Dafydd Wigley
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Dafydd Wynne Wigley, Baron Wigley, Template:Post-nominals (born David Wigley; 1 April 1943) is a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2000. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Caernarfon from 1974 to 2001 and as the Member of the Welsh Assembly for Caernarfon from 1999 to 2003. In 2010, Wigley was granted life peerage, taking his seat in the House of Lords in 2011.
Early life
Wigley was born in Derby, England, the only child of Welsh parents Elfyn Edward Wigley and Myfanwy Batterbee. He attended Caernarfon grammar school and Rydal School before going on to the Victoria University of Manchester.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Before becoming a Plaid Cymru MP for Caernarfon, Wigley worked for Ford Motor Company, Mars and Hoover.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political career
In May 1972 Wigley became a councillor on the pre-1974 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, winning in the Park, Merthyr Tydfil ward, with the sitting Labour councillor in third place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
UK Parliament
Wigley was elected as a Plaid Cymru councillor for Merthyr Tydfil in 1972 and was then the MP for Caernarfon from 1974 until 2001,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> first elected at the February 1974 general election.
The election for president was seen as instrumental in deciding the future direction of Plaid Cymru. Wigley represented a moderate, pragmatic social democracy, in sharp contrast with rival candidate Dafydd Elis-Thomas's socialism. In 1981 Wigley won the presidency, but Elis Thomas had greater influence over the party's ideology throughout the 1980s. In 1984 Wigley resigned from the presidency because of his children's health, but he returned in 1991 for a second term after the resignation of Elis Thomas. Wigley led Plaid until 2000. He stood down as a Member of Parliament at the 2001 General Election to concentrate on his role in the Assembly.<ref name="McAllisterEmergence">McAllister, L, Plaid Cymru: The Emergence of a Political Party, (2001), Seren</ref> Having served 27 years as an MP, Wigley is the longest-ever serving post-war MP from a nationalist party.
National Assembly for Wales
Wigley was the Assembly member for Caernarfon from 1999 to 2003.<ref name=":0" />
House of Lords
He secured a Plaid Cymru nomination for a peerage alongside Eurfyl ap Gwilym and Janet Davies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He initially withdrew his candidature after complaining about how long the process was taking.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 19 November 2010 it was announced that he had been granted a life peerage by the Queen,<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> and he took his seat in the House of Lords as Baron Wigley, of Caernarfon in the County of Gwynedd on 24 January 2011,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> supported by fellow Plaid peer Lord Elis-Thomas and by Lord Faulkner of Worcester.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He made his maiden speech on 27 January during a debate on tourism.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Having been one of the first MPs to take the House of Commons oath of allegiance in the Welsh language in 1974, he took the oath of allegiance in Welsh on entering the Lords.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2015, Wigley was accused of Holocaust trivialization for comparing the Trident base in Scotland to Auschwitz concentration camp. He later apologised for his remarks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2024, Wigley criticised the Senedd Reform Bill due to the introduction of a closed list PR system for elections to the Senedd.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
He married the Welsh harpist Elinor Bennett. The couple had four children, son Hywel Wigley and daughter Eluned Wigley as well as two sons, Alun and Geraint, who died of a genetic illness. His sons' condition influenced the direction of his career, and he took a strong interest in the affairs of disabled people, being vice-chairman of the Parliamentary all-party disablement group, vice-president of Disability Wales, vice-president of Mencap (Wales), former president of the Spastics' Society of Wales and sponsor of the Disabled Persons Act in 1981. In 2003 Wigley became Pro-Chancellor of the University of Wales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Awards
In 2008, Wigley was awarded an Honorary Chair in Business at Bangor University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notes
References
External links
- UK Parliament Profile
- Template:Hansard-contribs
- The Right Honourable Dafydd Wigley Template:Webarchive – University of Wales
- BBC News CV on Dafydd Wigley
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- 1943 births
- Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester
- Leaders of Plaid Cymru
- Leaders of political parties in Wales
- Living people
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Caernarfon
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- People associated with the University of Wales
- Politicians from Derby
- Plaid Cymru members of the Senedd
- Plaid Cymru MPs
- UK MPs 1974
- UK MPs 1974–1979
- UK MPs 1979–1983
- UK MPs 1983–1987
- UK MPs 1987–1992
- UK MPs 1992–1997
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- Wales AMs 1999–2003
- Welsh-speaking politicians
- Plaid Cymru life peers
- Life peers created by Elizabeth II