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From 1979 to 1984, Clwyd was [[European Parliament|MEP]] for [[Mid and West Wales]]. She was elected to Parliament in a [[Cynon Valley by-election, 1984|by-election in May 1984]] following the death of [[Ioan Evans]], and became the first woman to sit for a [[South Wales Valleys|Welsh valleys]] constituency. She served as [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)|Shadow]] Minister of Education and Women's Rights from 1987,<ref name=Debretts/> but was sacked in 1988 for rebelling against the party whip on further spending on nuclear weapons. She returned as [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development|Shadow Minister for Overseas Development]] from 1989 to 1992, and then served as [[Shadow Secretary of State for Wales]] in 1992 and for [[Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage|National Heritage]] from 1992 to 1993.
From 1979 to 1984, Clwyd was [[European Parliament|MEP]] for [[Mid and West Wales]]. She was elected to Parliament in a [[Cynon Valley by-election, 1984|by-election in May 1984]] following the death of [[Ioan Evans]], and became the first woman to sit for a [[South Wales Valleys|Welsh valleys]] constituency. She served as [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)|Shadow]] Minister of Education and Women's Rights from 1987,<ref name=Debretts/> but was sacked in 1988 for rebelling against the party whip on further spending on nuclear weapons. She returned as [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development|Shadow Minister for Overseas Development]] from 1989 to 1992, and then served as [[Shadow Secretary of State for Wales]] in 1992 and for [[Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage|National Heritage]] from 1992 to 1993.


She was the [[Official Opposition (UK)|Opposition]] Spokesperson for Employment from 1993 to 1994,<ref name=Debretts/> and for Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1995,<ref name=Debretts/> when she was again sacked, along with [[Jim Cousins]], for observing the Turkish invasion of Iraqi Kirkuk without permission. In 1994 she staged a sit-in down [[Tower Colliery]] mine in her constituency to protest at its closure.
She was the [[Official Opposition (UK)|Opposition]] Spokesperson for Employment from 1993 to 1994,<ref name=Debretts/> and for Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1995,<ref name=Debretts/> when she was again sacked, along with [[Jim Cousins]], for observing the Turkish invasion of Iraqi Kirkuk without permission. In 1994 she staged a sit-in down [[Tower Colliery]] mine in her constituency to protest at its closure. She was a member of the International Development [[British House of Commons#Committees|Select Committee]] from 1997 to 2005.<ref name=Debretts/> On 9 August 2004, she became a member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]].<ref name=Debretts/>


⚫
Clwyd was a Vice-Chair of the [[Parliamentary Labour Party]] from 2001 until 2005,<ref name=Debretts/> and was elected as Chair by 167 to 156 (beating [[Tony Lloyd]]) on 24 May 2005.<ref name=Debretts/> However on 5 December 2006 she was defeated by Lloyd by 11 votes when she sought re-election, with her closeness to Tony Blair being cited as a reason for her defeat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6211412.stm}}</ref>
⚫
She was a member of the International Development [[British House of Commons#Committees|Select Committee]] from 1997 to 2005. Having been prominent in her concern for the situation in Iraq before the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|war]] there in 2003, [[Tony Blair]] made her a Special Envoy on [[Human Rights]] in Iraq in the run-up to the war.<ref name=Debretts/>


⚫
She is currently Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and the All Party Parliamentary Iraq Group.<ref name=Debretts/> She is Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coalfield Communities, and Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cambodia. She is a former Chair of the British Group of the [[Inter-Parliamentary Union]] (IPU), an Executive Member on the (IPU) Committee on Middle East Questions and an Executive Member on the (IPU) Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians. She has been appointed by the Prime Minister as a Member of the British Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the [[Council of Europe]]. {{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}
She helped make the case for the illegal invasion of Iraq and was the first journalist to put forward unsubstantiated [[Saddam Hussein's alleged shredder|claims that some Iraqis were killed in plastic shredders]]. On 9 August 2004, she became a member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]].<ref name=Debretts/>


===Iraq===
⚫
Clwyd was a Vice-Chair of the [[Parliamentary Labour Party]] from 2001 until 2005,<ref name=Debretts/> and was elected as Chair by 167 to 156 (beating [[Tony Lloyd]]) on 24 May 2005.<ref name=Debretts/> However on 5 December 2006 she was defeated by Lloyd by 11 votes when she sought re-election, with her closeness to Tony Blair being cited as a reason for her defeat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6211412.stm}}</ref>
Through her interest in human rights and international women's rights, Clwyd became involved in the debate around the rule of [[Saddam Hussein]] in [[Iraq]]. Whilst opposition spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, she was sacked along with [[Jim Cousins]] for observing the [[Turkish Army]]'s invasion of Iraqi [[Kirkuk]] without permission.<ref name=Debretts/>


⚫
From 1997 to 2005 Clwyd was a member of the International Development [[British House of Commons#Committees|Select Committee]]. In making the case for the later [[Iraq War]], she was the first journalist to put forward unsubstantiated [[Saddam Hussein's alleged shredder|claims that some Iraqis were killed]] in plastic [[shredders]]. Having there been vocal and prominent in her concern for the situation in Iraq before the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|war]], [[Tony Blair]] made her a Special Envoy on [[Human Rights]] in Iraq in the run-up to the war.<ref name=Debretts/>
⚫
Clwyd, chosen for a [[Private Member's Bill]] via Ballot was pressurised by hundreds of pressure groups {{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} in order to publisise their group. Clwyd chose the Female Genital Mutilation Bill (to prohibit parents from sending, or taking, their daughters abroad for operations such as female circumcision) speaking about this bill, Female Circumcision was banned in 1985.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}


At the [[Chilcot Inquiry]] in February 2010, Clwyd explained why she supported the Iraq War. A month before the invasion, she had been on a visit to [[Kurdistan]] collecting evidence re human rights abuses. There she found people leaving in fear of a repeat of the 1988 [[Halabja massacre]], where 5,000 Kurds had been killed in a gas attack. Whilst there she was taken by the wife of the [now] [[President of Iraq]] to the border of Iraq and Kurdistan, where she pointed towards the hillside and said: "That’s where they are going to fire the chemical weapons from."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/ann-clwyd-tells-inquiry-backed-1933182|title=Ann Clwyd tells inquiry why she backed Iraq invasion|publisher=Wales Online|date=10 February 2010|accessdate=21 June 2014}}</ref>
⚫
She is currently Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and the All Party Parliamentary Iraq Group.<ref name=Debretts/> She is Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coalfield Communities, and Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cambodia. She is a former Chair of the British Group of the [[Inter-Parliamentary Union]] (IPU), an Executive Member on the (IPU) Committee on Middle East Questions and an Executive Member on the (IPU) Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians. She has been appointed by the Prime Minister as a Member of the British Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the [[Council of Europe]]. {{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

===NHS===
⚫
Clwyd, chosen for a [[Private Member's Bill]] via Ballot was pressurised by hundreds of pressure groups {{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} in order to publisise their group. Clwyd chose the Female Genital Mutilation Bill (to prohibit parents from sending, or taking, their daughters abroad for operations such as female circumcision) speaking about this bill, Female Circumcision was banned in 1985.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}


In 2013, after the [http://www.midstaffsinquiry.com/pressrelease.html Stafford Enquiry] report, she was appointed by the Prime Minister to advise on complaint handling in the NHS [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21357075].
In 2013, after the [http://www.midstaffsinquiry.com/pressrelease.html Stafford Enquiry] report, she was appointed by the Prime Minister to advise on complaint handling in the NHS [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21357075].

Revision as of 10:56, 21 June 2014

The Right Honourable
Ann Clwyd
MP
Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party
In office
24 May 2005 – 5 December 2006
LeaderTony Blair
Preceded byJean Corston
Succeeded byTony Lloyd
Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage
In office
29 September 1992 – 21 October 1993
LeaderJohn Smith
Preceded byBryan Gould
Succeeded byMo Mowlam
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
In office
18 July 1992 – 21 October 1993
LeaderJohn Smith
Preceded byBarry Jones
Succeeded byRon Davies
Shadow Minister for Overseas Development
In office
2 November 1989 – 18 July 1992
LeaderNeil Kinnock
Preceded byGuy Barnett
Succeeded byMichael Meacher
Member of Parliament
for Cynon Valley
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 May 1984
Preceded byIoan Evans
Majority9,617 (32.2%)
Member of the European Parliament
for Mid and West Wales
In office
7 June 1979 – 14 June 1984
Preceded byOffice Created
Succeeded byDavid Morris
Personal details
Born (1937-03-21) 21 March 1937 (age 87)
Denbighshire, Wales, UK
Political partyLabour
SpouseOwen Roberts
Alma materUniversity of Wales, Bangor
WebsiteWelsh Labour

The Rt. Hon. Ann Clwyd Roberts (born 21 March 1937) is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cynon Valley since 1984.

Early life

Clwyd is the daughter of Gwilym Henri Lewis and Elizabeth Ann Lewis, born and raised in Pentre Halkyn, Flintshire. She was educated at Holywell Grammar School and The Queen's School, Chester, before graduating from the University of Wales, Bangor.[1]

Career

Clwyd was a student teacher at Hope School in Flintshire, before training as a journalist. She then worked for BBC Wales as a studio manager, and then became Welsh correspondent for the Guardian and Observer newspapers during 1964-79.[1] She was Vice-Chair of the Arts Council of Wales from 1975-79. She is a member of the NUJ and TGWU.

Parliamentary career

Clwyd was persuaded to stand for Parliament by Huw T. Edwards, who felt that there should be more women in parliament. She was the unsuccessful Labour candidate in Denbigh in 1970 and Gloucester in October 1974.[1]

From 1979 to 1984, Clwyd was MEP for Mid and West Wales. She was elected to Parliament in a by-election in May 1984 following the death of Ioan Evans, and became the first woman to sit for a Welsh valleys constituency. She served as Shadow Minister of Education and Women's Rights from 1987,[1] but was sacked in 1988 for rebelling against the party whip on further spending on nuclear weapons. She returned as Shadow Minister for Overseas Development from 1989 to 1992, and then served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in 1992 and for National Heritage from 1992 to 1993.

She was the Opposition Spokesperson for Employment from 1993 to 1994,[1] and for Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1995,[1] when she was again sacked, along with Jim Cousins, for observing the Turkish invasion of Iraqi Kirkuk without permission. In 1994 she staged a sit-in down Tower Colliery mine in her constituency to protest at its closure. She was a member of the International Development Select Committee from 1997 to 2005.[1] On 9 August 2004, she became a member of the Privy Council.[1]

Clwyd was a Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 2001 until 2005,[1] and was elected as Chair by 167 to 156 (beating Tony Lloyd) on 24 May 2005.[1] However on 5 December 2006 she was defeated by Lloyd by 11 votes when she sought re-election, with her closeness to Tony Blair being cited as a reason for her defeat.[2]

She is currently Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and the All Party Parliamentary Iraq Group.[1] She is Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coalfield Communities, and Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cambodia. She is a former Chair of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an Executive Member on the (IPU) Committee on Middle East Questions and an Executive Member on the (IPU) Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians. She has been appointed by the Prime Minister as a Member of the British Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. [citation needed]

Iraq

Through her interest in human rights and international women's rights, Clwyd became involved in the debate around the rule of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Whilst opposition spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, she was sacked along with Jim Cousins for observing the Turkish Army's invasion of Iraqi Kirkuk without permission.[1]

From 1997 to 2005 Clwyd was a member of the International Development Select Committee. In making the case for the later Iraq War, she was the first journalist to put forward unsubstantiated claims that some Iraqis were killed in plastic shredders. Having there been vocal and prominent in her concern for the situation in Iraq before the war, Tony Blair made her a Special Envoy on Human Rights in Iraq in the run-up to the war.[1]

At the Chilcot Inquiry in February 2010, Clwyd explained why she supported the Iraq War. A month before the invasion, she had been on a visit to Kurdistan collecting evidence re human rights abuses. There she found people leaving in fear of a repeat of the 1988 Halabja massacre, where 5,000 Kurds had been killed in a gas attack. Whilst there she was taken by the wife of the [now] President of Iraq to the border of Iraq and Kurdistan, where she pointed towards the hillside and said: "That’s where they are going to fire the chemical weapons from."[3]

NHS

Clwyd, chosen for a Private Member's Bill via Ballot was pressurised by hundreds of pressure groups [citation needed] in order to publisise their group. Clwyd chose the Female Genital Mutilation Bill (to prohibit parents from sending, or taking, their daughters abroad for operations such as female circumcision) speaking about this bill, Female Circumcision was banned in 1985.[citation needed]

In 2013, after the Stafford Enquiry report, she was appointed by the Prime Minister to advise on complaint handling in the NHS [1].

Other positions

Clwyd was admitted to the White Robe of the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1991; is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Bangor, and the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education which awarded her a University of Wales honorary degree. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Trinity College, Carmarthen for her contribution to politics and as a human rights campaigner. She was a Member of the Arts Council 1975-79 and the Vice Chair of the Welsh Arts Council 1975-97. She was on the Royal Commission on the NHS 1976-79. [citation needed]

Personal life

She married Owen Dryhurst Roberts, a television director and producer, in 1963. He died in October 2012, aged 73.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Anne Clwyd". Debretts. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6211412.stm. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Ann Clwyd tells inquiry why she backed Iraq invasion". Wales Online. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
News articles
European Parliament
Preceded by
(new post)
 Member of the European Parliament for Mid and West Wales
1979 – 1984 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom

Template:Incumbent succession box

Political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party
2005–2006 		Succeeded by

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