Kirsty Williams | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Williams in 2016 | |
| Minister for Education[a] | |
| In office 19 May 2016 – 13 May 2021 | |
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones Mark Drakeford |
| Preceded by | Huw Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Miles |
| Leader of theWelsh Liberal Democrats | |
| In office 8 December 2008 – 6 May 2016 | |
| Leader | Nick Clegg Tim Farron |
| Preceded by | Mike German |
| Succeeded by | Mark Williams |
| Acting 16 June 2017 – 3 November 2017 | |
| Leader | Tim Farron Vince Cable |
| Preceded by | Mark Williams |
| Succeeded by | Jane Dodds |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Wales | |
| In office 21 August 2019 – 6 January 2020 Serving with Jane Dodds | |
| Preceded by | Christine Humphreys |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Chamberlain |
| In office 29 July 2015 – 6 May 2016 | |
| Leader | Tim Farron |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Randerson |
| Succeeded by | Mark Williams |
| Member of the Senedd forBrecon and Radnorshire | |
| In office 6 May 1999 – 29 April 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | James Evans |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Victoria Kirstyn Williams (1971-03-19)19 March 1971 (age 54) Taunton,Somerset, England |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse | Richard Rees |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
| Website | www |
Victoria Kirstyn WilliamsCBE (born 19 March 1971) is a Welsh politician who served asMinister for Education in theWelsh Government from 2016 to 2021.[a] She was a Member of theSenedd (MS) from 1999 to 2021. She previously served as the Leader of theWelsh Liberal Democrats from December 2008 to May 2016 and subsequently from June 2017 to November 2017 in an acting capacity.[1]
Williams was born inTaunton, Somerset to Welsh parents, whilst her librarian father was working there.[2][3] After moving toLiverpool,[3] in 1974 the family moved to the village ofBynea,Carmarthenshire, where she grew up.[2][3]
Educated at the independentSt Michael's School, Llanelli, she then graduated from theVictoria University of Manchester with an honours degree in American studies,[2] including a period studying at theUniversity of Missouri.[3] She then returned to work for the learning resources department ofCarmarthenshire College in Llanelli, before taking up a post as a marketing and public relations executive for a small business in Cardiff.[2][3]
She is married to a farmer; the couple have three daughters and live on the family farm outsideBrecon.[2][3]
Williams joined theWelsh Liberal Democrats at the age of 15.[3] In the1997 general election, she contested the constituency ofOgmore, coming third. For a long time she was a keen advocate of a Welsh Assembly, and she campaigned hard in the1997 referendum for the creation of theNational Assembly for Wales. She was subsequently appointed to the National Assembly Advisory Group byWelsh SecretaryRon Davies.[4]
She was elected as anAssembly Member of theNational Assembly for Wales for the constituency ofBrecon and Radnorshire in May 1999. In her first term she became her party's health spokesman. She also served as Chair of the Welsh Assembly Health and Social Care Committee between 1999 and 2003.[4]
In the 2006 Welsh Yearbook Political Awards, she was voted "Member to Watch 2006"[5] In a poll at the end of 2006, Williams was voted "Sexiest Female Liberal Democrat" on Stephen Tall'sLiberal Goes a Long Way blog.[6]
On 8 December 2008, Williams became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, having defeated Cardiff Central Assembly MemberJenny Randerson.[7]
In 2011, as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, she agreed to support the Welsh Labour Government's 2012–2013 £14.5bn Budget on the basis, amongst other things, of securing the WelshPupil Premium: an extra £20m to spend on the education of the poorest pupils.[8] Teaching Unions welcomed the deal, with ATL Cymru director Philip Dixon saying, "Our children are our future and investment in them is investment for all. Labour and the Lib Dems deserve credit for ensuring that our children, especially those in most need, will now get a better start in life."[9]
In 2013, Williams and the Welsh Liberal Democrats more than doubled investment for the Welsh Pupil Premium in exchange for abstaining on the Welsh government's annual budget.[10]
Williams has gained a reputation for campaigning on health issues. In 2012, the Welsh Government agreed to take forward the Welsh Liberal Democrat idea of a Health Technology Fund to allow patients better access to innovative treatments.[11] The following year, the Welsh Liberal Democrats achieved a further £9.5m investment into the Health Technology Fund as well as the establishment of a £50m Intermediate Care Fund to drive integration of health, social services and housing.[12]
In December 2012, Williams won ITV Wales' Assembly Member of the Year Award in a ceremony at Cardiff's City Hall. In theQueen's Birthday Honours 2013, Williams was appointedCommander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empirefor public and political service.[13]
Williams has been part of a long-running ‘More Nurses’ campaign for a law requiring minimum staffing levels for nurses in Welsh hospitals. Kirsty Williams was successful in a legislative ballot (a bill proposed by an individual member is rare) on 11 December 2013, and given leave to proceed with her Bill In 2014, Nurse Staffing Levels Bill.[14] It was passed and became law in Wales on 21 March 2016.[15] She was made an honorary fellow of theRoyal College of Nursing in 2016.[16]
In theelections to the Welsh Assembly on 5 May 2016 Williams retained her Brecon and Radnorshire seat with an increased majority. However, as the sole Liberal Democrat representative in the new Assembly, she stood down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats the day after the election.[17] On the first day of plenary she voted with the Government on the appointment of the First Minister.[18] First MinisterCarwyn Jones appointed her to theWelsh Cabinet as Education Secretary; 31 seats are needed for a majority in the Welsh Assembly, Labour had 29, so Williams joining with the Labour administration created a working majority.
On 16 June 2017, Williams once again became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, on an acting basis, after the defeat of the previous leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats,Mark Williams MP, in the2017 general election.[1]
She is at the forefront of curriculum reform in Wales and introduced the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill on 6 July 2020.[19]
On 27 October 2020 she announced that she would not be seeking re-election in the2021 Senedd election, saying that she was "looking forward to spending more time with my family and I remain committed to my role in Brecon and Radnorshire and look forward to continuing to campaign with my successor to ensure Brecon and Radnorshire returns a Welsh Liberal Democrat voice."[20]
| Senedd | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of the Senedd forBrecon and Radnorshire 1999–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Cabinet Secretary for Education 2016–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of theWelsh Liberal Democrats 2008–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Leader of theLiberal Democrats in theSenedd 2008–present | Incumbent | |
| Preceded by | Leader of theWelsh Liberal Democrats Acting 2017 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
