William Graham (Welsh politician)

Infobox Politician
name=William Graham AM

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imagesize=150px
birth_date =birth date and age|1949|11|18|df=y
birth_place = Wales
office = Assembly Member
constituency=South Wales East
term_start =1999
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successor = (incumbent)
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party = Conservative Party

William Graham JP (born 18 November 1949 in Newport, Monmouthshire) is a Conservative politician, currently European Affairs spokesman for the Official Opposition in the National Assembly for Wales and Conservative group chairman and Chief Whip.

Background

Educated at Blackfriars School, and the College of Estate Management. William Graham is married with three children. He is the sixth generation principal of a family firm of surveyors in Newport established in 1844. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13090.stm William Graham| accessdate=1999-09-01]

He is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and has been Chairman of Newport Harbour Commission and Rougemont School Trust, Newport. He is also a member of numerous organisations, including the Listed Building Advisory Committee and the Rent Assessment Committee for Wales.

Political career

He has been an active Conservative politician from the 1980s when he was elected to the Monmouthshire County Council, then a Newport councillor and Leader of the Conservative Group on the City Council until standing down in 2004. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13090.stm William Graham| accessdate=1999-09-01]

Graham has been an active member of the National Assembly for South Wales East since the first Assembly elections in May 1999. He contested the Newport West Constituency in the 1999 and 2003 Assembly elections. As a result of changes to the election rules in the Government of Wales Act 2006, he was selected as leading Conservative List Candidate for South Wales East for the May 2007 Assembly elections.

In the First Assembly was appointed as Committee Chair of the Pre 16 Education, Schools and Early Learning Committee. In the Second Assembly he was Chair of the Committee on School Funding and of the House Committee from 9 Nov 2006; Member of the Assembly Shadow Commission, set up to prepare the way for the Third Assembly; and Conservative education spokesman in the National Assembly, Chairman of the Conservative Group and Chief Whip.

In the Third Assembly he was appointed European Affairs spokesman for the Official Opposition and Conservative group chairman and Chief Whip. He was also appointed as the Conservative representative on the Assembly Commission.

External links

* [http://www.wales.gov.uk/who/member_thumbnails_e.htm Who's Who of Welsh Assembly Members]
* [http://www.williamgrahamam.com William Graham AM homepage]

References

Offices held