Byron Davies, Baron Davies of Gower explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Right Honourable
The Lord Davies of Gower
Office:Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
Leader:Rishi Sunak
Term Start:8 July 2024
Predecessor:Jo Stevens
Office1:Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Maritime and Security
Primeminister1:Rishi Sunak
Term Start1:14 November 2023
Term End1:5 July 2024
Predecessor1:The Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Successor1:Mike Kane
Office2:Lord-in-waiting
Government Whip
Primeminister2:Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak[1]
Term Start2:22 September 2022
Term End2:14 November 2023
Successor2:The Lord Gascoigne
Office3:Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Term Start3:10 October 2019
Life Peerage
Office5:Member of the Welsh Assembly
for South Wales West
Assembly5:National Assembly for WalesWelsh
Office4:Member of Parliament
for Gower
Term Start4:7 May 2015
Term End4:3 May 2017
Predecessor4:Martin Caton
Successor4:Tonia Antoniazzi
Birth Date:4 September 1952
Birth Place:Swansea, Wales
Party:Conservative
Alma Mater:University of West London
Term Start5:6 May 2011
Term End5:15 May 2015[2]
Predecessor5:David Lloyd
Successor5:Altaf Hussain

Henry Byron Davies, Baron Davies of Gower (born 4 September 1952) is a Welsh Conservative politician, life peer and former police officer who has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales since July 2024. He was a Member of the Welsh Assembly from 2011 to 2015, a Member of Parliament from 2015 to 2017, and has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2019.

Early life and career

Byron Davies was born on 4 September 1952 in Port Eynon, Gower.[3] He educated at Gowerton School, then an all-boys grammar school, before earning a law degree from the University of West London.[4]

From 1971 to 2003, he was a police officer in the Metropolitan Police Service.[5] He spent some time on secondment to the National Crime Squad and to the European Union, specialising in combating organised crime.[6] While in the police, he worked a detective,[7] and rose to the rank of detective chief inspector.[8]

Political career

Davies stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative Party candidate for Gower in both the Welsh Assembly Election 2007 and at the 2010 general election. In May 2011, Davies was successful for the time being elected to the National Assembly for Wales representing South Wales West.[9] On 7 May 2015, he was elected the Member of Parliament for Gower at the 2015 general election. On 9 May 2015 shortly after the Westminster election), he decided to step down as an Assembly Member so that he could fulfill his parliamentary duties for Gower.

Davies was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[10] He was defeated at the 2017 general election.

Post Parliamentary career

From September 2017 to September 2020, Davies served as chair of the Welsh Conservatives taking over from former MP and MEP Jonathan Evans.[11]

House of Lords

Davies was nominated for a life peerage in Theresa May's resignation honours list on 10 September 2019.[12] He was created Baron Davies of Gower, of Gower in the County of Swansea, on 10 October 2019. He served as a government whip under both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak from 2022 to 2023. In November 2023 he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, and served in that position until the end of Sunak's administration.

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

Following the 2024 general election in which no Conservative MPs were elected in Wales, Davies was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in the Shadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak; this marks the first time that the position was held by a peer.[13] [14]

In an op-ed, he said that his number one task in the role would be to “ the Welsh Conservatives are fully prepared for our much-anticipated comeback over the coming months and years.” [15]

Following an internal row as to support abolition of devolution, Davies criticised the Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies, saying: “On the issue of abolishing the Senedd, the Conservative Party has no plans to support a move towards this and I see any action to test public opinion on this as completely futile.” [16]

Offices held

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022 . 2022-10-30 . GOV.UK . en.
  2. Web site: Byron Davies AM . National Assembly for Wales . 14 November 2020.
  3. Web site: Wales Online. Who are the candidates standing in Gower in the General Election 2017?. Wales Online. 9 June 2017.
  4. "Davies of Gower, Baron, (Henry Byron Davies) (born 4 Sept. 1952)." WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 1 Dec. 2011
  5. Web site: Davies of Gower, Baron, (Henry Byron Davies) (born 4 Sept. 1952) . . Oxford University Press . 18 July 2024 . en . 1 December 2022.
  6. Web site: Lord Davies of Gower . GOV.UK . 18 July 2024 . en.
  7. News: Blake . Aled . Assembly election: Meet the incoming AMs. 6 May 2011 . . WalesOnline website . 13 May 2011 .
  8. Web site: Youle . Richard . Gower's new peer is about to take his seat in the House of Lords . Wales Online . 18 July 2024 . en . 17 October 2019.
  9. Web site: Wales elections > South Wales West . BBC. BBC News. 6 May 2011 . 13 May 2011.
  10. News: Goodenough. Tom. Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?. 11 October 2016. The Spectator. 16 February 2016.
  11. Web site: Byron Davies elected Welsh Tory chair. 4 September 2017. www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. Web site: Resignation Honours 2019 . GOV.UK . 10 September 2019 . en.
  13. Web site: UK politics live: Lord Cameron resigns as Rishi Sunak announces interim shadow cabinet . 2024-07-08 . BBC News . en-GB.
  14. Web site: Mosalski . Ruth . The new shadow secretary for Wales has been announced . Wales Online . 18 July 2024 . en . 9 July 2024.
  15. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/the-general-election-heartbreaking-conservative-29579566
  16. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjwd033n0ko