Ken Skates

Ken Skates
AM
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for Clwyd South
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2011
Preceded by Karen Sinclair
Majority 2,659 (13.3%)
Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 September 2014
First Minister Carwyn Jones
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology
In office
June 2013 – September 2014
First Minister Carwyn Jones
Succeeded by Julie James
Personal details
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Cambridge

Ken Skates AM is a Welsh Labour politician, who has represented the constituency of Clwyd South since the National Assembly for Wales election of 2011.[1]

Early life

Skates was born in Flintshire, North Wales and attended Ysgol y Waun in Gwernaffield and the Alun School, Mold, where he studied A-levels in physics, maths, English and politics. After achieving four A grades he went to Cambridge University to study social and political science, specialising in European regional policy and economics.[2]

Career

After graduating, Skates took a gap-period in the United States, before joining the Wrexham Leader newspaper. He studied for his NVQ in journalism at Yale College, Wrexham, and then went freelance working for the BBC and the Daily Express

Politics

Whilst working as a freelance journalist, Skates began working as office manager for Mark Tami, Labour MP for Alyn and Deeside.[3]

Skates was elected with 42.4% of the vote in Clwyd South in 2011.[4] In 2012 he was one of four AMs to stand up in the Senedd chamber to talk about their experiences with mental health problems.[2]

In June 2013, Skates was appointed by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones as Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology.[5] In a reshuffle in September 2014 he was made Deputy Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport in September 2014.[6]

References

  1. ↑ http://welshlabour.org.uk/ken-skates
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Graham Henry (17 February 2010). "Ken Skates: 'I thought speech on mental health had ruled me out of promotion'". WalesOnline. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.kenskates.co.uk/kensbio/
  4. ↑ http://senedd.assemblywales.org/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=18
  5. ↑ "Huw Lewis is named Wales education minister". BBC News. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  6. ↑ http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/firstminister/2014/140911-cabinet-reshuffle/?lang=en

External links

National Assembly for Wales
Preceded by
Karen Sinclair		 Assembly Member for Clwyd South
2011–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Jeff Cuthbert		 Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology
26 June 2013 - present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent