Alan Williams

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For other persons named Alan Williams, see Alan Williams (disambiguation).
Rt Hon. Alan Williams MP
Incumbent
Assumed office 
5 May 2005
Preceded by Tam Dalyell
Succeeded by Incumbent
Member of Parliament
for Swansea West
Incumbent
Assumed office 
15 October 1964
Preceded by Hugh Rees
Succeeded by Incumbent
Born 14 October 1930 (1930-10-14) (age 79)
Caerphilly
Nationality British
Political party Labour

Alan John Williams (born 14 October, 1930, Caerphilly) is a Welsh politician and Labour Member of Parliament for Swansea West since the 1964 general election.

Since the 2005 general election, with the retirement of Tam Dalyell, Williams is now the MP with the longest continuous service (as of 2007, 43 years), earning him the title of Father of the House.[1] Williams is also the last parliamentary survivor of those who were elected in Harold Wilson's 1964 election win.

Williams has stated his desire to retire from Parliament at the next general election, potentially putting Swansea West into play as a Liberal Democrat target seat: the Labour majority of 4,269 is regarded as largely a personal vote for Alan Williams, rather than a vote for the Labour government.

Williams served under Wilson as Under-Secretary of State for Economic Affairs from 1967 until 1969 and then as a Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Technology until 1970 when Labour lost power. When Labour were returned to power at the February 1974 general election, Williams was made Minister of State at the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection, serving until Wilson left office in 1976. The new Prime Minister, James Callaghan, then appointed him as Minister of State at the Department of Industry in which post her served until Labour left power in 1979. Williams was made a Privy Counsellor in 1977.

He has been on the backbenches since 1989. He is a Eurosceptic and was opposed to the National Assembly for Wales.

He had the distinction of asking the very last question to Tony Blair at Prime Minister's Questions before he left office.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Father of the House (PDF) (English). House of Commons Information Office (November 2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-15.

[edit] External links

[edit] Offices Held

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Hugh Rees 		Member of Parliament for Swansea West
1964 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Tam Dalyell 		Father of the House
2005 – present 		Incumbent
Image:Bigben small.png This article about a current Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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