the Cardiff city centre, city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The area is mostly covered by the Plasnewydd electoral ward, and stretches from Adamsdown in the so ...
,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
on 29 September 1939. He was the younger of two children born to the Welsh writer and academic Thomas John (T.J.) Morgan and his wife Huana Morgan (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Rees), a writer and schoolteacher. Morgan was born into a Welsh-speaking academic family. His native language was Welsh, though he later became fluent in English, French and German as well. His mother was one of the first women to study at University College, Swansea (now Swansea University), where she read Welsh. She became a schoolteacher in
Rhymney Rhymney (; ) is a town and a community (Wales), community in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshir ...
before settling in Radyr after her retirement. Morgan's father also read Welsh at University College, Swansea, before reading
Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...
at
University College, Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
(UCD). He became a Welsh language lecturer at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) and a Welsh language professor at University College, Swansea, where he also served as the
vice-principal In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making author ...
. He met Huana at the
National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...
in 1926 and they married in 1935. Their first child, Morgan's brother Prys Morgan, was born in Cardiff in 1937. He would grow up to become a history professor at Swansea University. Morgan was also related to the academic Garel Rhys, who was his second cousin.


Childhood and education

Morgan was raised with his brother Prys in the village of Radyr in outer Cardiff. Until the age of 21, he lived with his family at 32 Heol Isaf, in a house which sat on the main road of the village beside what is now a
Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
. Morgan was born in the first month of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and the conflict had a great presence in his life during his early childhood. He retained vivid memories of air raid sirens and
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
into adulthood. He also had a lifelong love for gardening which began when he watched his father grow vegetables for the wartime dig for victory campaign. Radyr did, however, avoid the conflict's worst hardships. Morgan had a mostly positive childhood, however he was often ill as an infant, and he almost died from
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
in 1942. As a child, Morgan was nicknamed "fuzzy" by his family and friends for his curly, frizzy hair. In 1944, Morgan started attending Radyr Primary School. Having begun his education near the end of World War II, Morgan found his class in the first year of primary school was mostly populated by evacuees. In 2005, Morgan remarked that the school was "like the
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
" because of the refugees and evacuees in Radyr. The school was populated by a combination of evacuees and children from Radyr and Morganstown, another village in Cardiff, with the children from Morganstown accounting for 66% of its population. At the time, other children from Radyr would instead be sent to The Cathedral School in
Llandaff Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...
, which was a
private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
. Morgan showed signs of intelligence at school, and he would be tracked two academic years ahead of his peers, sharing classes with his older brother Prys. He finished primary school in 1950 and passed his eleven-plus examination. He attended Whitchurch Grammar School, becoming one of the few children from Radyr to attend a school in Whitchurch at the time. At the grammar school, Morgan achieved high results in most subjects but science. He finished his secondary education there in 1957 after winning a place at
St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...
on an open
exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...
for the study of modern languages. At Oxford, Morgan studied modern languages for two academic terms before becoming disinterested in the subject and changing his subject to
philosophy, politics and economics Philosophy, politics and economics, or politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), is an interdisciplinary undergraduate or postgraduate academic degree, degree which combines study from three disciplines. The first institution to offer degrees in P ...
(PPE). Morgan disliked the formal and ostentatious atmosphere of Oxford, and he later said he "had more respect for a semi-retired porter … than for the college president". Morgan graduated from Oxford in 1961. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree with second class honours in PPE. Morgan's American friends from his time at Oxford convinced him to apply for a place at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. His second class honours was enough to secure him a place at Harvard to read a Master of Arts degree in government. Morgan's studies in the United States were paid for through a
scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
. He graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with a Master of Arts degree in government in 1963, before coming back to the United Kingdom in that year's summer.


Early political involvement

Morgan's interest in politics began when he was eleven or twelve years old. He had convinced his mother to take him to a local political meeting. At the meeting he saw Dorothy Rees, the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Barry, shouted down by public school pupils who supported the Conservative Party, which made her cry. Morgan later recalled thinking: "I'm going to nail those bastards". He was an active member of the Oxford University Labour Club and is said to have discouraged other students at Oxford from joining
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; , ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist list of political parties in Wales, political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from th ...
. By the time Morgan finished his studies at Harvard, he had decided to pursue his political interests practically rather than academically. He joined the Labour Party in December 1963, where he became a member of the
constituency Labour Party A constituency Labour Party (CLP) is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular parliamentary constituency. In England and Wales, CLP boundaries coincide with those for UK parliamentary constituencies. In Sc ...
for Cardiff South East.


Early career

Morgan returned to the United Kingdom in the summer of 1963, where he took up his first job as a tutor organiser for the Workers' Educational Association (WEA), which was then a training ground for future Labour Party MPs. He was responsible for organising the association's tutors in
South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
. In December, Morgan attended a local Labour Party meeting where he met Labour activists Julie Edwards and
Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a Welsh politician who was Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 Labour Party le ...
, the future leader of the Labour Party. In the same month, Morgan moved into a flat in Cardiff, which he shared with Kinnock and two other local Labour Party activists until 1965. Together, the flatmates engaged in anti-apartheid activism. In the 1964 general election, Morgan campaigned with Edwards, Kinnock and Kinnock's partner Glenys in support of
James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...
, the Labour MP for Cardiff South East who later became prime minister. Morgan pursued a relationship with Edwards and after three years of campaigning together they married on 22 April 1967. They had their first child, Mari, in 1968, and a second child, Siani, in 1969. They also had an adopted son, Stuart, who was born in 1969 or 1970. In 1966, Morgan was considered for selection as the Labour Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Cardiff North, though he was ultimately not selected. At the time, Morgan did not have a strong interest in a parliamentary career, and whilst Kinnock and other former WEA workers quickly became MPs, he instead wanted to spend time with his family. By the time of the 1970 general election he had a wife and three children, and he may have believed that a parliamentary career and its instabilities would take too much time away from them. He left the WEA in 1965, taking up jobs as a research officer for Cardiff City Council, the
Welsh Office The Welsh Office () was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post wh ...
and the
Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
in that order, remaining in this field of work until 1971. At the Welsh Office, Morgan authored documents to expand the
M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is the third longest motorway in the United Kingdom, running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh ele ...
through parts of South Wales. He also contributed to the creation of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre in Wales, as well as the relocation of the
Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's official maker of British coins. It is currently located in Llantrisant, Wales, where it moved in 1968. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly ow ...
and a part of the Inland Revenue to Wales. In addition to his work as a research officer at Cardiff City Council, Morgan was also a junior town planner. He reported to the Cardiff City Planning Department. In 1972, Morgan became a
civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
at the Department of Trade and Industry where he worked for
Christopher Chataway Sir Christopher John Chataway (31 January 1931 – 19 January 2014) was a British middle- and long-distance runner, television news broadcaster and Conservative politician. Education Chataway was born in Chelsea, London, the son of James Deny ...
as an economic adviser. He remained at the department until 1974. In 1974, Morgan became the industrial development officer for South Glamorgan County Council, which he said was his "dream job". He stopped working for the council in 1980. From 1980 to 1987 Morgan worked at the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
's Office for Wales as the head of its press and information bureau. His ability to speak German, Welsh and French proved useful. In this role, he was the highest paid civil servant in Wales. Morgan's work had permitted him to keep living in Cardiff while staying politically active as a neutral civil servant. However, he was still interested in partisan politics, and he was thinking about standing as an MP. In 1985, Morgan decided to stand for parliament after his wife was elected as a councillor for South Glamorgan County Council. James Callaghan had announced his plans to retire from his seat, Cardiff South and Penarth, at the next general election, and Morgan intended to take over from Callaghan as Labour's candidate for the seat. However, another contender had already been promised local support by the Labour Party. Morgan was encouraged to seek selection in the seat of Cardiff West instead. He was successfully nominated for selection as Labour's candidate in Cardiff West, beating contenders such as Ivor Richard, the United Kingdom's former ambassador to the United Nations, where he would stand in the 1987 general election.


Parliamentary career

In the 1987 general election, Morgan was elected as the Labour MP for Cardiff West, defeating the incumbent Conservative MP Stefan Terlezki, who had been elected in the 1983 general election. Morgan won the seat with a majority of 4,045 votes (9.1%). He increased his majority to 9,291 (20.3%) in the 1992 general election and 15,628 (38.8%) in the 1997 general election. He was sponsored by the
Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general union, general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland—where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU)—with 900 ...
and shared an office at Transport House with Alun Michael, the Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, following their election to parliament in 1987. He was joined in parliament by his wife Julie following the 1997 general election, when she was elected as the Labour MP for Cardiff North. Morgan made his
maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...
in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
on 8 July 1987, during a debate on a Finance Bill. The media developed a liking for Morgan; ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' reviewed the maiden speeches of the 1987 parliamentary intake and placed Morgan's maiden speech into joint-first place. He established a reputation for being a "maverick" and a witty and outspoken "loose-cannon". In line with the majority of
backbench In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of t ...
MPs from Wales, Morgan aligned himself with the
soft left The soft left, also known as the open left, inside left and historically as the Tribunite left, is a faction within the British Labour Party. The term "soft left" was coined to distinguish the mainstream left, represented by former leader Michae ...
of the Labour Party. He was associated with the " Riverside Mafia", a group of soft left Labour councillors in South Glamorgan County Council which included
Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford (born 19 September 1954) is a Welsh politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance since September 2024, having previously held the position from 2016 to 2018. He previously served as First Minister of Wales and L ...
, Jane Hutt, Sue Essex and Morgan's wife Julie. Morgan's main interests as an MP were industrial policy, regional policy, regional development, health, European affairs, the environment, and the conservation of wild life, particularly marine life and birds. He also had an interest in freedom of information.


Cardiff Bay Barrage campaign

An early challenge for Morgan during his parliamentary career was the controversial Cardiff Bay Barrage project. Mark Drakeford and Jane Hutt were suspended by the leadership of the Labour group in South Glamorgan County Council for opposing the scheme. The council had been promoting the project with the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, with both organisations claiming that the barrage would regenerate the Cardiff Docklands. Its opponents, meanwhile, claimed that it would be costly and potentially damaging to the environment. Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock and Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth Alun Michael, whose constituency included the site where the new bay would be formed, both supported the project. However, the constituency Labour Party for Cardiff West, Morgan's own constituency, had voted to oppose the barrage, and the local Labour Party branches for Riverside and Canton were also against it. On 3 July 1989, Morgan announced his opposition to the barrage, stating that it was wrong "to subject my constituents to disturbance for something of extremely doubtful value". Morgan was concerned about the differing opinions from geologists on the barrage's possible effects. He was a
naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
who found the bay's mudflats to be of value, and he believed that damming it could cause a permanent increase in drainage, damp and rot. Morgan also believed that the barrage could flood Cardiff West, with the constituency having had a history of damaging floods as recent as 1979. He became the spokesman for a group of Labour councillors in Cardiff City Council and South Glamorgan County Council who opposed the project, and in parliament he led a five year campaign against the bill which would allow for its construction. Using
parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedures are the accepted Procedural law, rules, ethics, and Norm (sociology), customs governing meetings of an deliberative assembly, assembly or organization. Their object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of inte ...
and
filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...
s, Morgan was able to delay the construction of the barrage until the Conservative government finally pushed the bill through parliament in 1993. Morgan's campaign against the bill generated animosity between him and Alun Michael, who had supported the barrage, and it made him appear less trustworthy to the more centrist-leaning elements of the Labour Party. In 1993, Morgan warned John Redwood, the
Welsh secretary The secretary of state for Wales (), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a me ...
, that a Labour government might stop the construction of the barrage before its completion. This prompted Michael to state that he was "fed up" with Morgan's "outrageous and irresponsible nonsense", adding that his remarks could deter employers from coming to Cardiff.


Shadow ministerial career

In his first year in parliament, Morgan worked on standing committees for the Finance Bill, the Housing Bill and the Steel Privatisation Bill. Labour leader Neil Kinnock rewarded Morgan for this work by appointing him to Labour's shadow energy team on 10 November 1988. He became a junior shadow minister for energy, where he was given responsibility for Labour's response to the government's electricity privatisation policy. When taking the role, Morgan said he intended to scrutinise the government's plans for electricity privatisation as he found "no virtues in converting a public monopoly into a private sector monopoly" and wanted to find "a better deal for consumers". During Morgan's tenure, the shadow energy team opposed electricity privatisation. He spoke beyond his brief, asking why Wales received less investment than
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
and
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
and exploring a now disproven
conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
that the Spandau prisoner believed to be
Nazi German Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
deputy Führer
Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...
was an imposter. In the shadow energy team, Morgan initially worked under
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
, the shadow secretary of state for energy from 1988 to 1989. He then worked under Frank Dobson, the shadow energy secretary from 1989 to 1992. According to ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', Morgan and Blair worked "harmoniously" together. In contrast, the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'' said Morgan "antagonised lairat every step". Morgan himself believed that he was "highly regarded" by Blair. He supported Blair's attempt to get elected to the
National Executive Committee of the Labour Party The National Executive Committee (NEC) is the governing body of the UK Labour Party, setting the overall strategic direction of the party and policy development. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affil ...
in 1992 and voted for Blair during his campaign for the Labour leadership in 1994, which he won. On 30 July 1992, the recently elected Labour leader John Smith appointed Morgan as a shadow minister for Welsh affairs. He remained in this post after Tony Blair became Labour leader in 1994. At first, Morgan worked under Ann Clwyd, the shadow secretary of state for Wales from July 1992 to November 1992. He then worked under Ron Davies, the shadow welsh secretary from November 1992, serving as his deputy. He was also given responsibility for Labour's health policy in Wales. In the Welsh affairs brief, Morgan targeted quangos in Wales for their alleged
cronyism Cronyism is a specific form of in-group favoritism, the spoils system practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. ...
, unaccountability and lack of democracy. These quangos were unelected, publicly funded organisations whose leaders were appointed by the Conservative government. Under John Redwood's tenure as
Welsh secretary The secretary of state for Wales (), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a me ...
, the
Welsh Office The Welsh Office () was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post wh ...
was criticised for presiding over a large increase over the amount of quangos in the country, with people sympathetic to the Conservative Party often appointed to lead them. In 1979, there were 44 quangos in Wales. By 1994, there were 111. Quangos came to dominate Wales. In 1994, Morgan claimed that government plans would result in there being more people sitting on quangos than local councillors in the country. He refused to vote for the
Welsh Language Act 1993 The Welsh Language Act 1993 (c. 38) () is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which put the Welsh language on an equal footing with the English language in Wales. Act Background After the S4C, Welsh language c ...
; the act's main purpose was to set up a new quango called the Welsh Language Board. Morgan said Labour would abstain on the act "because we hope to have the opportunity before long to do the job properly. That will be done when we revisit the question of a Welsh language measure when we are in Government." When
William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
was Welsh secretary, Morgan staged a protest with other Welsh Labour MPs outside the 1996 Conservative Party Conference, where he claimed that the total cost of the quangos in Wales had reached £51.5 million. To tackle the cost of the Welsh quangos, Morgan stated in 1996 that a devolved
Welsh Assembly The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...
established by a Labour government would combine four quangos, the
Welsh Development Agency Welsh Development Agency (WDA; ) was an executive agency (or QUANGO) and later designated an Assembly Sponsored Public Body (ASPB). Established in 1976, it was tasked with rescuing the ailing Welsh economy by encouraging business development and ...
, the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, the Development Board for Rural Wales and the Land Authority for Wales to create an "economic powerhouse". The idea of establishing a devolved Welsh Assembly had been supported by Morgan, who was one of its leading proponents. He was involved in talks with the upper ranks of the Labour Party on devolution, becoming an important figure in drawing up its devolution policy for Wales. In the Welsh affairs brief, he campaigned for Welsh devolution, helping move the proposal for a Welsh Assembly further up the Labour Party's policy platform. He was a member of the Campaign for the Welsh Assembly and supported Wales Labour Action, a
pressure group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
within the Labour Party that called for the establishment of a Welsh Assembly. Morgan's opposition to the Welsh quangos, as well as his attempts to stop the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage, alienated the traditionalists within the Labour Party in Wales. These actions also made him a known troublemaker towards the Welsh political establishment. In Cardiff, Morgan faced hostility from the local political establishment in the Labour Party. He ultimately found the 1992–1997 parliament more challenging than the previous parliament. He had a difficult relationship with some of Tony Blair's inner circle, including his close confidant Alun Michael and his closest adviser Peter Mandelson.


Return to the backbenches

In the 1997 general election, the Labour Party secured a landslide victory against the Conservative Party, returning to government after 18 years in opposition. Morgan had been aspiring to become a government minister since at least 1994, and when Labour returned to government he was expected to be given a role in the Welsh Office as a junior minister. However, in what was viewed as a surprising decision, Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to give Morgan a role in the government. Ron Davies, the Welsh secretary in the new government, had wanted to keep Morgan in his team as a junior minister, but Blair refused to appoint him to such a role. At the time, Blair's official explanation was that Morgan, aged 57, was too old for a ministerial career. However, in a 2017 interview with ''
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
'', Blair revealed that he did not appoint Morgan to the government because they disagreed on policy, adding that he viewed himself as a progressive politician bringing change while he viewed Morgan as a traditionalist. Morgan returned to the backbenches where he was elected chair of the House of Commons Public Administration Committee as a
consolation prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
. In his later parliamentary career as a backbencher, Morgan provoked the Labour government for its hesitance to ban the advertising of cigarettes, its unenthusiastic approach to freedom of information and for the party's parliamentary selection process.


Welsh Labour leadership campaigns

Labour's election manifesto for the 1997 general election included a commitment to hold a devolution referendum in Wales to determine whether to establish a devolved Welsh assembly. In the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum, Morgan campaigned for the ''
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...
'' vote. He was also considering standing for election to the assembly if the referendum passed. The referendum resulted in a narrow majority in favour, which led to the passing of the
Government of Wales Act 1998 A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
and the formation of the devolved
National Assembly for Wales The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...
in 1999. Morgan decided to put his name forward as Labour's candidate for the assembly seat of Cardiff West, which had the same name and boundaries as his seat in the House of Commons. He was subsequently identified as a likely contender to become the first leader of the assembly, known as the First Secretary of Wales. Following the result of the 1997 devolution referendum, Morgan immediately decided to run for the leadership of the Labour Party in Wales. This meant that he was also running to become the inaugural first secretary of Wales, as Labour was expected to win the most seats in the first election to the assembly. Leading the assembly had been a long-held ambition of Morgan's. However, the favourite to become first secretary was the Welsh secretary Ron Davies, who was viewed as the architect of the government's plans for the devolved assembly. In March 1998, Davies announced his intention to stand for a seat in the assembly and run for the post of first secretary. Morgan then called for a leadership election to determine who the party's candidate for first secretary would be. Senior figures in the Labour Party in Wales feared that a leadership election could split the party and instead preferred to avoid an election, with Davies running for the post of first secretary unopposed. However, Morgan continued to insist on a leadership election, stating that he had already announced his intention to become first secretary before Davies did. Campaigning for the 1998 Welsh Labour leadership election began in March 1998 and lasted until September. In his leadership pitch, Morgan cited his administrative experience in London, Europe, local government and the Welsh Office. He also presented himself as the "new beginning, anti-establishment" candidate and as the "unity" candidate. Davies had the support of Tony Blair and the party machinery of the Labour Party and was viewed as the establishment candidate. Morgan also presented himself as the "democratic" candidate, as he had campaigned for the election to be held under the
one member, one vote "One man, one vote" or "one vote, one value" is a slogan used to advocate for the principle of equal representation in voting. This slogan is used by advocates of democracy and political equality, especially with regard to electoral reforms like ...
electoral system. However, senior figures in the Labour Party in Wales decided to hold the election under an
electoral college An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
with
block voting Block or bloc voting refers to a class of electoral systems where multiple candidates are elected simultaneously. They do not guarantee minority representation and allow a group of voters (a voting bloc) to ensure that only their preferred candi ...
, which was decried as "undemocratic" by Davies' opponents. Support for Davies came from the large trade unions such as
Unison Unison (stylised as UNISON) is a Great Britain, British trade union. Along with Unite the Union, Unite, Unison is one of the two largest trade unions in the United Kingdom, with over 1.2 million members who work predominantly in public servic ...
and the
Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general union, general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland—where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU)—with 900 ...
and from the majority of Labour MPs, MEPs and Welsh assembly candidates. Support for Morgan came from the smaller trade unions, the constituency membership and the party grassroots. Ideologically, both Morgan and Davies were on the soft left of the Labour Party. In September 1998, Davies won the leadership election, therefore becoming the Labour Party in Wales' candidate for first secretary. Morgan had won the most nominations from the constituency Labour parties, as well as the membership vote across the constituency parties which held a membership ballot, but the electoral college left him with 31.78% of the vote to Davies' 68.22%. Davies would resign from the cabinet and the leadership six weeks later after being involved in an alleged gay sex scandal on
Clapham Common Clapham Common is a large triangular urban park in Clapham, south London, England. Originally common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878. It is of gr ...
. Tony Blair appointed Alun Michael as Welsh secretary and planned for him to become the first secretary without a leadership election. Blair appointed Michael, a Blairite, to prevent Morgan from taking the leadership. Michael invited Morgan and another likely contender for the post,
Wayne David Sir Wayne David (born 1 July 1957) is a Welsh politician who served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Caerphilly (UK Parliament constituency), Caerphilly from 2001 to 2024. A member of the Wales Labour Party ...
, to serve with him as his deputies. Morgan declined Michael's offer and insisted on another leadership election. Blair met with Morgan and tried to convince him not to stand, but Morgan rejected this appeal and continued his leadership campaign. The 1999 Welsh Labour leadership election took place in February 1999. It was a repeat of the 1998 leadership contest in several ways. Morgan once again presented himself as the "anti-establishment" candidate. He also presented himself as the choice of the Welsh people. In contrast, Michael was widely seen as a reluctant parachute candidate from London who was imposed on Wales by the Labour Party leadership. In actuality, both Michael and Morgan were native Welsh speakers from Wales who shared a long-standing commitment to Welsh devolution. Morgan was described as the left-wing " Old Labour" candidate while Michael was described as the centrist "
New Labour New Labour is the political philosophy that dominated the history of the British Labour Party from the mid-late 1990s to 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The term originated in a conference slogan first used by the ...
" candidate. Although Michael had by this point become a Blairite, both candidates had their origins in the soft left of the Labour Party. There was also some animosity between them, as Morgan had been a leading campaigner against the Cardiff Bay Barrage project while Michael had been a leading campaigner in support of it.


Assembly career


First Assembly (1999)

A committed supporter of Welsh
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
, Morgan contested the position of Labour's nominee for the (then titled) First Secretary for Wales. He lost to the then Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies. Davies was then forced to resign his position after an alleged sex scandal, whereupon Morgan again ran for the post. His opponent, Alun Michael, the new Secretary of State for Wales, was seen as a reluctant participant despite also having a long-standing commitment to Welsh devolution, and was widely regarded as being the choice of the UK leadership of the Labour Party. Michael was duly elected to the leadership but resigned a little more than a year later, amid threats of an imminent no-confidence vote and alleged plotting against him by members of not only his own party, but also Assembly groups and Cabinet members. Morgan, who had served as Minister for Economic Development under Michael, became Labour's new nominee for First Secretary, and was elected in February 2000, later becoming First Minister on 16 October 2000 when the position was retitled. He was also appointed to the Privy Council in July 2000. Morgan stepped down from the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
at the 2001 General Election. Morgan's leadership was characterised by a willingness to distance himself from a number of aspects of UK Labour Party policy, particularly in relation to plans to introduce choice and competition into
public services A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service (economics), service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing availab ...
, which he has argued do not fit Welsh attitudes and values, and would not work effectively in a smaller and more rural country. In a
speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
given in
Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
to the National Centre for Public Policy in November 2002, Morgan stated his opposition to foundation hospitals (a UK Labour proposal), and referred to the " Clear Red Water" separating policies in Wales and in
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
.


Second Assembly (2003)

On 1 May 2003, Labour under Morgan's leadership was re-elected in the Assembly elections. Morgan managed to win enough seats to form a Labour-only administration (the election was held under
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
, and Labour won 30 of the 60 seats in the Assembly and the overall majority was achieved when
Dafydd Elis-Thomas Dafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, (; 18 October 1946 – 7 February 2025) was a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 199 ...
AM was elected Presiding Officer of the Assembly) and named his cabinet on 9 May. In that election, Labour easily took back all of the former strongholds they lost to
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; , ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist list of political parties in Wales, political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from th ...
at the height of Alun Michael's unpopularity in 1999. In his second term, Morgan's administration continued its theme of "Welsh solutions for Welsh problems", a marked contrast to the Blairite public service reform agenda. Instead of competition,
Welsh Labour Welsh Labour (), formerly known as the Labour Party in Wales (), is an autonomous section of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK), Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears have won a p ...
emphasised the need for
collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...
between public service providers.


Third Assembly (2007)

Labour was the biggest party with 26 out of the 60 seats, five short of an overall majority. After one month of
minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...
, Morgan signed a coalition agreement ('' One Wales'') with Ieuan Wyn Jones, leader of
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; , ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist list of political parties in Wales, political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from th ...
, on 27 June 2007. Morgan became the first modern political leader of Wales to lead an Assembly with powers to pass primary legislation (subject to consent from Westminster).


Retirement

In July 2005, Morgan announced his intention to lead the Welsh Labour party into the 2007 general election, but retire as leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister sometime in 2009, when he would be 70. On his 70th birthday (29 September) he set the exact date as immediately following the Assembly's budget session on 8 December 2009. Counsel General Carwyn Jones, Health Minister
Edwina Hart Edwina Hart, MBE (born 26 April 1957) is a Welsh LabourAssem ...
and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney AM Huw Lewis entered a leadership contest to elect a new Labour leader in Wales. On 1 December 2009 the winner was declared as Carwyn Jones, who assumed office as First Minister on 10 December 2009. Morgan remained a backbench AM until April 2011, when the third Assembly was dissolved before the general election on 5 May 2011.


Personal life

Morgan married
Julie Morgan Julie Morgan (née Edwards; 2 November 1944) is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North seat in the Senedd since the 2011 election. She was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff No ...
(
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Edwards) in 1967. Julie would later have her own political career as an AM and MP, joining Morgan in the House of Commons in 1997. The couple had two daughters, Mari and Siani, and an adopted son, Stuart. Mari was born in 1968 and became a scientist while Siani was born in 1969 and became a charity worker. Stuart, born in 1969 or 1970, was troubled and had multiple convictions. Morgan also had eight grandchildren and a
Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
named William Tell. His elder brother Prys Morgan was a history professor at Swansea University and his second cousin Garel Rhys was an academic. After marriage, Morgan settled at Dinas Powys. From 1986, he then lived with his wife and children at Lower House, a former farmhouse in the countryside of Michaelston-le-Pit. The home was known for being untidy and disorganised, with friends reportedly describing it as a " tip". The couple also had a caravan in Mwnt, on the coast of
Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...
, where the family holidayed each summer for at least 40 years. Morgan was a long-time friend of
Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a Welsh politician who was Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 Labour Party le ...
, leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992. In their younger years, they were part of a rock band together. They shared a flat in Cardiff from 1963 to 1965. Morgan was also a long-time friend of the former AM Sue Essex. In July 2007, Morgan had an
unstable angina In dynamical systems instability means that some of the outputs or internal states increase with time, without bounds. Not all systems that are not stable are unstable; systems can also be marginally stable or exhibit limit cycle behavior ...
which caused a partial blockage in two of his arteries and a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. He was admitted to hospital where he underwent cardiac surgery and had two
stent In medicine, a stent is a tube usually constructed of a metallic alloy or a polymer. It is inserted into the Lumen (anatomy), lumen (hollow space) of an anatomic vessel or duct to keep the passageway open. Stenting refers to the placement of ...
implants to unblock his arteries. Even though he left hospital within the week, doctors said he would not be fully recovered for a few weeks.


Death

Morgan collapsed on the evening of 17 May 2017 while cycling on Road, Wenvoe, near his home. Police and paramedics were called to the scene and he was pronounced dead. He was 77. Morgan's family held a humanist funeral for him, in line with his humanist beliefs, at the Welsh Assembly on 31 May, which was open on a first-come first-served basis to the public, as well as broadcast on screens outside the Senedd and online. The funeral was televised and billed as a major national event. The ceremony was led by Morgan's friend and former Welsh Labour colleague Lorraine Barrett. A private service of committal was held at Thornhill Crematorium's Wenallt Chapel in Cardiff the next day.


Honorary degrees

Morgan was awarded several
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s for his service to the United Kingdom, including the following. He was also appointed Chancellor of Swansea University in 2011, a post he held until his death. He had close links with the university as both his parents had graduated from it in the 1920s and his father and brother also taught there.


References


Notes


Footnotes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Rhodri 1939 births 2017 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Cool Cymru Cycling road incident deaths Fellows of St John's College, Oxford First ministers of Wales Harvard University alumni Leaders of political parties in Wales Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cardiff constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Welsh Government People associated with Swansea University Chancellors of Swansea University People educated at Whitchurch Grammar School, Cardiff Politicians from Cardiff Transport and General Workers' Union-sponsored MPs UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 Wales AMs 1999–2003 Wales AMs 2003–2007 Wales AMs 2007–2011 Welsh humanists Welsh Labour members of the Senedd Welsh Labour MPs Welsh socialists Welsh-speaking politicians