Huw Lewis

Huw Lewis
Member of the Welsh Assembly for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
In office 6 May 1999 – 6 April 2016
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Dawn Bowden
Majority	7,051 (36.5%)
Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
In office 14 March 2013 – 26 June 2013
First Minister	Carwyn Jones
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jeff Cuthbert
Minister for Education and Skills
In office 26 June 2013 – 7 May 2016
First Minister	Carwyn Jones
Deputy	Ken Skates
Preceded by	Leighton Andrews
Succeeded by	Kirsty Williams
Personal details
Born	(1964-01-17) 17 January 1964 Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Political party	Labour Co-operative
Spouse(s)	Lynne Neagle AM
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh
Occupation	Teacher, political advisor
Website	Welsh Labour

Huw Lewis AM (born 17 January 1964) is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician. Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Lewis has represented the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999.

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.

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

Personal life

Lewis is married to Lynne Neagle, the Labour Assembly member for Torfaen.

References

• The Wales Yearbook 2006
• BBC Wales May 18, 2007

External links

• Website of the Welsh Assembly Government

Offices held

National Assembly for Wales
Preceded by (new post)	Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 1999–2016	Succeeded by Dawn 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 by Brian Gibbons	Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport 2007	Succeeded by (post reorganised)
Preceded by (new post)	Deputy Minister for Children 2009 - 2011	Succeeded by Leighton Andrews
Preceded by (new post)	Minister for Housing, Regeneration & Heritage 2011 - 2013	Succeeded by (post reorganised)
Preceded by Leighton Andrews	Minister for Education and Skills 2013 - 2016	Succeeded by