Nia Griffith | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 8 October 2024 – 7 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Stuart Andrew | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Olivia Bailey | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 July 2024 – 7 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Fay Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Anna McMorrin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament forLlanelli | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 5 May 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Denzil Davies | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 1,504 (3.7%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Nia Rhiannon Griffith (1956-12-04)4 December 1956 (age 68) Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Somerville College, Oxford Bangor University | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | niagriffith | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dame Nia Rhiannon GriffithDBE (born 4 December 1956) is a Welsh politician who has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forLlanelli since 2005. A member of theLabour Party, she served asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales andEqualities between 2024 and 2025.[1]
Griffith was born inDublin,Republic of Ireland, on 4 December 1956.[2]
She was educated at Newland High School for Girls (now calledNewland School for Girls) inHull andSomerville College, Oxford where she graduated with a first class degree inmodern languages in 1979.[3]
Griffith was a founder member of a localWomen's Aid organisation and is a member of theNational Union of Teachers and theUnion of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.[4][5]
She was selected to contest theWelsh seat of Llanelli for Labour at the2005 general election following the imposition of anall-women shortlist after the retirement ofDenzil Davies.[6] She won the seat with a majority of 7,234 votes and remains the MP there. Griffith made hermaiden speech on 19 May 2005.[7]
Griffith was re-elected in 2010 with her majority reduced by 2,533 votes.[8] In October 2010, she became Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills[9] until October 2011 when she became Shadow Minister for Wales. On 13 September 2015 she became Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.[10] She resigned from this position on 27 June 2016 following aseries of other resignations from Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet,[11] but was appointed Shadow Defence Secretary four months later. She supportedOwen Smith in the failed attempt to replaceJeremy Corbyn in the2016 Labour leadership election.[12]
Griffith is a member ofLabour Friends of Israel.[13]
Griffith held her seat at the2019 general election.[14] She was appointed byKeir Starmer to serve asShadow Secretary of State for Wales on 6 April 2020. On 29 November 2021 she was replaced byJo Stevens in ashadow cabinet reshuffle. She announced her new role of Shadow Minister of State for International Trade on 4 December 2021.[15]
She was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the2022 Birthday Honours for political and public service.[16][17]
In the2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed Shadow Minister in the Cabinet Office.[18]
Griffith held her seat at the2024 general election with 12,751 votes (31.3%); this was a decreased majority of 1,405 compared to the 2019 election.[19] On 9 July 2024, she was appointed aParliamentary Under-Secretary of State at theWales Office.[20] She left government at the2025 British cabinet reshuffle.[21]
In June 2009, Griffith was named as one of the Welsh MPs whose expenses had been overpaid. Following a review of expensesSir Thomas Legg ordered Griffith to repay £4,099.77 in mortgage interest claims.[22]
In June 2010, Griffith had to repay the cost of sending 71 letters having been found to have breached Parliamentary rules on using House of Commons stationery for political purposes. The Department of Resources ruled that the letters, sent out just before the general election, "sought to communicate information about the Labour Party and that its intention was to persuade constituents to vote accordingly for the sitting party member". Griffith also apologised for her actions.[23]
Griffith is divorced, her former husband was asocial worker.[3][24] In a photo shoot forThe Independent in February 2016, Griffith came out as alesbian, commenting that her sexuality had been known among friends, family and colleagues since the mid-1990s.[25] She was named on the 2017 Pink List of leading Welsh LGBT figures.[26]
Griffith owns a house in Llanelli, a flat inLondon,[27] and asmallholding inCarmarthenshire which receivedTir Gofal funding.[28] Her hobbies include music, European cinema, gardening, walking and cycling.[2][29] She is an honorary associate of theNational Secular Society.[30]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLlanelli 2005–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Wales 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Defence 2016–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Wales 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
