David Melding Explained

David Melding
Honorific-Suffix:CBE
Office:Deputy Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales
Term Start:11 May 2011
Term End:11 May 2016
Predecessor:Rosemary Butler
Successor:Ann Jones
Office1:Shadow Minister for Economic Development
Term Start1:11 July 2007
Term End1:16 June 2008
Leader1:Andrew RT Davies
Predecessor1:Alun Ffred Jones
Successor1:Russell George (new position)
Office3:Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Heritage, Culture, and Media
Term Start3:18 September 2018
Term End3:17 July 2020
Leader3:Paul Davies
Predecessor3:New position
Office5:Member of the Senedd
for South Wales Central
Term Start5:6 May 1999
Term End5:29 April 2021
Predecessor5:Office Created
Successor5:Joel James
Birth Date:28 August 1962
Birth Place:Neath, Wales
Party:Conservative
Alma Mater:Cardiff University
Occupation:Politician
Cabinet:Shadow Cabinet (Wales)
Office4:Shadow Counsel General & Shadow Minister for Culture & Communications
Predecessor4:New position
Leader4:Paul Davies
Term End4:9 September 2020
Term Start4:17 July 2020

David Robert Michael Melding (born 28 August 1962) is a former Welsh Conservative Party politician, who served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales Central between 1999 and 2021. He was the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Senedd between 2011 and 2016 and is the only Conservative member to hold the role.

Early life

Melding was born in Neath, where he attended Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School.[1]

He studied Politics at the University of Wales, Cardiff, obtaining a BSc (Econ), followed by an MA in Government at the College of William and Mary, Virginia in the United States.[2]

Early career

Melding began his career as part of the Conservative Research Department from 1986 until 1989. In 1989, he became Deputy Director of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs until 1996. From 1996 to 1999, he was a coordinator at the Carers National Association in Wales.

Political career

Melding was elected to the Senedd in the South Wales Central Region in 1999, a position he held until 2021. He served as the Welsh Conservatives' Director of Policy, writing manifestos for the 2003, 2007, and 2011 assembly elections.[3]

He served as Deputy Presiding Officer of the Senedd between 2011 and 2016. In 2016, he was mentioned as a likely name to seek the role of Presiding Officer to succeed the outgoing Rosemary Butler, but in May he confirmed we would not be standing.[4]

Melding takes an interest in Welsh constitutional matters, and in 2017 proposed the establishment of a "second chamber of the assembly... for residents to influence decisions and laws". Such a chamber would be formed on the basis of citizens service.[5]

That same year, he was awarded a CBE for his "services to political and public life" in the New Years Honours List.[6]

In July 2018, he supported Paul Davies in his campaign to become the Welsh Conservatives' new leader.[7]

In August 2019, Melding wrote in the Daily Express stating that the Conservative Party was under "severe threat" and "about to split".[8]

In September 2019, Melding spoke out against his party's position on a no-deal Brexit, stating that he "wanted no part in a no-deal Brexit strategy that would hurt the most vulnerable."[9]

He quit his role in the shadow front bench in September 2020 after disagreements with the party over changes to the Brexit agreements and the UK Internal Market Bill that was brought forward in the UK Parliament on the same day. He made his decision of leaving the front bench permanently after "misgivings for some time" over the party's approach to Brexit, citing that it will lead to the union breaking up.[10] [11]

Senedd positions

While serving in the Senedd, Melding was appointed to a number of Committee and Shadow Cabinet roles:

Personal life

In his spare time, Melding is Governor of Meadowbank Special School in Cardiff and Headlands Special School in Penarth.[12]

In February 2018, he spoke to the BBC about his experiences of "horribly debilitating" panic attacks, during a debate on mental health in the Senedd.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Pub bore'classics. WalesOnline. 2003-11-27. walesonline. 2019-09-25.
  2. Web site: BBC News AMs profile. 12 May 1998. BBC News. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190821200718/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13029.stm. 21 August 2019. 25 September 2019.
  3. News: Sam Warburton in New Year Honours. 2017-12-30. 2019-09-25. en-GB.
  4. Web site: David Melding rules himself out of Presiding Officer role. Shipton. Martin. 2016-05-09. walesonline. 2019-09-25.
  5. News: Compulsory Welsh democratic duty call. 2017-10-15. 2019-09-25. en-GB.
  6. Web site: The full list of Welsh people in the Queen's New Year's Honours list. Walford. Jessica. Thomas. Simon. 2017-12-29. walesonline. 2019-09-25. Williamson. David. Bannon. Christie. Roderick. Oliver. Dalling. Robert. Lewis. Ian. Griffiths. Megan. Bellis. Katie.
  7. Web site: David Melding backs Paul Davies for Welsh Tory leadership. ITV News. 30 July 2018. en. 2019-09-25.
  8. Web site: Conservative Party 'could be in its last days', says DAVID MELDING Politics News Express.co.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20190914041821/https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1167009/conservative-party-news-boris-johnson-prime-minister-government-brexit-deal-latest. dead. 2019-09-14. 2019-09-14. 2019-09-25.
  9. News: PM has lost all respect for the truth – Drakeford. 2019-09-05. 2019-09-25. en-GB.
  10. News: 2020-09-09. Welsh Tory quits frontbench over PM's union stance. en-GB. BBC News. 2020-09-09.
  11. Web site: https://twitter.com/davidmeldingms/status/1303695663172136961. 2020-09-09. Twitter. en.
  12. Web site: Governors. Headlands School. en-US. 2019-09-25.
  13. News: Panic attacks 'debilitating' says AM. 2018-02-15. BBC News. 2019-09-25. en-GB.