Geraint Davies (Labour politician)

For other people named Richard Davies, see Richard Davies (disambiguation).

Geraint Richard Davies
In office 2 May 1997 – 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Paul Beresford
Succeeded by	Andrew Pelling
Constituency	Croydon Central
Personal details
Born	(1960-05-03) 3 May 1960 Chester, England
Political party	New Labour
Spouse	Vanessa Fry

For the Plaid Cymru former member of the Welsh Assembly, see Geraint Davies

For the Welsh actor, see Geraint Wyn Davies

Geraint Richard Davies (3 May 1960) is a United Kingdom politician. He was the Labour member of Parliament for Croydon Central, in London, until 2005 and was first elected in the 1997 election. He unsuccessfully stood in Croydon Central in 1992 & 2005 and in Croydon South in 1987.

Personal life

Geraint Davies was born on 3rd May 1960. His mother's family is from Swansea, his father from Aberystwyth and he was brought up in Cardiff. He attended Llanishen Comprehensive school in Cardiff and then Jesus College of Oxford University. He has a background in international manufacturing - Group Product Manager in Unilever and Marketing Manager of Colgate Palmolive - and starting and running his own businesses.

Geraint Davies is married to Dr.Vanessa Fry. They have three daughters.

Political History

Council Leader

At 26 in 1986 Geraint Davies was elected Labour Councillor for New Addington in the largest London Borough Council - Croydon Council. He was re-elected in 1990 and 1994 and became Chair of Housing for Croydon and for the London Boroughs' Association. He pioneered the high tech tram system for Croydon and was Council Leader 1996 -1997 when it was introduced.

Member of Parliament

In 1997, at 37, he was elected as MP for Croydon Central overturning a 14661 Conservative majority and creating a 3897 Labour majority. An MP for 8 years, from 1997 to 2003 in Parliament he was elected by fellow MPs as Chair of the largest Parliamentary Labour Party Committee - Environment Transport & Regions Departmental Committee - to lead the debate with the Deputy Prime Minister and his Ministers on policy issues. During that time he served on the most powerful Select Committee - the Public Accounts Committee - taking a particular lead on prison reform.

He lead the parliamentary human rights campaign for the fair trial or release of British detainees in Guantanamo Bay which eventually secured the release of British detainees. Davies secured regular interviews for himself on BBC Radio's flagship Today programme, by persuading the British authorities to demand the release of his constituent Feroz Abbasi from the US Base at Guantanamo Bay.During the campaign he was appointed as Team Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Constitutional Affairs for the the Lord Chancellor and Constitutional Affairs Ministerial Team supporting justice policy development and its delivery in Parliament 2003-2005.

He was appointed NSPCC Parliamentary Ambassador in 2003 (-2005) following his Regulation of Childcare Providers Bill (April 2003) and his Physical Punishment of Children (Prohibition) Bill (July 2003) in 2003. He continued his Parliamentary leadership on children's issues with his Healthy Children Manifesto (June 2004) to ban junk food advertising to children and regulate food labeling (adopted by Government 11/06) and his School Meals and Nutrition Bill (Jan 2005)to include nutrition in OFSTED and ban unhealthy vending (provisions adopted 3/05 & 10/05). His Regulation of Hormone Disrupting Chemicals Bill (May 2004), to impose precautionary bans on chemicals with evidence of being dangerous, was incorprated in the EU REACH directive 09/06 and supported by WWFUK. Davies secured interviews for himself on BBC Radio's flagship Today programme for all his bills.

Constituency Service

Geraint Davies set up his full time constituency office in George St Croydon in 1997 and became the first MP to produce parliamentary annual reports distributed to every household. Relected in 2001 with an increased majority of 3984, he moved his office to the larger Ruskin House Coombe Rd Croydon enlarging his casework team to cope with the UK Immigration Centre based in his constituency and increasing requests from constituents due to his high local profile. He pioneered consultation on issues of local concern like the introduction of new fixed penalty notices for drunken behaviour and community police teams. The response to these consultations in particular his successful campaign for a moritorium on new drinking establishments in Croydon - following street riots in Croydon after Portugal beat England - meant he had the busiest constituency office in Britain in 2004-5.In 2005 Davies vote fell by 1700 and the Conservatives gained 2300 with the BNP not fielding a candidate and he was 75 votes short of victory making Croydon Central the most marginal Conservative seat in Britain.

Voting Record

Geraint Davies refused to vote with the Conservatives and built a reputation for changing controversial Government legislation by securing change in the Parliamentary Labour Party that then appeared as Government amendments. In particular,the repayment cut off date for Tuition Fees was introduced following his PLP campaign. This meant that only a fraction of tuition fees are paid by poorer graduates.

Similarly his PLP campaign ensured Foundation hospitals are audited by the National Audit Office and are accountable to Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on which he served for six years. The PAC published damning reports of PFI in the NHS in terms of poor value for money, the cost of borrowing, lack of risk transfer and loss of service.

Geraint Davies faced Government opposition to his School Meals & Nutrition Bill – to put nutrition in OFSTED reports & to ban unhealthy vending - and narrowly lost the vote but won the argument so eventually its provisions became law. In response to the killing of a toddler his Regulation of Childminders Bill gave parents the right to know of complaints against childminders. His campaign overcame Government opposition and this parents’ right became law.

He made a habit of asking tough Prime Minister's questions beyond his Guantanamo Bay campaign e.g Prime Minister’s questions:Geraint Davies: How easy, in the Prime Minister's view, will it be for Yasser Arafat to hunt down and hand over the terrorists …… when he and his security infrastructure are being bombed by the Israelis, and the Americans are failing actively to call for restraint?

Wales & Swansea West

Wales

In 2005 Geraint Davies was appointed to lead a team of academics, Council Leaders and the Environment Agency (Flood Risk Management Wales) to deliver a strategy to adapt Wales to climate change through flood defences and changing land use investing £30m in flood defences and resilience. He is also Chair of the Labour Finance & Industry Group for Wales, a business policy body led by Neil Kinnock.

After his appointment he moved with his family back to Swansea where his mother's family has been for four generations and now serves as a school governor in Dylan Thomas comprehensive School.

Swansea West

In July 2007 he was selected to succeed Alan Williams MP, Father of the House, as Labour's candidate for Swansea West. The hard fought contest generated a record 80% member participation and a clear result and he is strongly endorsed by Alan Williams, Father of the House and Assembly Minister Andrew Davies.

“I’m delighted to have my old colleague from the Public Accounts Committee as my successor. We worked very happily together and I’m sure he’ll do a great job for Swansea. I wish him every success and will give him all the support I can.” Rt.Hon.Alan Williams MP for Swansea West

“I very much welcome Geraint’s selection and relish the thought of working together to represent the people of Swansea, working as a strong Labour team at Parliamentary & Assembly level for the people of Swansea, his previous parliamentary and industrial experience will ensure a strong voice in Parliament. Geraint is a worthy successor to Alan Williams.” Andrew Davies Swansea West AM & Assembly Government Minister.

“I am aware of Geraint’s experience in engaging in the needs of communities and his campaigning skills on their behalf. I have known Geraint for a few years now and believe that he will be a key member of our Labour team in Swansea and I look forward to working with him at a local & national level”. Sian James MP Swansea East

“Geraint has a very wide background in the private and public sector, founded and ran his own business and led the largest Council in London and therefore is a great catch for our City” Rt.Hon Lord Anderson of Swansea.

External links

• Labour Finance & Industry Group Wales
• [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/845 - 20k
• Appointment of Chair to Flood Risk Management Wales