Guto Bebb

Infobox Politician
name=Guto Bebb

---

imagesize=150px
birth_date =birth date and age|1968|10|9|df=y
birth_place = Wales
office =Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
constituency=Aberconwy
term_start =
term_end =
predecessor =
successor =
office2 =
term_start2 =
term_end2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
office3 =
term_start3 =
term_end3 =
primeminister3 =
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
office4 =
term_start4 =
term_end4 =
primeminister4 =
predecessor4 =
successor4 =
party = Conservative Party

Guto Bebb born in Wrexham (9 October 1968) is a Welsh Conservative Party politician.

Background

Guto Bebb has lived in North Wales for most of his life. A first language Welsh-speaker he is married with five children. Educated at Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, Caernarfon he is a graduate of Aberystwyth University (BA History). He has been a partner in the Egin Partnership, an Economic Development Consultancy based in North Wales, since 1993. He has been self-employed since the age of 24 and is a strong advocate of the need for Wales to develop a much stronger entrepreneurial society. He also founded a Bookshop in partnership with his wife, a business that was sold in 2002 but continues to trade under the guidance of new owners. Guto Bebb was also a Member of the Board of Business for Sterling Cymru and a member of Open Europe in Wales. Open Europe was the think tank that launched the 'I Want a Referendum' campaign in January 2008.

Guto was a leading member of the 'I Want a Referendum' campaign advocating a vote on the Lisbon Treaty and was instrumental in bringing an unofficial campaign to the Aberconwy constituency in February 2008. The campaign in Aberconwy was a huge success with a 37% turnout achieved on a comprehensive postal vote with almost 90% of returned ballots supporting the call for a vote on the Lisbon Treaty.

Political career

Formerly a Member of Plaid Cymru. His grandfather, W. Ambrose Bebb, was one of the founders of Plaid Cymru and stood in the former Caernarvonshire seat in 1945 - a seat that included many parts of the current Aberconwy constituency. As with his grandfather, Guto ran into problems with Plaid Cymru over European issues. In 1940, W. Ambrose Bebb resigned from Plaid Cymru (rejoining at the end of WW2) due to the neutrality stance of Plaid in response to the unfolding events of the Second World War. In much less troubled times Guto's views in relation to Economic and Monetary Union led to numerous conflicts with the Plaid leadership. These problems became especially apparent in relation to Guto's decision to become a member of Business for Sterling in Wales.

Despite these challenges Guto was Chair of Plaid Cymru in the Caernarfon Constituency between 1998 and 2001 working with the then MP and AM, Dafydd Wigley. Despite his work in ensuring an easy victory for Dafydd Wigley in the Assembly Elections of 1999 his continued involvement with the campaign to oppose the adoption by the UK of the Euro led to two votes of confidence in his position as Caernarfon Constituency Chairman. He finally resigned from Plaid Cymru in March 2001 following a concentrated effort from Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM and Elin Jones AM (Plaid National Chairman at the time) to discipline him due to comments made on a Radio Cymru news programme.

Guto joined the Conservative Party in October 2001 following private discussions with Owen Patterson, the Member of Parliament for Shropshire North (PPS to the then Conservative Leader). Within months he was selected to fight the Ogmore by-election (February 2002) and was subsequently selected to fight the former Conwy constituency on behalf of the Welsh Conservative Party at the 2003 Assembly Elections. In 2003 the Conservative vote in Conwy increased from 18% to 25% and he was re-selected to fight the General Election of 2005. With a small team of hard working volunteers the campaign in 2005 resulted in the Labour majority being more than halved with the Conservative Party in Conwy achieving a 5% swing. This performance can be compared with a swing of less than 1% achieved by the party in Wales as a whole.

Having decided not to stand in the 2007 Assembly Elections due to family reasons he was re-selected via the fast-tracking procedure due to constituency requests to Central Office. He was also approved as an 'A' list candidate by the Conservative Party centrally but it would be fair to say that Aberconwy was Guto's only target seat (despite his standing in different seats previously, and the fact that, if he loses Aberconwy again, he'll probably throw his hat in and try for somewhere safer). Since July 2007 Guto has been working on a ground level campaign in Aberconwy which has delivered increased Conservative representation at both Community, Town and County Council level.

External links

* [http://www.gutobebb.co.uk/index.html Guto Bebb Official Website]
* [http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=137939 Page at the Welsh Conservatives website]