Rod Richards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rod Richards
Member of the Welsh Assembly for North Wales
In office 6 May 1999 – 10 September 2002
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	David Jones
Leader of the Welsh Conservative Party
In office 12 May 1999 – 18 August 1999
Leader	William Hague
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Nick Bourne
Under-Secretary of State for Wales
In office 20 July 1994 – 2 June 1996
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Nicholas Bennett
Succeeded by	Jonathan Evans
Member of Parliament for Clwyd North West
In office 9 April 1992 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Sir Anthony Meyer
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1947-03-12)12 March 1947 Llanelli, Wales
Died	13 July 2019(2019-07-13) (aged 72) Penarth, Wales
Political party	UK Independence Party (2013–2019)
Other political affiliations	Conservative (until 2013)
Children	3
Education	Llandovery College, Aberystwyth University

Roderick Richards (born March 12, 1947 – died July 13, 2019) was a British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party before joining the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in 2013. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Clwyd North West in Wales from 1992 to 1997. He was also the first leader of the Welsh Conservatives in 1999, after being elected as an Assembly Member (AM) for North Wales.

Early Life and Early Career

Rod Richards was born in Llanelli, Wales. His parents were Ivor George Richards and Lizzie Jane Richards. He was a Welsh speaker.

He studied at Llandovery College and then at Swansea University. There, he earned a top degree in economics and statistics. He also attended Aberystwyth University.

In 1969, he began training to become an officer in the Royal Marines. However, he did not complete his training. Later, he worked for the Ministry of Defence. He also worked as an economic forecaster.

Richards first became known to the public in the 1980s. He worked as a Welsh-language newsreader for BBC Wales.

Rod Richards' Political Journey

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Rod Richards first tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1987. He ran for the Carmarthen seat but was not successful. He tried again in 1989 for the Vale of Glamorgan seat.

In the 1992 general election, he was elected as the MP for Clwyd North West. During John Major's time as Prime Minister, Richards held government roles. He was a junior minister in the Welsh Office starting in 1994. He resigned from this role in 1996.

He later tried to return to Parliament but was not chosen to run for a seat.

Time in the Welsh Assembly

In 1999, Wales held its first elections for the new National Assembly for Wales. Richards was elected as an Assembly Member (AM) for North Wales.

He was then elected as the leader of the Welsh Conservative Party. This happened after a vote among party members in Wales. He stepped down as leader later that year. Nick Bourne then became the leader.

Richards continued to serve in the Assembly. He was an 'Independent Conservative' until September 2002. At that time, he resigned from his position as an Assembly Member.

Richards often spoke about his views on Wales and its future. He supported promoting the Welsh language. However, he also believed in not treating people differently if they did not speak Welsh. He also shared strong opinions about Plaid Cymru, a Welsh political party. He said they were "anti-British" and wanted Wales to leave the United Kingdom.

Joining UKIP

In July 2013, Rod Richards decided to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP). He stated that he had become unhappy with the main political parties. He did not say if he planned to run for election with UKIP.

Personal Life

Rod Richards was married to Liz, a psychologist. They had three children together.

He passed away from cancer on July 13, 2019, at the age of 72.

Offices Held