James Davies (politician)

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James Davies
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
In office
27 October 2022 – 13 November 2023
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byDavid TC Davies
Succeeded byFay Jones
Member of Parliament
for Vale of Clwyd
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byChris Ruane
Majority1,827 (4.9%)
In office
7 May 2015 – 3 May 2017
Preceded byChris Ruane
Succeeded byChris Ruane
Personal details
Born (1980-02-27) 27 February 1980 (age 44)
St Asaph, Wales, UK
Political partyConservative
Alma materChrist's College, Cambridge
Websitewww.jamesdavies.org.uk

James Michael Davies (born 27 February 1980) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Vale of Clwyd since 2019, having previously held the seat from 2015 to 2017.[1] He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales between October 2022[2] and November 2023.[3]

Early life and career[edit]

Davies was born in St Asaph in his constituency, tracing his lineage there back seven generations. He was educated at the private King's School, Chester before going on to study at Christ's College, Cambridge, gaining three degrees: a BA, a MB BChir in 2004, and an MA in 2005. He is a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, specialising in dementia. Davies was elected to Denbighshire County Council in 2004, remaining a member until 2015.[1][4][5] He represented the Prestatyn East ward.[6] He was on the party list in North Wales at the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election.

Parliamentary career[edit]

At the 2015 general election, he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Vale of Clwyd with 39% of the vote, ahead of incumbent Chris Ruane of Labour on 38.4%.[7] Ruane had held the seat for 18 years, and Davies received 237 more votes than his opponent.[8] He lost his seat at the 2017 United Kingdom general election, but returned to Parliament at the 2019 election.[9][7]

In September 2020, Davies received criticism on social media for asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to comment on the news that the 2020 series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! would be filmed in Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales instead of New South Wales Australia, during a Prime Minister's Questions session that was otherwise dominated by question's relating to the government's coronavirus response.[10][11]

Davies was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department of Health and Social Care in September 2021.[12] He resigned this position on 6 July 2022 alongside many other ministers.[13]

In June 2023 he was selected to contest the new constituency of Clwyd East at the next general election.[14]

Policies and views[edit]

In February 2015, Davies expressed concern over plans to scrap Doctor-led maternity care and services for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, stating "The 'temporary' arrangements would mean any elective surgery requiring an overnight stay being transferred to Wrexham or Bangor. The same would apply to early pregnancy unit assessments, meaning inconvenience to many women and their families."[15]

Voting record[edit]

On the majority of issues Davies casts his votes in line with other Conservative MPs. However, he diverged from party lines on some issues.

Davies voted against investigations into the Iraq War, the majority of his party voted for. Davies voted for requiring pub companies to offer pub landlords rent-only leases, most of his party voted against.[16][17][non-primary source needed]

He voted to trigger Article 50 before April 2017.[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

Davies married Nina Jones in 2012; they have two young sons.[1][4][5]

Outside of politics, he lists his recreations as "travelling, walking, languages, local community regeneration, cinema, real ale and dining out, DIY". He is a member of the Carlton Club.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Davies, James Michael, (born 27 Feb. 1980), MP (C) Vale of Clwyd, 2015–17 and since 2019". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u283979. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Ministerial appointments: November 2023". Gov.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b Welton, Blake (9 April 2015). "James Davies, Conservative candidate for Vale of Clwyd". Daily Post. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b Williams, Kelly (29 October 2015). "Twitter row after Dr James Davies MP blocks constituents over 'tampon tax' tweets". northwales. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Prestatyn East Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Vale of Clwyd". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Election 2015: Tories snatch Vale of Clwyd seat". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  9. ^ Brennan, Shane (9 June 2017). "Labour's Chris Ruane re-takes Vale of Clwyd in comeback despite 'bile and vitriol' of national campaign". northwales. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  10. ^ Evans, Owen (2 September 2020). "Boris Johnson has his say on I'm a Celebrity 2020 coming to North Wales". Daily Post. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. ^ Pearce, Tilly (2 September 2020). "Welsh MP corners Boris Johnson with question about I'm A Celebrity: 'Worst question ever'". Metro (British newspaper). Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  12. ^ "MP lands new health role in Parliament". JamesDavies.org.uk. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  13. ^ Robinson, Joe (6 July 2022). "Vale of Clwyd MP quits UK Government amid Tory exodus". Rhyl Journal. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  14. ^ Davies, Gareth (12 June 2023). "Tweet announcing selection".
  15. ^ Yarwood, Sam (25 February 2015). "Life-threatening pregnancy cases won't be dealt with at maternity crisis Glan Clwyd hospital". North Wales Live. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  16. ^ "James Davies's voting in Parliament". They work for you. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Dr James Davis Voting Record". Retrieved 30 November 2020.

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Vale of Clwyd
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Vale of Clwyd
2019–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
2022–2023 		Succeeded by
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