Leighton Andrews

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Leighton Andrews (born [August 11]], 1957 [1], in Cardiff) is a Welsh Labour politician, currently the National Assembly for Wales member for Rhondda.

Leighton Andrews was elected to the assembly in 2003. A former Liberal, he left the party in the early 1990s; and moved to Labour in the late-1990s having become enamoured of the Party through his association with Peter Hain MP and as one of the founder members of the Yes for Wales campaign which won the referendum in 1997. Indeed, he is the author of "Wales Says Yes", a history of the referendum campaign, and always speaks in the Assembly on devolution and constitutional issues. When the “Bonfire of the Quangos” was announced by First Minister Rhodri Morgan in July 2004, Leighton Andrews was one of the strongest voices in support, reflecting on his own experience as an ASPB Board Member in the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, he was also very critical of the manner in which Rhodri Morgan chose to restructure the Arts Council of Wales.

Following his election he was one of the most warmly welcomed members of the Labour benches, having defeated Plaid Cymru to take Rhondda for Labour in what was regarded as a great psychological and symbolic victory. His swing was striking – the Rhondda was not just retaken, it became the safest Labour seat in the Assembly. Since his election he has been dogged in making the case for a redefinition of funding formulae away from rurality and toward sparsity and proximity. He has also demonstrated a willingness to ask awkward questions of Ministers in Committee meetings. He has sat on the Economic Development and Transport Committee (January 2005 -); Audit Committee (June 2003 -); Culture Committee (June 2003 - November 2005); and Education and Lifelong Learning Committee (June 2003 - January 2005).

Leighton Andrews was once dubbed by the Western Mail as "Wales' most well-connected man" and his media and debating skills were recognised in December 2005 when he was named as Best New AM in the ITV Wales Political Awards; and Best Communicator in the BBC Wales AM-PM awards. His blog remains a “must read” of Welsh politicos. However, his self-confidence and evident skills have not always endeared him to all Members, some of whom regard him as something of a man in a hurry. This may explain why he has been overlooked for promotion to the junior ranks of the Government benches. Nevertheless, Peter Hain continues to rate his counsel, and asked him to act as an Adviser on Election Strategy in 2005. He has also scored a notable success with his high profile campaign against the closure of a Burberry factory in the Rhondda.