Huw Lewis
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
In office
6 May 1999 – 6 April 2016
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byDawn Bowden
Minister for Education and Skills
In office
26 June 2013 – 7 May 2016
First MinisterCarwyn Jones
DeputyKen Skates
Preceded byLeighton Andrews
Succeeded byKirsty Williams
Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
In office
14 March 2013 – 26 June 2013
First MinisterCarwyn Jones
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJeff Cuthbert
Minister for Housing, Regeneration & Heritage
In office
2011–2013
First MinisterCarwyn Jones
Deputy Minister for Children
In office
2009–2011
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Carwyn Jones
Deputy Minister for Economy & Transport
In office
31 May 2007 – 18 July 2007
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Deputy Minister for Social Justice & Regeneration
In office
May 2003 – 31 May 2007
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Deputy Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning
In office
October 2000 – 16 April 2001
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Government Whip
In office
May 1999 – October 2000
First MinisterAlun Michael
Preceded byPost established
Personal details
Born (1964-01-17) 17 January 1964 (age 60)
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Political partyLabour Co-operative
SpouseLynne Neagle
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
OccupationTeacher, political advisor
WebsiteWelsh Labour

Huw Lewis (born 17 January 1964) is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician who served as Minister for Education and Skills from 2013 to 2016. Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Lewis represented the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency in the National Assembly for Wales from 1999 to 2016.

Early life

Born in Merthyr Tydfil and brought up in Aberfan, he attended the University of Edinburgh. Active in the local Scottish Labour Party, he worked for both Labour Party leader John Smith and later Donald Dewar. Lewis campaigned for a Scottish Assembly alongside Edinburgh Labour Club colleagues Douglas and Wendy Alexander, and Pat McFadden.[1]

Returning to South Wales, Lewis worked briefly as a chemistry teacher at Afon Taf High School, before working full-time for the Labour Party.

Political career

Elected to the position of Assistant General Secretary of Welsh Labour, he organised the campaign for the Labour "Yes" Vote campaign in 1997, that lead to the creation of the Welsh National Assembly.

Elected to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 as a Labour and Co-operative Party candidate to represent Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. He has been party Whip in the Assembly, a post he resigned following the resignation of Alun Michael as First Secretary. He has also been Deputy Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning in October 2000, a post he resigned following the use of a landfill site in Trecatti, within his constituency, for the disposal of carcasses during the foot and mouth crisis (16 April 2001).

He was re-elected in 2003 and was appointed Deputy Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration in May 2003. In the Third Assembly he was appointed Deputy Minister for the Economy and Transport on 31 May 2007 but announced to the media that due to his private opposition to One Wales coalition deal with Plaid Cymru he had been sacked on 18 July 2007,[2] having been the only one of Labour's then 26 AMs to vote against Labour's coalition with Plaid Cymru.[3]

On 26 June 2013 in light of the resignation of Leighton Andrews, Lewis was appointed Minister for Education and Skills.[4] Not being a Welsh language speaker, that brief was returned to First Minister Carwyn Jones.

In January 2016, Lewis announced that he would leave the Assembly at the election in May of that year.[5]

Personal life

Lewis is married to his second wife Lynne Neagle, the Labour Assembly member for Torfaen and they have a son.

In August 2021 Lewis was appointed as the Political and Membership Officer for Wales at the Co-operative Party [6]

References

  1. ^ "About Huw". Huw Lewis. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  2. ^ Huw Lewis: Sacked and Back! Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Morgan, Rhodri (2017). A Political Life in Wales and Westminster (First ed.). University of Wales Press. p. 330. ISBN 978-1-78683-147-7.
  4. ^ "Welsh Government | Huw Lewis AM". Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Education Minister Huw Lewis to quit assembly at election". bbc.co.uk. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  6. ^ Political, Huw Lewis; Officer, Membership. "I'm excited about all we can achieve with our team in Wales". Co-operative Party. Retrieved 26 August 2021.

External links

Offices held

Senedd Preceded by(new post) Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 1999–2016 Succeeded byDawn Bowden Political offices Preceded by(new post) Deputy Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning 2000 - 2003 Succeeded by(post reorganised) Preceded by(new post) Deputy Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration 2005 - 2007 Succeeded by(post reorganised) Preceded byBrian Gibbons Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport 2007 Succeeded by(post reorganised) Preceded by(new post) Deputy Minister for Children 2009 - 2011 Succeeded byLeighton Andrews Preceded by(new post) Minister for Housing, Regeneration & Heritage 2011 - 2013 Succeeded by(post reorganised) Preceded byLeighton Andrews Minister for Education and Skills 2013 - 2016 Succeeded byKirsty Williams
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