Rod Richards
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| Rod Richards | |
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| In office 1999 – 2002 |
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| Preceded by | (new post) |
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| Succeeded by | David Jones |
| Constituency | North Wales Region |
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| In office 1999 – 1999 |
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| Preceded by | (new post) |
| Succeeded by | Nick Bourne |
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Member of Parliament
for North West Clwyd |
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| In office 1992 – 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Anthony Meyer |
| Succeeded by | (constituency abolished) |
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| Born | 12 March 1947  Llanelli, Wales |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Llandovery College, Swansea University |
| Occupation | Royal Marines, Ministry of Defence, Journalist, Broadcaster |
Rod (Roderick) Richards (born Llanelli 12 March 1947) was the Conservative Member of Parliament for North West Clwyd, in Wales, from 1992 to 1997, when he lost his seat in the Labour Party landslide. He was also the Conservative leader in the Welsh Assembly in 1999, after being elected as an Assembly Member for North Wales.
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[edit] Background
Welsh speaking, Mr Richards was educated at Llandovery College and Swansea University. He first rose to public prominence in the 1980s as a Welsh-language newsreader for BBC Wales. Before that, he had spent some time in the Royal Marines, including serving in Northern Ireland, served on the intelligence staff of the Ministry of Defence, and as a former economic forecaster.
[edit] Political career
[edit] UK Parliament
He first tried to enter parliament at the 1987 general election, when he stood unsuccessfully for the Carmarthen seat. He was unsuccessful again two years later at a by-election for the Vale of Glamorgan, but at the 1992 general election he was elected as MP for the former parliamentary seat of Clwyd North West. During John Major's government he was appointed Welsh Office junior minister in 1996, but was forced to resign when revelations about his private life appeared in a Sunday tabloid newspaper.
[edit] National Assembly for Wales
Although defeated in his constituency seat during the first Welsh Assembly elections in 1999, he was elected to the new body as lead candidate on the Conservatives' regional top-up list. He was appointed the Conservative party leader in the Welsh Assembly defeating Nick Bourne, who was then widely regarded as William Hague's first choice for the job (and eventually went on to become leader), but stood down after he was accused of assaulting a young woman. He was cleared of assault in June 2000.
Rod Richards had the party whip withdrawn from him following his decision to abstain rather than vote with his fellow Conservatives against the Assembly's budget at the end of 1999. He continued to sit in the Assembly, as an 'Independent Conservative' until 2002 when he resigned as an Assembly Member (AM), saying he was leaving the assembly immediately in the interests of his health.
[edit] Personal
At the High Court in London in February 2003, Rod Richards was declared bankrupt with debts estimated at more than £300,000.
On 30 April 2006 he entered the debate regarding John Prescott's marital affair. Speaking on a Radio Five Live phone in, Richards described how after his own affair in 1996, Prescott had acted in an 'ungentlemanly' fashion, both in public and in private.
It was reported on 17 April 2008 that Richards had been arrested in connection with an alleged assault on a Conservative party worker.[1] He was later released after receiving a caution from police.
[edit] References
[edit] Offices held
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by Sir Anthony Meyer |
Member of Parliament for North West Clwyd 1992–1997 |
Succeeded by (constituency abolished) |
| National Assembly for Wales | ||
| Preceded by (new post) |
Assembly Member for North Wales 1999–2002 |
Succeeded by David Ian Jones |
| Preceded by (new unofficial post) |
Father of the House 1999–2002 |
Succeeded by TBC |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by (new post) |
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly 1999 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Nick Bourne |
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Richards, Roderick |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Known as Rod Richards |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Welsh Conservative Party politician; MP 1992-97, AM 1999–2002 |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 12 March 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Llanelli, Wales |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
