Huw Irranca-Davies facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Huw Irranca-Davies
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Deputy First Minister of Wales | |
| Assumed office 6 August 2024 |
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| First Minister | Eluned Morgan |
| Preceded by | Ieuan Wyn Jones (2011) |
| Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs | |
| Assumed office 21 March 2024 |
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| First Minister | Vaughan Gething Eluned Morgan |
| Preceded by | Julie James (Climate Change) Lesley Griffiths (Rural Affairs) |
| Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care | |
| In office 3 November 2017 – 13 December 2018 |
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| First Minister | Carwyn Jones |
| Preceded by | Rebecca Evans |
| Succeeded by | Dawn Bowden |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Marine and Natural Environment | |
| In office 5 October 2008 – 6 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Richard Benyon |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales | |
| In office 2 July 2007 – 5 October 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Nick Ainger |
| Succeeded by | Wayne David |
| Member of the Senedd for Ogmore |
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| Assumed office 5 May 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Janice Gregory |
| Majority | 8,165 (33.3%) |
| Member of Parliament for Ogmore |
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| In office 14 February 2002 – 24 March 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Ray Powell |
| Succeeded by | Chris Elmore |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ifor Huw Davies
22 January 1963 Gowerton, Swansea, Wales |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour Co-operative |
| Spouse | Joanna Irranca (known as Joanna Irranca-Davies) |
| Relations | Ifor Davies (great-uncle) |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation | Politician |
Huw Irranca-Davies (born 22 January 1963) is a Welsh politician. He is a member of the Welsh Labour and Co-operative parties. Since August 2024, he has been the Deputy First Minister of Wales. He also serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs since March 2024.
Huw Irranca-Davies has been a Member of the Senedd (MS) for Ogmore since 2016. Before that, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ogmore from 2002 to 2016.
He has held several important roles in government. He was an Assistant Whip (a role that helps manage party discipline) and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales. He also worked in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In March 2016, he left the UK Parliament to run for a seat in the Senedd, which is the Welsh Parliament. He won the election in May 2016.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Growing Up in Wales
Huw Irranca-Davies was born as Ifor Huw Davies in 1963. His parents were Teresa and Gethin Davies. When he was a boy, he helped his step great-uncle, Ifor Davies, during general elections. His great-uncle was an MP for Gower.
Education and Early Career
Huw went to Gowerton Comprehensive School. His mother worked there as a secretary. He later studied at Crewe and Alsager College and Swansea Metropolitan University. He earned a BA (Hons) and an MSc degree.
After finishing his studies, Huw worked in leisure management for local councils. He met his wife, Joanna Irranca, at a sports centre. Joanna's parents were from Italy and moved to South Wales in the 1950s. When they got married, both Huw and Joanna changed their last names to Irranca-Davies. Huw felt his original surname, Davies, was too common. They have three sons. Later, Huw also worked in private management and as a lecturer at Swansea Metropolitan University.
Political Journey
Serving in the UK Parliament
In 2001, Huw Irranca-Davies ran for Parliament in the Brecon & Radnor area but did not win. However, in February 2002, he was elected as the MP for Ogmore. This area in the South Wales Valleys had been a Labour Party seat since 1918. He was re-elected as MP for Ogmore in 2005, 2010, and 2015.
While in the UK Parliament, Huw worked on many different issues. He was part of committees that looked at how Parliament worked. He also helped with new laws, such as the Police Reform Act. He spoke in Parliament about topics like fair trade, social justice, and climate change.
He held several important roles, including:
- Helping ministers in different government departments.
- Serving as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales.
- Working as an Environment Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
- Being a "Shadow Minister" for Energy and Climate Change, and later for Food and Farming. This means he was part of the opposition party's team, challenging the government on these topics.
In June 2015, he was chosen to lead the Environmental Audit Select Committee. This committee checks how government policies affect the environment. He left his role as an MP in March 2016.
Representing Ogmore in the Senedd
In October 2015, Huw Irranca-Davies decided to move his political work from London to Cardiff Bay, where the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) is located. In December 2015, he was chosen to run for the Ogmore seat in the Welsh Assembly election. He won the seat by a large number of votes and was re-elected in 2021.
In November 2017, he was appointed as the Minister for Children and Social Care in the Welsh Government. He held this role for about a year. In March 2024, he became the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs. This means he is a senior minister responsible for these important areas in Wales.
In July 2024, when the First Minister of Wales stepped down, Huw Irranca-Davies was considered as a possible new leader. However, he decided not to run. Instead, he worked with Eluned Morgan to form a team, where he would become the Deputy First Minister of Wales. Eluned Morgan became the leader, and Huw was appointed Deputy First Minister in August 2024.
He plans to run for the Afan Ogwr Rhondda seat in the next Senedd election in 2026.
Achievements and Recognition
Awards and Nominations
Huw Irranca-Davies has received recognition for his work. In 2011, he was nominated for the Sports Parliamentarian of the Year award. This was for his efforts to promote archery. He even hosted the first-ever sporting event inside the UK Parliament building in September 2011. This event brought together politicians and gold medal archers.
In February 2013, he was named "MP of the Month" by Total Politics magazine. He won this award for helping farmers and consumers. He convinced the government to change its mind on a bill related to how supermarkets treat their suppliers.
