Hywel Williams

{{Short description|Welsh politician (born 1953)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{Use British English|date=October 2019}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Hywel Williams

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Hywel Williams MP crop 2.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Official portrait, 2020

| office = Member of Parliament
for Arfon
Caernarfon (2001–2010)

| parliament =

| term_start = 7 June 2001

| term_end = 30 May 2024

| predecessor = Dafydd Wigley

| successor = Constituency abolished

| majority =

| office1 = Leader of Plaid Cymru in the House of Commons

| leader1 = Leanne Wood

| predecessor1 = Jonathan Edwards

| successor1 = Liz Saville Roberts

| term_start1 = 10 September 2015

| term_end1 = 14 June 2017

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1953|5|14}}

| birth_place = Pwllheli, Caernarfonshire, Wales

| nationality =

| party = Plaid Cymru

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University)

| occupation =

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

| birth_name = Hywel Williams

}}

Hywel Williams (born 14 May 1953){{Who's Who|title=Williams, Hywel|id=U42205|access-date=27 May 2024|edition=December 2007 online}} is a Welsh Plaid Cymru politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Arfon, previously Caernarfon, from 2001 to 2024.

Early life

Hywel Williams was born in Pwllheli in 1953,{{cite web |url=http://www2.partyof.wales/asau_mps |title=Members of Parliament |publisher=Plaid Cymru |access-date=8 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426201852/https://www.partyof.wales/asau_mps |archive-date=26 April 2019 |url-status=dead }} and went to school at Pwllheli Grammar School and then Ysgol Glan y Môr.{{cite web|title=Hywel Williams |work=Debrett's People of Today |url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/w/21474/Hywel+WILLIAMS.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111022926/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/21372/Hywel-WILLIAMS |archive-date=11 November 2014 |publisher=Debretts |url-status=dead }}

He studied Psychology at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) before qualifying as a social worker at University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) in 1977/78. He was a mental health social worker in the Dwyfor area before joining the Centre for Social Work Practice at the University of Wales, Bangor in 1985.{{Cite web |title=Hywel Williams MP for Arfon |url=https://www.partyofwalesarfon.org/hywel_williams_mp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805160009/http://www.partyofwalesarfon.org/hywel_williams_mp|url-status=usurped|archive-date=5 August 2017}}

Williams was a project worker at the centre, specialising in developing practice through the medium of Welsh, developing a host of short courses available in Welsh for the first time, as well as producing and editing numerous books and training packages with his colleagues, including the first ever social work vocabulary in Welsh. He was appointed Head of the Centre in 1993.{{Cite web |title=Hywel Williams Byline Cymru |url=https://bylines.cymru/author/hywel-williams/}}

In 1995, Williams left to work as a freelance lecturer, consultant and writer in the fields of social policy, social work, and social care, working primarily in Welsh. For the next six years, he worked for a variety of universities and colleges in Wales and abroad, as well as working for public bodies, charities, private companies and local and central government, including spending time as an adviser to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee.{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary Career of Hywel Williams |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1397/career}}

He has been a member of numerous professional bodies in relation to social work and training, and was also spokesman for the Child Poverty Action Group in Wales.{{Cite news |title=North Wales Chronicle |url=https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/20209359.arfon-mp-calls-reinstate-20-benefits-uplift/}}

Political career

File:Official portrait of Hywel Williams crop 2.jpg

At the 2001 general election, Williams was elected as the Plaid Cymru MP for Caernafon, winning with 44.4% of the vote and a majority of 3,511.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2001 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2001ob.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054450/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2001ob.txt |archive-date=15 October 2011 |access-date=18 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}} He was re-elected as MP for Caernafon at the 2005 general election with an increased vote share of 45.5% and an increased majority of 5,209.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2005 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2005ob.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054249/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2005ob.txt |archive-date=15 October 2011 |access-date=18 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}

In 2005 he joined the Panel of Chairs. This role involves chairing backbench debates, standing committees on legislation, committees on secondary legislation and from time to time, meetings of the whole House as a Committee in the main chamber.{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary Career of Hywel Williams |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1397/career}}

In 2010 the constituency of Caernafon was replaced by the new constituency of Arfon.{{cite web |title=Arfon' UK Parliament, 6 May 2010 - |url=http://electionweb.co.uk/Bp/P2009016.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412183603/http://electionweb.co.uk/Bp/P2009016.htm |archive-date=12 April 2016 |access-date=31 March 2016 |website=ElectionWeb Project |publisher=Cognitive Computing Limited}} Williams was elected as MP for the new constituency of Arfon at the 2010 general election, winning with 36% of the vote and a majority of 1,455.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2010 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-date=26 July 2013 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite web |title=BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Arfon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/w17.stm |access-date=25 April 2016}} He was re-elected as MP for Arfon at the 2015 general election with an increased vote share of 43.9% and an increased majority of 3,668.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite web |title=Gwynedd Council results |url=https://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/en/Council/Voting-and-elections/Parliamentary-Elections.aspx |access-date=20 September 2015 |website=Parliamentary Election results – 7 May 2015 |publisher=Gwynedd Council}}{{cite news |title=Arfon Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/W07000057#election2015-logo |access-date=5 May 2015 |work=BBC News |department=Election 2015}}

He served as leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster from September 2015{{cite news |title=Hywel Williams MP named as new leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster |url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/hywel-williams-plaid-cymru-westminster-10027362 |access-date=21 March 2023 |publisher=Daily Post}} until June 2017.{{cite news |title=Liz Saville Roberts is Plaid Cymru's new Westminster leader |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/liz-saville-roberts-plaid-cymrus-13186885 |access-date=21 March 2023 |publisher=WalesOnline}} At the snap 2017 general election, Williams was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 40.8% and a decreased majority of 92.{{cite web |last=Bloom |first=Dan |date=7 June 2017 |title=Here is every single 2017 general election candidate in a plain text list |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-candidates-2017-full-10410166 |work=Daily Mirror |publisher=Trinity Mirror}}{{Cite news |title=Arfon parliamentary constituency - Election 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/W07000057#election2017-logo |access-date=2019-12-31 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

In March 2019, he voted for an amendment tabled by members of The Independent Group calling for a second public vote on EU membership.{{cite web |last1=Mosalski |first1=Ruth |title=Brexit latest: The Welsh MPs who voted for a second referendum |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-latest-welsh-mps-who-15976568 |website=Wales Online |date=14 March 2019 |access-date=14 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406143105/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-latest-welsh-mps-who-15976568 |archive-date=6 April 2019 |url-status=live }}

Williams was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with an increased vote share of 45.2% and an increased majority of 2,781.{{cite web |title=Parliamentary Elections |url=https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Council/Documents---Council/Voting-and-elections/12-December-2019-Election/Datganiad-am-y-Personau-a-Enwebwyd.pdf |access-date=17 November 2019 |website=Gwynedd Council }}{{Cite news |title=Arfon parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/W07000057 |access-date=2019-12-17 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

In November 2022, Williams announced that he would not seek re-election as an MP at the 2024 general election.{{Cite web |last=Bagnall |first=Steve |date=2022-11-11 |title=Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams will step down at next general election |url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/plaid-cymru-mp-hywel-williams-25490672 |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=North Wales Live |language=en}}

His parliamentary responsibilities within Plaid Cymru are work and pensions, defence, international development and culture.{{cite web |title=Hywel Williams |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1397/contact |access-date=21 March 2023 |website=UK Parliament}}

In December 2023 Williams was a member of the team for Bangor University which participated in BBC's Christmas University Challenge.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/university-challenge-christmas-special/|title=Festive cheer and intellectual prowess unite in the University Challenge Christmas Special Series|website=www.bbc.co.uk}} The team lost to Middlesex University in the semi-final.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tx7k/university-challenge-christmas-2023-episode-8|title=University Challenge - Christmas 2023: Episode 8|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}

References

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