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David Jones David Ian Jones (born March 22, 1952), is a Conservative politician. He is Member of Parliament (MP) for Clwyd West.
Background He was born in London of Welsh parents and educated at Ruabon Grammar School (now called the Ysgol Rhiwabon School, which formed from the two grammar schools in 1967 and the boys grammar school is now a housing estate) on Pont Adam in Ruabon near Wrexham. He studied at University College, London gaining an LLB in 1973, and at Chester College of Law. He qualified as a solicitor in 1976, and is senior partner of a practice (David Jones & Company) based at Llandudno. He is married to Sara, a nurse, and has two sons. They live near Mochdre.
Political career National Assembly for Wales In 2002, David Jones became a member of the Welsh Assembly for the North Wales electoral region, filling the seat vacated by Rod Richards. He made it clear from the outset that he would not seek re-election to the Assembly and stepped down at the 2003 elections.
UK Parliament At the 2005 general election, David Jones was elected as MP for Clwyd West, defeating the sitting Labour Party MP Gareth Thomas by a majority of 133 votes. This was his third candidacy for the Conservative Party in general elections; he had previously contested Conwy at the 1997 election and finished second to Labour's Christine Russell in the City of Chester in at the 2001 general election.
His maiden speech to the House of Commons was on 23 May 2005, when he focused on the needs of his rural constituency and on crime. He also expressed concern about wind farms planned for his constituency (the proposed Gwynt y Mor wind farm would be one of the biggest wind farms in the United Kingdom).
He has been a member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee since 2005, and on 7 November, 2006, was appointed Shadow Minister for Wales, a position he retained after the July, 2007, reshuffle. He also takes a keen interest in law and order issues and was a member of the Conservative Homeland Security team.
David Jones is an active blogger, and his blog is one of the most widely read in Wales.
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