Political career Rod Richards

1 political career

1.1 uk parliament
1.2 national assembly wales
1.3 defection ukip

political career
uk parliament

he first tried enter parliament @ 1987 general election, when stood unsuccessfully carmarthen seat, giving job bbc so. unsuccessful again 2 years later @ by-election vale of glamorgan, again giving work broadcaster, @ 1992 general election elected mp former parliamentary seat of clwyd north west. during john major s government appointed parliamentary private secretary in foreign , commonwealth office in 1993 , welsh office junior minister in 1994, forced resign in 1996 when news of extra-marital affair surfaced.

national assembly wales

although defeated in constituency seat during first welsh assembly elections in 1999, elected new body lead candidate on conservatives regional top-up list. elected conservative party leader in welsh assembly in ballot of welsh party members defeating nick bourne, known in media william hague s first choice job. richards stood down leader after charged inflicting grievous bodily harm on young woman. bourne appointed leader hague. richards cleared of assault in june 2000.

richards had party whip withdrawn him following decision abstain rather vote fellow conservatives against assembly s budget @ end of 1999. continued sit in assembly, independent conservative until september 2002 when resigned assembly member (am) due problems alcohol.

richards , successor, nick bourne known hating 1 another. in 1 interview, richards said consider opposing bourne if latter stood police commissioner. when bourne lost seat in 2011 assembly election, rod richards quoted in western mail saying, has been great week, bin laden on sunday bourne on friday. osama bin laden had been killed american special forces in days before polling day.

once bourne had been appointed party leader william hague, refused give richards portfolio in 25 august reshuffle, leaving him welsh tory backbencher. richards stated, happy continue promote welsh language. not discriminate against welsh people don t speak welsh, or indeed else comes live in wales ; and, on plaid cymru, anti-british party. reject british: our history, our values, our great achievements, our language, indeed existence of our british family. ... want wales out of united kingdom , federal european state. want separation england wales can ruled brussels.

defection ukip

in july 2013, richards defected ukip, after becoming disillusioned mainstream parties . refused drawn on whether wanted seek ukip s candidacy in 2014 european parliament election. current mep wales, john bufton, stood down in june 2014, being replaced nathan gill.