Hywel Williams

Hywel Williams
Official portrait, 2020
Member of Parliament for Arfon Caernarfon (2001–2010)
In office 7 June 2001 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Dafydd Wigley
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Leader of Plaid Cymru in the House of Commons
In office 10 September 2015 – 14 June 2017
Leader	Leanne Wood
Preceded by	Jonathan Edwards
Succeeded by	Liz Saville Roberts
Personal details
Born	Hywel Williams (1953-05-14) 14 May 1953 (age 71) Pwllheli, Caernarfonshire, Wales
Political party	Plaid Cymru
Alma mater	University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University)

Hywel Williams (born 14 May 1953)^[1] is a Welsh Plaid Cymru politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Arfon, previously Caernarfon, from 2001 to 2024.

Early life

Hywel Williams was born in Pwllheli in 1953,^[2] and went to school at Pwllheli Grammar School and then Ysgol Glan y Môr.^[3]

He studied Psychology at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) before qualifying as a social worker at University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) in 1977/78. He was a mental health social worker in the Dwyfor area before joining the Centre for Social Work Practice at the University of Wales, Bangor in 1985.^[4]

Williams was a project worker at the centre, specialising in developing practice through the medium of Welsh, developing a host of short courses available in Welsh for the first time, as well as producing and editing numerous books and training packages with his colleagues, including the first ever social work vocabulary in Welsh. He was appointed Head of the Centre in 1993.^[5]

In 1995, Williams left to work as a freelance lecturer, consultant and writer in the fields of social policy, social work, and social care, working primarily in Welsh. For the next six years, he worked for a variety of universities and colleges in Wales and abroad, as well as working for public bodies, charities, private companies and local and central government, including spending time as an adviser to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee.^[6]

He has been a member of numerous professional bodies in relation to social work and training, and was also spokesman for the Child Poverty Action Group in Wales.^[7]

Political career

Williams in 2017

At the 2001 general election, Williams was elected as the Plaid Cymru MP for Caernafon, winning with 44.4% of the vote and a majority of 3,511.^[8] He was re-elected as MP for Caernafon at the 2005 general election with an increased vote share of 45.5% and an increased majority of 5,209.^[9]

In 2005 he joined the Panel of Chairs. This role involves chairing backbench debates, standing committees on legislation, committees on secondary legislation and from time to time, meetings of the whole House as a Committee in the main chamber.^[10]

In 2010 the constituency of Caernafon was replaced by the new constituency of Arfon.^[11] Williams was elected as MP for the new constituency of Arfon at the 2010 general election, winning with 36% of the vote and a majority of 1,455.^[12][13] He was re-elected as MP for Arfon at the 2015 general election with an increased vote share of 43.9% and an increased majority of 3,668.^[14][15][16]

He served as leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster from September 2015^[17] until June 2017.^[18] At the snap 2017 general election, Williams was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 40.8% and a decreased majority of 92.^[19][20]

In March 2019, he voted for an amendment tabled by members of The Independent Group calling for a second public vote on EU membership.^[21]

Williams was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with an increased vote share of 45.2% and an increased majority of 2,781.^[22][23]

In November 2022, Williams announced that he would not seek re-election as an MP at the 2024 general election.^[24]

His parliamentary responsibilities within Plaid Cymru are work and pensions, defence, international development and culture.^[25]

In December 2023 Williams was a member of the team for Bangor University which participated in BBC's Christmas University Challenge.^[26] The team lost to Middlesex University in the semi-final.^[27]

References

1. "Williams, Hywel". Who's Who (December 2007 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 27 May 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. "Members of Parliament". Plaid Cymru. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
3. "Hywel Williams". Debrett's People of Today. Debretts. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
4. "Hywel Williams MP for Arfon".
5. "Hywel Williams Byline Cymru".
6. "Parliamentary Career of Hywel Williams".
7. "North Wales Chronicle".
8. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
9. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
10. "Parliamentary Career of Hywel Williams".
11. "Arfon' UK Parliament, 6 May 2010 -". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
12. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
13. "BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Arfon". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
14. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
15. "Gwynedd Council results". Parliamentary Election results – 7 May 2015. Gwynedd Council. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
16. "Arfon Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015. BBC News. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
17. "Hywel Williams MP named as new leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster". Daily Post. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
18. "Liz Saville Roberts is Plaid Cymru's new Westminster leader". WalesOnline. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
19. Bloom, Dan (7 June 2017). "Here is every single 2017 general election candidate in a plain text list". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror.
20. "Arfon parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
21. Mosalski, Ruth (14 March 2019). "Brexit latest: The Welsh MPs who voted for a second referendum". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
22. "Parliamentary Elections" (PDF). Gwynedd Council. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
23. "Arfon parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
24. Bagnall, Steve (11 November 2022). "Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams will step down at next general election". North Wales Live. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
25. "Hywel Williams". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
26. "Festive cheer and intellectual prowess unite in the University Challenge Christmas Special Series". www.bbc.co.uk.
27. "University Challenge - Christmas 2023: Episode 8" – via www.bbc.co.uk.

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Dafydd Wigley	Member of Parliament for Caernarfon 2001–2010	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Arfon 2010–2024	Constituency abolished