Andrew RT Davies

Andrew RT Davies CBE (born 1968) is a Welsh politician serving as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd since 2021, previously holding the position from 2011 to 2018.

Joining the Conservative Party in 1997, Davies fought Cardiff West in the 2001 general election, and Brecon and Radnorshire in 2005.

Davies is also a life governor of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and was the Society's Oxford Farming Conference Scholar in 2002.

He is a former governor at Llanfair Primary School.

He served as Deputy Chairman (Political) for the Conservative Party in South Wales Central from 2002 to 2003, a region that comprises the Conservative Associations in Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Between 2004 and 2005 he was Deputy Chairman of the Cardiff West Conservative Association.

He has been a Member of the Senedd (MS) since 2007.

In 2007, he was elected to the National Assembly of Wales on the South Wales Central regional list.

Davies' political interests include education, health and rural affairs.

In the Third Assembly he was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport in the Senedd from 7 July 2007 to 16 June 2008, and Shadow Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills from 16 June 2008.

He also sat on the Assembly's Petitions Committee and the Subordinate Legislation Committee.

He has also won an award for being "Assembly Member to Watch" in December 2008.

In 2009 he became the Shadow Minister for Health in the National Assembly for Wales.

He was elected Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd on 14 July 2011, resigning the position on 27 June 2018.

He was re-appointed as Welsh Conservative leader on 24 January 2021, following the resignation of Paul Davies.

Davies was educated at Llanfair Primary School, St John's Preparatory School, Porthcawl, and later boarded at Wycliffe College, Stroud.

He is married to a qualified midwife and they have four children.

He is a partner in the family farming business based in St Hilary near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Davies was a Welsh delegate on the Council of the National Farmers Union (NFU), vice-president of the local Young Farmers Club, and is a former Chairman of Creative Communities, which seeks to develop structural community development.

He was elected as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group on 14 July 2011, having won 53.1 per cent of the vote.

In June 2018, Wales Online led an investigation into what they described as Davies keeping his "public constituency office hidden from the public".

The piece stated the office was located in a "wooden cabin 50 yards beyond a vehicle security barrier on a rural farm estate".

In a freedom of information response by the Assembly Commission, the address of the office was confirmed as Penllyn Estate, Llwynhelig, Cowbridge CF71 7FF, a 1,200-acre mixed farm operation.

The information only came to light after the FOI request by a Conservative Party member.

A spokesperson for Davies responded to the investigation by stating the arrangements had been made "following a security incident at Andrew’s previous office on Cowbridge High Street where police attended to support a female employee", necessitating a more secure location.

They continued stating that "Andrew regularly hosts constituents and organisations at his office and if he knew a Western Mail journalist had intended to visit he would’ve been there to welcome him with the kettle on".

Davies led criticism of Natural Resources Wales in November 2018, particularly around their selling of timber on a closed rather than open market.

He has proposed splitting NRW into two separate bodies, and described the "bloated and largely incompetent quango" body as "no longer fit for purpose".

Plaid agriculture spokesman Llyr Gruffydd however stated the issues faced by NRW were down to the 35% real terms cut in their budget and the organisation being under resourced.

Davies responded to concerns raised by Airbus in June 2018 regarding the threat of a no-deal Brexit by stating that "there is a lot of hyperbole flying around" regarding a no deal Brexit.

The comments were criticised by Conservative figures including Guto Bebb.

Bebb went on to dispute Davies title as "Leader of the Welsh Conservatives", stating he only led the Assembly group.

Secretary of State Alun Cairns described Airbus' comments as a "wake-up call" for "one of the jewels in the crown of UK manufacturing".

A number of Davies' Welsh Conservative colleagues, including Secretary of State Alun Cairns, Mr Davies' Deputy, Paul Davies, and Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay, were all Remain supporters, in contrast to Davies role as a Vote Leave voice in the Welsh Conservatives.

In Spring 2018, a text was reportedly sent by Cairns which discussed with Welsh Conservative AMs how and when to remove Davies.

Davies initially only stated that a figure in Westminster had sent the text, but refused to name the individual.

This text was reportedly sent to Davies by accident, describing how "the other end of the M4" were in support of his replacement.

In around April 2018, it was rumoured that his Deputy Leader Paul Davies was planning a leadership challenge to Davies.

Amid internal discussions in the party, Nick Ramsay reportedly made it clear to Mr Davies that they did not like each other prior to his resignation, and an AM reportedly "stormed out" of a dinner regarding the leadership of the party after Davies had spoken, who later was reported to be Ramsay.

Davies resigned as Leader of the Welsh Conservatives on 27 June 2018.