Chris Bryant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Chris Bryant MP
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 July 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Julia Lopez
Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 July 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Julia Lopez (Creative Industries and Tourism) The Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Arts)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Europe and Asia
In office 13 October 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
Succeeded by	David Lidington
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office 9 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Gillian Merron
Succeeded by	Henry Bellingham
Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
In office 5 October 2008 – 9 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Helen Goodman
Succeeded by	Barbara Keeley
Member of Parliament for Rhondda and Ogmore Rhondda (2001–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2001
Preceded by	Allan Rogers
Majority	7,790 (21.8%)
Committee chairmanships 2020–2023 Standards 2020–2022 Privileges 2017–2019 Finance
Shadow portfolios Shadow cabinet 2015–2016 Commons Leader 2015–2015 Culture, Media and Sport Shadow Frontbench 2023–2024 Creative Industries and Digital 2014–2015 Arts 2013–2014 Welfare Reform 2011–2013 Immigration 2010–2011 Political and Constitutional Reform 2010 Europe
Personal details
Born	Christopher John Bryant (1962-01-11) 11 January 1962 (age 63) Cardiff, Wales
Political party	Labour (1986–present)
Other political affiliations	Conservative (before 1986)
Residences	Porth, Rhondda, Wales
Education	Cheltenham College
Alma mater	Mansfield College, Oxford (BA) Ripon College Cuddesdon

Sir Christopher John Bryant (born 11 January 1962) is a British politician. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Rhondda and Ogmore since 2024. Before that, he was the MP for Rhondda from 2001. He is a member of the Labour Party. Since July 2024, he has served as the Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms and Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism.

Chris Bryant was born in Cardiff, Wales. He went to Cheltenham College and then studied English at Mansfield College, Oxford. After university, he worked as a Church of England priest for a few years. He also worked at the BBC and for a charity called Common Purpose. He was first elected as an MP in 2001.

He has held several important roles in government. From 2008 to 2009, he was the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. From 2009 to 2010, he was the Under-Secretary of State for Europe and Asia. He also served in the Shadow Cabinet. This means he was part of the main opposition party's team. He was the Shadow Culture Secretary in 2015 and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016.

Early Life and Education

Chris Bryant was born on 11 January 1962 in Cardiff, Wales. His mother was Scottish, and his father was Welsh. He spent parts of his childhood in Cardiff, Spain, and Cheltenham, England. He learned to speak Spanish fluently.

He attended Cheltenham College, which is an independent school. Later, he studied English at Mansfield College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he was briefly a member of the Conservative Party. However, he joined the Labour Party in 1986 after finishing his studies.

After his first degree, Bryant trained to be a priest in the Church of England. He studied theology at Ripon College Cuddesdon in Oxfordshire. He became a deacon in 1986 and a priest in 1987. He worked as a curate in High Wycombe and as a Youth Chaplain in Peterborough. In 1991, Bryant decided to leave his work as a priest.

Starting His Political Career

After leaving the priesthood in 1991, Chris Bryant began working in politics. He helped Frank Dobson in the 1992 United Kingdom general election. From 1993, he worked as a Local Government Officer for the Labour Party. He was elected to Hackney Borough Council in 1993 and served there until 1998. He also became the Chairman of the Christian Socialist Movement.

From 1994 to 1996, he was the London manager for the charity Common Purpose. In 1996, Bryant became a full-time author. He wrote books about famous people like Stafford Cripps and Glenda Jackson. Before becoming an MP in 2001, he was the Head of European Affairs for the BBC from 1998.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Chris Bryant first ran for Parliament in the 1997 United Kingdom general election in Wycombe. He came second in that election.

In 2000, he was chosen to be the Labour candidate for Rhondda in South Wales. This was a very safe Labour seat. He was elected as the MP for Rhondda in the 2001 United Kingdom general election. He won with a large majority of 16,047 votes.

In 2003, Bryant voted for the UK to take part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He is a member of both the Labour Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East groups. From 2004 to 2007, he chaired the Labour Movement for Europe.

He was re-elected in the 2005 United Kingdom general election. In 2006, he was one of 15 Labour MPs who signed a letter asking Tony Blair to resign as Prime Minister.

In 2008, Chris Bryant was promoted to Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. In 2009, he moved to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He became the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Later that year, he was also appointed Minister for Europe.

Parliamentary Work and Key Issues

Chris Bryant has been involved in many important issues during his time in Parliament.

Phone Hacking Investigations

In 2003, during an inquiry into privacy, Chris Bryant asked Rebekah Wade (now Brooks) if she had ever paid police for information. She said yes. Later that year, Bryant's own phone was hacked by the News of the World newspaper. This was discovered by the police.

Bryant, along with others, took legal action to make the police contact all victims of phone hacking. He won £30,000 in damages from News International in 2012. He also led parliamentary debates on the phone hacking scandal. This led to the Leveson Inquiry, which investigated the culture, practices, and ethics of the British press.

Views on International Events

In 2014, after Russia took control of Crimea, Bryant spoke in the House of Commons. He criticized the international response as "pitiful and spineless." He reminded MPs that Britain, France, and the United States had promised to protect Ukraine's borders. He urged for stronger actions against Russia.

Supporting Equality

In 2011, Chris Bryant received the Stonewall Politician of the Year Award. This was for his work to support equality for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. He scored 100% in Stonewall's assessment of support for equality. In 2013, he voted in favor of same-sex marriage in Britain.

Shadow Cabinet Roles

After the 2010 United Kingdom general election, Bryant was re-elected. In October 2010, he ran for a position in the Shadow Cabinet. He was appointed Shadow Leader of the House of Commons in September 2015. He resigned from this role in June 2016 after the Brexit vote. He supported Owen Smith in the Labour Party leadership election that year.

He supported staying in the European Union in the 2016 referendum. He voted against triggering Article 50 in 2017, which started the process of leaving the EU.

New Laws and Committees

In 2017, Bryant introduced the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill. This bill made it a new crime to assault emergency workers. It became law in November 2018.

In May 2020, Bryant was elected as the Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Standards and Commons Select Committee of Privileges. These committees look into the conduct of MPs. In 2021, he introduced the Acquired Brain Injury Bill. This bill aimed to create a national strategy for people with brain injuries. He withdrew the bill when the government agreed to work on a strategy.

In the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed Shadow Minister for the Creative Industries and Digital.

Recent Parliamentary Role

Chris Bryant was elected as the MP for the new Rhondda and Ogmore constituency in the 2024 general election. This new constituency replaced his former Rhondda seat.

Personal Life and Health

Chris Bryant lives in Porth in the Rhondda. He entered into a civil partnership with Jared Cranney in 2010. Their ceremony was the first civil partnership held in the Houses of Parliament. They are now married.

In March 2019, Bryant shared that he had surgery for skin cancer. In May 2024, he announced that his skin cancer had spread to his lung. He urged people to take skin cancer seriously.

Honours

Chris Bryant was made a Knight in the 2023 New Year Honours. This was for his service in politics and to the public.

See also

In Spanish: Chris Bryant para niños