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Geraint Davies (Labour politician)

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Geraint Davies
Official portrait, 2020
Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee
Acting
11 May 2022 – 25 May 2022
Preceded byNeil Parish
Succeeded byRobert Goodwill
Member of Parliament
for Swansea West
In office
6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byAlan Williams
Succeeded byTorsten Bell
Member of Parliament
for Croydon Central
In office
1 May 1997 – 11 April 2005
Preceded byPaul Beresford
Succeeded byAndrew Pelling
Leader of Croydon London Borough Council
In office
1996–1997
Preceded byMary Walker
Succeeded byValerie Shawcross
Member of Croydon London Borough Council
for New Addington
In office
8 May 1986 – 24 July 1997
Preceded byAlan C. Lord
Succeeded byChristopher Ward
Personal details
Born
Geraint Richard Davies

(1960-05-03) 3 May 1960 (age 64)
Chester, England
Political partyLabour Co-opa (suspended)
Spouse
Vanessa Fry
​
(m. 1991)​
Alma materJesus College, Oxford
Websitewww.geraintdavies.org.uk Edit this at Wikidata
a.^ Whip suspended since 1 June 2023

Geraint Richard Davies (born 3 May 1960) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Swansea West from 2010 to 2024. He was elected as a member of the Labour and Co-operative Party, but was suspended from the party in 2023 and sat the remainder of his term as an independent.

Previously, Davies was the Labour MP for Croydon Central from 1997 to 2005. He had also served as the Leader of Croydon London Borough Council.

Early life and career

[edit]

Geraint Davies was born on 3 May 1960 in Chester.[1][2] His family comes from west Wales; his civil servant father is from Aberystwyth and his mother's family are from Swansea. He was brought up in Cardiff where he attended Llanishen High School, before studying Mathematics then Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Jesus College, Oxford where he was Junior Common Room President.[3]

Davies joined Unilever as a Group Product Manager in 1982, and became Group Product Manager before joining Colgate-Palmolive as Marketing Manager. He then started his own companies including Pure Crete Ltd. and Equity Creative Ltd.[4]

Political career

[edit]

Davies has been active in the Labour Party since 1982, being Assistant Secretary for Croydon North East Labour Party and Chair of Croydon Central Constituency Labour Party. He was a member of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs,[5] and later the Manufacturing, Science and Finance union.[4] He has been a member of the Co-operative Party since 1984 and joined the GMB in 1985. Davies became Director of Pure Crete Ltd, described as a 'Green tour operator', in 1989.[3][4]

Davies was elected to Croydon London Borough Council in 1986 representing New Addington ward, retaining the seat in 1990 and 1994.[6][7][8] He became Chairman of the Housing Committee when Labour won control of Croydon London Borough Council in 1994.

He was elected Leader of the Council in 1996,[9] resigning from the role and his council seat in 1997.[10][11] He was also chair of the Housing Committee of the London Boroughs Association, the predecessor of London Councils, from 1996 to 1997.[3]

Parliamentary career

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At the 1987 general election, Davies stood as the Labour Party candidate in Croydon South, coming third with 9.8% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP William Clark and the Liberal Party candidate.[12]

Davies stood in Croydon Central at the 1992 general election, coming second with 31.3% of the vote behind the Conservative candidate Paul Beresford.[13][14]

MP for Croydon Central

[edit]

At the 1997 general election, Davies was elected to Parliament as MP for Croydon Central with 45.6% of the vote and a majority of 3,897.[15][16] He was re-elected as MP for Croydon Central at the 2001 general election with an increased vote share of 47.2% and an increased majority of 3,984.[17]

In February 2004, he was involved in a high-profile campaign for the release of British detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay,[18][19] with Feroz Abbasi and Moazzam Begg finally released on 25 January 2005.[20]

For the year 2004–05, Davies' MP costs, including staff and offices in Parliament and his constituency, were the highest in the country.[21] Davies said "this shows I was one of the most hard-working MPs in Britain."[22] According to the Daily Telegraph this included over £4,000 on a central London flat 12 miles from his constituency home and taxi expenses he should not have been entitled to claim because of his second home.[23] He also spent £38,750 on postage which he claimed were the result of his constituency Croydon Central being virtually the biggest and, due to the Lunar House Home Office Immigration Department, arguably the busiest in the UK. "Somebody has got to do the most work. I am proud it was me", he said.[24] Davies repaid £156 used to post his annual report calendars by prepaid envelopes instead of stamps.[23] Davies spent £2,285 on his kitchen and £1,500 on his living room at taxpayers' expense.[25]

At the 2005 general election, Davies lost his seat to the Conservative candidate Andrew Pelling, coming second with 40.6% of the vote.[26][27]

MP for Swansea West

[edit]

Davies was elected to Parliament at the 2010 general election as MP for Swansea West with 34.7% of the vote and a majority of 504.[28][29][30]

Following publicity of Davies' Bill in September 2014 to criminalise the distribution of sexually explicit images without consent on the internet (known as revenge porn), the offence of "disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress" was enacted as section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.[31]

The WIkipedia article about Davies was one of a number edited ahead of the 2015 general election by computers inside Parliament, an act which the Daily Telegraph reported "appears to be a deliberate attempt to hide embarrassing information from the electorate". In Davies's case, the information deleted related to his expenses.[25]

At the 2015 general election, Davies was re-elected as MP for Swansea West with an increased vote share of 42.6% and an increased majority of 7,036.[32][33][34]

In December 2015, Davies published his Fracking (Measurement and Regulation of Impacts) (Air, Water and Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Bill, calling for strict limits on water contamination and fugitive methane emissions.[35]

Sixty years after the Clean Air Act, Davies introduced the Clean Air Bill in September 2016 to curb emissions and develop sustainable transport systems by road, rail air and sea. This included air quality targets, vehicle testing reflecting on-road conditions, air pollution measurement and warnings, powers to restrict and ban diesel vehicles in urban centres, a national infrastructure of electric and hydrogen filling points and a fiscal strategy to incentivise consumers and producers towards cleaner vehicles.[36] The latest version of Davies' Clean Air Bill was published in October, 2023.

At the snap 2017 general election, Davies was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 59.8% and an increased majority of 10,598.[37][38]

Davies favoured a second referendum over Brexit. In August 2018, Davies wrote:

To make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister next year, Labour must back a public vote on the EU deal. The alternative is no deal, which would trigger a hard Brexit inflicted by a right-wing Tory prime minister between 2019 and 2022. (...) The chaos of a no-deal Brexit – with food and medicine shortages – will require emergency measures to keep lorries and planes moving. Shrinking economic activity and trade will require a squeeze on "expensive" environmental standards and rights at work. So, soon we may all be flying on board Jacob Rees-Mogg's time machine back to Charles Dickens' Britain.[39]

In the series of Parliamentary votes on Brexit in March 2019, Davies voted against the Labour Party whip and in favour of an amendment tabled by members of The Independent Group for a second public vote.[40]

Davies was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 51.6% and a decreased majority of 8,116.[41][42][43]

In November 2021, The Independent revealed that Davies is one of 16 MPs who claimed expenses to cover their residential rent payments despite letting out their own properties in London. In Davies' case, he claimed £67,000 in taxpayer funding to rent a home between November 2017 and April 2021 while collecting rental payments from a home he owns in the capital.[44]

Party suspension

[edit]

On 1 June 2023, Davies was suspended from the Labour Party after five women accused him of sexual harassment. Politico Europe reported, based on interviews with those who had worked with Davies, that he had a reputation of "excessive drinking, sexual comments and unwanted touching" toward "younger women in the workplace".[45] Two of his colleagues claimed Davies had "boasted" about bringing sex workers into parliament for drinks.[46]

The next day, the Labour Party received a second formal complaint regarding Davies' conduct.[47] On 5 June, a third formal complaint was made against Davies according to Sky News.[48]

Retirement

[edit]

On 28 May 2024, Davies announced that he would step down as an MP at the 2024 general election.[49]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "DAVIES, Geraint Richard". Who's Who. Vol. 2017 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Dod's Guide to the General Election, June 2001", Vacher Dod Publishing, 2001, p. 92.
  4. ^ a b c "The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1992" (Times Books, 1992), p. 87.
  5. ^ "The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1987" (Times Books, 1987), p. 88.
  6. ^ "London Borough Council Elections 8 May 1986" (PDF). London Datastore. London Residuary Body. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. ^ Minors, Michael; Grenham, Dennis. "London Borough Council Elections - 3rd May 1990" (PDF). London Datastore. London Research Centre. pp. 23–25, 114–115. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  8. ^ "London Borough Council Elections 5 May 1994 including Results from the European Elections" (PDF). London Datastore. London Research Centre. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Death of former mayor". Co-operative News. 19 May 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Val Shawcross, CBE (past staff)". London City Hall. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  11. ^ "London Borough Council Elections, 7 May 1998" (PDF). AmazonAWS. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Election 1987 Results - Election Polling". www.electionpolling.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Croydon Central (Archive)". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Bring my son home". BBC News. 20 February 2004. Archived from the original on 27 August 2007.
  19. ^ "Five Guantanamo Britons to return to UK". The Guardian. 19 February 2004. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017.
  20. ^ "UK police release Guantanamo four". BBC News. 27 January 2005. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006.
  21. ^ "Mr Geraint Davies – Former Labour MP for Croydon Central". TheyWorkForYou. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  22. ^ "MPs' expenses claims exceed £80m". BBC News. 27 October 2005. Retrieved 1 October 2005.
  23. ^ a b "MPs' expenses: Geraint Davies spent £4,000 on renovation just before general election". The Daily Telegraph. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018.
  24. ^ "How MPs claimed a record £81m expenses". The Guardian. 28 October 2005. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017.
  25. ^ a b Ben Riley-Smith (26 May 2015). "Expenses and sex scandal deleted from MPs' Wikipedia pages by computers inside Parliament". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  26. ^ "United Kingdom general election results May 2005". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  27. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  28. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  29. ^ Swansea West BBC Election -Swansea West
  30. ^ "Results". Swansea Council. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  31. ^ "Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015: Section 33", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2015 c. 2 (s. 33)
  32. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  33. ^ "Swansea results". Results - UK Parliamentary general election 2015. City and County of Swansea. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  34. ^ "Swansea West Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015 Results. BBC. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Geraint Davies MP: My Bill puts safety before fracking". Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  36. ^ "Air Quality Bill presented to Parliament". Air Quality News. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  37. ^ "Swansea West parliamentary constituency - Election 2017 - BBC News". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  38. ^ "2017 Results". Swansea Council. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  39. ^ Davies, Geraint (23 August 2018). "If my party backs another Brexit referendum, Jeremy Corbyn will become prime minister next year". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ "Notices". Swansea Council. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  42. ^ "Swansea West Parliamentary constituency". Election 2019 Results. BBC. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  43. ^ "Election-Results/General-Election-2019" (PDF). Swansea Council. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  44. ^ Forrest, Adam (11 November 2021). "Revealed: 16 MPs claim £1.3m in rent from taxpayer – while letting their own homes". The Independent. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  45. ^ Webber, Esther; Chambre, Agnes; McDonald, Andrew (1 June 2023). "Labour MP Geraint Davies loses whip over sexual harassment allegations". Politico Europe. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  46. ^ Scott, Jennifer (1 June 2023). "Suspended Labour MP 'boasted' about taking sex workers to parliament bar, claim colleagues". Sky News. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  47. ^ "Geraint Davies: Labour receives second formal complaint against suspended MP". Sky News. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  48. ^ "Third formal complaint made against suspended Labour MP facing sexual harassment allegations". Sky News. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  49. ^ Haf Jones, Catrin (28 May 2024). "Suspended MP won't stand at general election". BBC News. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Croydon Central
1997–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Swansea West
2010–2024 		Succeeded by
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