Leighton Andrews
Leighton Andrews | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Public Service | |
| In office 11 September 2014 – 5 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Role Established |
| Succeeded by | Role Re-organised |
| Minister for Education and Skills | |
| In office 10 December 2009 – 25 June 2013 | |
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones |
| Preceded by | Jane Hutt |
| Succeeded by | Huw Lewis |
| Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Rhondda | |
| In office 1 May 2003 – 5 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Geraint Davies |
| Succeeded by | Leanne Wood |
| Majority | 6,739 (33.6%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 August 1957 |
| Party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Labour (former) Liberal (former) |
| Spouse | Ann Beynon |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Wales, Bangor, University of Sussex |
| Occupation | Professor, Cardiff University. |
| Website | www.leightonandrews.live |
Leighton Andrews (born 11 August 1957) is a former Welsh Labour politician and academic, who was the National Assembly for Wales member for Rhondda from 2003 to 2016. He was Education Minister from 2009 to 2013, before resigning after an alleged conflict between his own departmental policy and his active campaigning to save a school in his constituency. He was the first Minister to be forced to resign in Wales. In September 2014 he returned to the government as Minister for Public Services, until the 2016 Senedd election, when he lost his seat to Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru.
He left the Labour Party in 2019, attacking the party's failure to deal with anti-semitism and its attitude to Brexit under Jeremy Corbyn. He sought to rejoin in 2020, but was refused, after openly lending his support to the Green Party of England and Wales at the 2019 European Parliament elections.