Dai Davies (politician)

David Clifford Davies (born 26 November 1959), commonly known as Dai Davies, was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Blaenau Gwent constituency in South Wales from 2006 to 2010, representing the Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group. He was elected at a by-election in June 2006 following the death of independent MP Peter Law, but lost his seat the at the 2010 general election to Labour's Nick Smith by 10,516 votes.

Background

Davies worked in the electrical department at the steelworks in Ebbw Vale for 26 years; he was a senior trade union shop steward for over 15 years and a member of the Nation Industrial Committee for Steel. After losing his job at the steelworks that was shortly to close, he took a job with the union and he oversaw the loss of thousands of jobs. He was a trustee of the British Steel plc Pension Scheme.

Davies was a voluntary school governor at both primary and secondary level, a former Chair of a Community Health Council and a Community First Partnership Board. He has been a Director of Development Trust.

Political career

Davies was agent for both Llew Smith and Peter Law, and a political research officer and campaign manager for Peter Law.

He was until his defeat in 2010 the leader of Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group, a political party that had announced intentions to expand outside his own constituency in the 2007 Assembly elections. In early 2007, BGPV had been in negotiations with John Marek and Ron Davies of Forward Wales to form an electoral alliance, that critics said would undermine their 'independent' status. However nothing came of the talks. After Davies lost his seat it is unsure of the future of the People's Voice.

The election result was the first occasion an independent had held a seat occupied by a previous independent in a by-election since Sir C. V. F. Townshend held The Wrekin in 1920. This traditionally Labour seat has 'returned to the fold' in electing Nick Smith on 6 May 2010 on a 29% swing to Labour and with a 10,000+ vote majority.

While in the House of Commons, two other MPs have had the same phonetic name as him: David Davies is a Welsh Conservative MP elected in 2005, and David Davis is an English Conservative MP and runner-up in that party's last leadership election. The resignation of Davis from the House of Commons in June 2008 allegedly proved problematic for the Monmouthshire MP, and one could assume that Dai Davies was also included in this confusion.

On 23 June 2010 Davies gave his first interview since being defeated by his former party. In this interview he stated that he would be leaving frontline politics and standing down as Leader of The People's Voice; after these comments the future of the party he led from 2006 is unclear. Davies said he would still try and work for the people of Blaenau Gwent. Davies has refused to comment on recent rumours that he wants his former running mate Trish Law to stand aside and give him a chance of trying to win a seat in the National Assembly of Wales.