Guto Bebb
| Guto Bebb | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Aberconwy | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency Created |
| Majority | 3,398 (11.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 October 1968 Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Esyllt Bebb |
| Children | Five |
| Alma mater | University of Aberystwyth |
| Occupation | Business development director |
| Website | www.gutobebb.org.uk |
Guto ap Owain Bebb[1] (born 9 October 1968) is a Welsh Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberconwy. He was first elected in the 2010 general election having previously contested elections to both the Welsh Assembly and the House of Commons, and is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel group.
Early life
Bebb was born in Wrexham in 1968 to a family who originated from Bangor and Blaenau Ffestiniog, and was a student at Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen in Caernarfon. He graduated from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1990 with a BA in history. He subsequently ran an economic development consultancy and also worked as the business development director of Innovas Wales.[2] He was also a partner in his wife's bookshop.
Political career
Bebb is a former Plaid Cymru activist and was chair of the party in Caernarfon.[3] He defected to the Conservatives because of his Eurosceptic views.
Bebb first stood for the Conservatives in 2002 when he contested the safe Labour seat of Ogmore in 2002 by-election caused by the death of the veteran MP Sir Raymond Powell. He finished in fourth place many votes behind the victor, Huw Irranca-Davies. He stood again in the 2003 Welsh Assembly election in which he was a candidate in the now-defunct constituency of Conwy. He came third, behind Labour and Plaid Cymru.
At the 2005 general election he stood again in Conwy, this time coming second behind Labour. In the 2010 general election, boundary changes led to the creation of a new constituency called Aberconwy, based on the former Conwy. Bebb was selected as the Conservative candidate for this new seat. The Conservatives won the seat and Bebb was returned as the MP for Aberconwy with a majority of 3,398 or 11.3%.
Bebb has been part of a number of delegations of the Conservative Friends of Israel group,[4] including during the Operation Defensive Shield conflict when he visited for an Israeli military briefing on the Iron Dome defense system.[5]
In 2014, Bebb became embroiled in a spat with an Aberconwy constituent after an exchange on Twitter, leading to heavy criticism in the media[6] regarding his negative comments about Asperger's Syndrome.[7]
Personal life
Bebb's native language is Welsh. He is married to Esyllt Bebb, and they have five children.
He is the grandson of Ambrose Bebb, co-founder of Plaid Cymru.[3]
He is an avid collector of vinyl records.
References
- ↑ Search Results
- ↑ "Aberystwyth at Westminster". Aberystwyth University. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Times Guide to the House of Commons 2010, p87
- ↑ http://www2.cfoi.co.uk/Delegations/RecentDelegations/
- ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/30/tory-mps-visit-israel-condemned-bad-timing
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mp-advises-man-not-to-publicly-comment-on-issues-if-he-has-mental-health-problems-9714735.html
- ↑ http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/aberconwy-mp-guto-bebb-embroiled-7728164
External links
- Guto Bebb Official website
- Bebb Guto MP Conservative Party profile
- Aberconwy Conservatives
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
Offices held
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Aberconwy 2010–present |
Incumbent |