Kirsty Williams
Kirsty Williams Brecon and Radnorshire | |
---|---|
In office 6 May 1999 – 29 April 2021 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | James Evans |
Personal details | |
Born | Victoria Kirstyn Williams 19 March 1971 Taunton, Somerset, England |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Spouse | Richard Rees |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | University of Manchester |
Website | www |
Victoria Kirstyn Williams
Early and personal life
Williams was born in Taunton, Somerset to Welsh parents, whilst her librarian father was working there.[2][3] After moving to Liverpool,[3] in 1974 the family moved to the village of Bynea, Carmarthenshire, where she grew up.[2][3]
Educated at the independent
She is married to a farmer; the couple have three daughters and live on the family farm outside Brecon.[2][3]
Political career
Williams joined the
She was elected as an
In the 2006 Welsh Yearbook Political Awards, she was voted "Member to Watch 2006"[5] In a poll at the end of 2006, Williams was voted "Sexiest Female Liberal Democrat" on Stephen Tall's Liberal Goes a Long Way blog.[6]
On 8 December 2008, Williams became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, having defeated Cardiff Central Assembly Member
In 2011, as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, she agreed to support the Welsh Labour Government's 2012–2013 £14.5bn Budget on the basis, amongst other things, of securing the Welsh Pupil Premium: an extra £20m to spend on the education of the poorest pupils.[8] Teaching Unions welcomed the deal, with ATL Cymru director Philip Dixon saying, "Our children are our future and investment in them is investment for all. Labour and the Lib Dems deserve credit for ensuring that our children, especially those in most need, will now get a better start in life."[9]
In 2013, Williams and the Welsh Liberal Democrats more than doubled investment for the Welsh Pupil Premium in exchange for abstaining on the Welsh government's annual budget.[10]
Williams has gained a reputation for campaigning on health issues. In 2012, the Welsh Government agreed to take forward the Welsh Liberal Democrat idea of a Health Technology Fund to allow patients better access to innovative treatments.[11] The following year, the Welsh Liberal Democrats achieved a further £9.5m investment into the Health Technology Fund as well as the establishment of a £50m Intermediate Care Fund to drive integration of health, social services and housing.[12]
In December 2012, Williams won ITV Wales' Assembly Member of the Year Award in a ceremony at Cardiff's City Hall. In the
Williams has been part of a long-running ‘More Nurses’ campaign for a law requiring minimum staffing levels for nurses in Welsh hospitals. Kirsty Williams was successful in a legislative ballot (a bill proposed by an individual member is rare) on 11 December 2013, and given leave to proceed with her Bill In 2014, Nurse Staffing Levels Bill.[14] It was passed and became law in Wales on 21 March 2016.[15] She was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Nursing in 2016.[16]
In the
On 16 June 2017, Williams once again became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, on an acting basis, after the defeat of the previous leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Mark Williams MP, in the 2017 general election.[1]
She is at the forefront of curriculum reform in Wales and introduced the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill on 6 July 2020.[19]
On 27 October 2020 she announced that she would not be seeking re-election in the 2021 Senedd election, saying that she was "looking forward to spending more time with my family and I remain committed to my role in Brecon and Radnorshire and look forward to continuing to campaign with my successor to ensure Brecon and Radnorshire returns a Welsh Liberal Democrat voice."[20]
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Liberal Democrats announce Shadow Cabinet". Liberal Democrats. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Kirsty Williams AM". Welsh Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Kirsty Williams". BBC. 1 September 1999. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "ITV News: Latest UK and regional news". ITV News.
- ^ Tall, Stephen (1 January 2007). "A Liberal Goes A Long Way: Sexiest female and male Lib Dems - final poll results".
- ^ "Williams election 'breaks mould'". BBC News. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Welsh budget: Labour and Lib Dems reach agreement". BBC News. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "Welsh budget deal: Teachers welcome poor pupil cash boost". BBC News. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Williams, Kirsty. "Kirsty Williams writes... Welsh Lib Dems more than double Welsh Pupil Premium". Liberal Democrat Voice. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Welsh Government praise for Lib Dem ideas". ITV. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ ""Delivering our priorities: A fair Budget for Wales" – Jane Hutt". Welsh Government. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 9.
- ^ "Nurse numbers law plans to be scrutinised". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016". business.senedd.wales. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ Royal College of Nursing (2022). "RCN Fellowship Roll of Honour".
- ^ "Assembly Election 2016: Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams stands down". Wales Online. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ^ "What does Kirsty Williams' exit mean for the Lib Dems and Welsh politics?". Nation.Cymru. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill". business.senedd.wales. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Education Minister Kirsty Williams MS to stand down at next Senedd election". ITV News. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Kirsty Williams AM Profile at the site of Welsh Liberal Democrats
- National Assembly for Wales Website
- Profile on BBC website September 1999