Rhodri Morgan

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Hywel Rhodri Morgan
First Minister for Wales
Incumbent
Assumed office  16 October 2000 (First Secretary since February 9, 2000)
Deputy	Mike German (2000-2001) Jenny Randerson (2001-2002) Mike German (2002-2003)
Preceded by	Alun Michael (First Secretary)
Born	29 September 1939 Cardiff, Wales
Constituency	Cardiff West
Political party	Welsh Labour

Hywel Rhodri Morgan (born 29 September 1939) is a Welsh politician and the second and current First Minister of Wales. He was born in Cardiff and educated at St John's College, Oxford and Harvard University. He worked for South Glamorgan County Council from 1974 to 1980 before becoming head of the European Community's office in Wales. He was elected as Labour MP for Cardiff West in 1987. From 1988 to 1994, he was a Shadow Environment Spokesman. He was also Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Public Administration (1997-1999), and Opposition Front Bench Spokesman on Energy (1988-92) and Welsh Affairs (1992-1997). He became First Minister on 16 October 2000, having held the same post under its old title of "First Secretary" since February of that year. He was appointed to the Privy Council in July 2000.

A committed supporter of Welsh devolution, Morgan contested the position of Labour's nominee for the (then titled) First Secretary of the Welsh Assembly. He lost to the then Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies. Davies was then forced to resign his position after an alleged sex scandal, whereupon Morgan again ran for the post. His opponent, Alun Michael, the new Secretary of State for Wales, was seen as a reluctant participant despite also having a long-standing commitment to Welsh devolution, and was widely regarded as being the choice of the UK leadership of the Labour Party.

Michael was duly elected to the leadership but resigned a little more than a year later, amid threats of an imminent no-confidence vote and widespread plotting against him by members of not only his own party, but also Assembly groups and Cabinet members. Rhodri Morgan was elected as the new Labour nominee, and thus First Minister. He stepped down from the British House of Commons at the 2001 General Election.

Morgan's leadership has been characterised by a willingness to distance himself from a number of aspects of UK Labour party policy, particularly in relation to plans to introduce choice in public services. Critics have also complained about a perceived lack of delivery in those public services, most notably in health, where hospital waiting lists remain far higher than in England. In a speech given in Swansea to the National Centre for Public Policy in November 2002, Morgan stated his opposition to foundation hospitals (a UK Labour proposal), and referred to the "clear red water" separating policies in Wales and in Westminster.

On 1 May 2003, Labour under Morgan's leadership was re-elected in the Assembly elections. Morgan managed to win enough seats to form a Labour-only administration (the election was held under proportional representation, and Labour won 30 of the 60 seats in the Assembly and the overall majority was achieved when Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM was elected Presiding Officer of the Assembly) and named his cabinet on May 9. In that election, Labour easily took back all of the former strongholds they lost to Plaid Cymru at the height of Alun Michael's unpopularity in 1999.

Both Rhodri Morgan and his wife Julie Morgan are Distinguished Supporters of the British Humanist Association.

Rhodri Morgan's pastimes include reading and leisurely driving around the Cardiff Bay area meeting his constituents. His wife, Julie, is the Labour MP for Cardiff North.

[edit] References

• "Morgan made privy councillor", BBC, 24 July, 2000.

National Assembly for Wales
Preceded by: (new post)	Assembly Member for Cardiff West 1999 – present	Incumbent
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by: Stefan Terlezki	Member of Parliament for Cardiff West 1987–2001	Succeeded by: Kevin Brennan
Political offices
Preceded by: Alun Michael First Secretary of Wales	First Minister of Wales Orig. First Secretary 2000 – present	Incumbent