Mick Antoniw

Mick Antoniw MS
Мік Антонів
Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2011
First Minister	Carwyn Jones
Preceded by	Jane Davidson
Majority	7,694 (33%)
Counsel General for Wales
In office 27 June 2016 – 14 November 2017
Preceded by	Theodore Huckle
Succeeded by	Jeremy Miles
Personal details
Born	(1954-09-01) 1 September 1954
Political party	Labour Co-operative
Alma mater	University of Wales
Occupation	Lawyer
Website	Welsh Labour

Mick Antoniw (Ukrainian: Мік Антонів; born 1 September 1954) is a Welsh Labour & Co-operative politician who has been the Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd since 2011.

Early life

Antoniw comes from a Ukrainian family and came to the UK as a result of his father seeking refugee status in the UK following World War II.

Antoniw came to Wales to study law at the Cardiff Law School, University of Wales in 1973. He was President of the National Union of Students Wales from 1977 to 1979.

Professional career

He was a practising solicitor before his election to the Senedd, specialising in personal injury. Antoniw was a partner in Thompsons Solicitors, the specialist trade union solicitors, with whom he began his training in 1980. He is a trustee of the Welsh Refugee Council.

Personal life

Antoniw has fostered dozens of other people's children in the 15 years prior to his election, saying "I know from my own experience of fostering how rewarding it is - and while often very challenging, the one thing it teaches is how quickly children can suddenly bloom when they are in a loving and caring environment."

Political career

Antoniw was a leading member of the Wales Anti-apartheid Movement (WAAM) during the 1980s. In 1981 he was elected as a Labour councilor to the South Glamorgan County Council for the Court ward, gaining the seat from the Conservatives. He was re-elected in 1985 but did not seek re-election in 1989.

At the 2011 Welsh Assembly election, Antoniw increased the Labour vote with a swing of 18.8%. His 11,864 votes amounted to over 50% of the poll; his majority over the second-placed Welsh Liberal Democrats candidate, Mike Powell, was 7,694. At the 2016 Welsh Assembly election Antoniw's vote fell to 9,986 and his majority was reduced.

He was appointed as Counsel General for Wales in June 2016. However, he departed from this role in November 2017 as part of a Government reshuffle, being replaced by Jeremy Miles.

Antoniw is a fluent Ukrainian speaker and has used his knowledge of the language when meeting with Ukrainian officials including deputy prime minister Volodymyr Groysman at international summits, such as the European Union Committee of the Regions. He has stated that he is a supporter of Ukrainian accession to the European Union, a supporter of the country joining NATO, and does not support Ukrainian federalism.

Honours and Awards

• 2019: Third Class of the Order of Merit of the Ukraine

External links

• Media related to Mick Antoniw at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website