Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies has said he will not stand for re-election at the next General Election.
Mr Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, has informed the Chair of the Montgomeryshire Conservative Association that he will not put himself forward at the next General Election, currently expected in 2022.
Glyn has represented Montgomeryshire in the House of Commons since 2010, during which time he has increased his majority from just over 1,000 to nearly 10,000.
Mr Davies said: “To represent Montgomeryshire in the House of Commons is a great honour and privilege. Montgomeryshire is where I was born and have always lived. It’s my home and I cannot imagine living anywhere else.
“Deciding not to contest the next General Election has been a very difficult and emotional decision. I’m the only person who can take this decision, and the current uncertainty in politics tells me it’s the right time to step aside, allowing whoever my successor will be the freedom to become established.
“I have successfully contested the last three General Elections, taking just over 40% of the vote in 2010, 45% in 2015 and almost 52% in 2017. That’s a lot of stress over a long period. To secure a majority of 9,285 at the last Election was beyond my wildest expectations.
“Unlike many MPs and their respective Associations, I have always enjoyed the support and friendship of the Montgomeryshire Association officers and members, even through the current Brexit turbulence. And I’ve had the professional support of Pam, James and Julie within my office who have helped with constituent’s problems and issues.
“The next General Election may not be held until 2022. I shall continue to do all I can to help constituents who come to my office for help, and continue to stand by commitments I’ve made when asking voters to support me.”
In a statement, his offices said: “Glyn has consistently battled to protect the interests of the people of Montgomeryshire. Among his many achievements as an MP, he has successfully fought to ensure that robust A&E services remain at Shrewsbury.
“He was also a key figure in preventing the Mid Wales Connection Project, which would have seen the destruction of much of Montgomeryshire’s beautiful landscape with large scale wind farms and pylons.
"Glyn has also played a major role in promoting and protecting Wales’ interests through his work as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to two Secretaries of State for Wales, and in 2011 had a pivotal role in negotiating with the Welsh Government for the creation of the Newtown Bypass.”
Prior to becoming an MP, Glyn had consistently featured in Montgomeryshire’s public life. From being selected for public speaking and stock judging teams, to represent the Montgomeryshire Young Farmers Club in national competitions, he moved on in his late teens and twenties to representing the county and Mid Wales on the rugby fields and squash courts of Wales, the Midlands, and the North of England.
In 1974 Glyn joined his local Berriew Community Council, and two years later was elected to represent the village on the Montgomeryshire District Council. During his thirteen years as a District Councillor he served as the Chair of the Planning and Finance Committees, before becoming Chair of the District Council.
In 1989 Glyn was appointed to the Welsh Development Agency, the Wales Tourist Board, and became Chair of the Development Board for Rural Wales. In 1999 he was elected as one of the first intake of Assembly Members to the National Assembly for Wales, representing Mid and West Wales for eight years.
Commenting on Glyn’s decision to retire from the House of Commons, Montgomeryshire Conservative Association Chair Ruth Canning said:
“Glyn has been an extraordinary MP, who through force of personality and by representing a major party, has in just a few years achieved an historic amount for Montgomeryshire.
“Glyn’s moderation, consideration and absence of party political rancour, have won him innumerable friends in Montgomeryshire and he was the very personification of the gentleness, approachability and steely determination of our great county.
“We wish Glyn and his supportive wife Bobbie, all the very best in their future life.”
Photo: Glyn Davies MP (©)
