Kirsty Williams is Leader

Kirsty Williams and her family

Kirsty Williams is one of the most widely recognised, respected and experienced public figures in Wales, having been a member of the National Assembly since its establishment and first election in 1999.

Kirsty was born in Taunton, Somerset in March 1971. Her father was a librarian from Llanelli and her mother was a housewife from Swansea. After a brief spell in Somerset and Liverpool the family returned to the village of Bynea in Carmarthenshire when Kirsty was 3 years old.

Kirsty was educated at the village primary school and then St. Michaels School, Llanelli. Inspired by a teacher to join the party at just 15 years old, Kirsty cut her campaigning teeth in the South Wales Valleys. She studied a B.A. (Hons.) in American Studies at Manchester University and The University of Missouri.

After graduating, Kirsty returned to Wales and worked first at Carmarthenshire College and then for a small business in Cardiff as a Marketing Executive. Kirsty was actively involved in campaign for the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales during the 1997 referendum campaign, and her work left an impression on the then Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies, who subsequently choose her to be a member of the National Assembly Advisory Group.

The party’s youngest ever candidate when she stood for Ogmore in the General Election of 1997, Kirsty succeeded the following year in being selected as the Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly candidate for the constituency of Brecon & Radnorshire. She went on to defeat Nick Bourne, the leader of the Welsh Conservative Party, in the following year’s election.

During the first assembly term, Kirsty made a name for herself both as a vocal champion of her constituents and in her role as the party’s health spokesperson. She also served as Chair of the Welsh Assembly’s Health and Social Care Committee between 1999 and 2003.

In both 2003 and 2007 Kirsty defended her Brecon and Radnorshire seat, each time increasing the party’s share of the vote. Kirsty’s Westminster colleague Roger Williams has also seen his majority grow over this period.

Since 2007 Kirsty had been the party’s spokesperson on Education and is also the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Group’s Business Manager (the Assembly equivalent of the ‘whip’ role in Westminster).

In 2006, Kirsty was awarded the accolade of ‘Member to Watch’ at the ITV Wales/ Wales Yearbook Welsh Political Awards. Her reputation as a public speaker has seen her sharing platforms with Paddy Ashdown and Ming Campbell, as well as opening the Federal Party conference rally. In 2007 she delivered the Institute of Welsh Politics Annual lecture at Aberystwyth University, making her the first Liberal Democrat ever to be invited to do so.

Kirsty married Brecon farmer Richard Rees in September 2000. They have three daughters, Angharad, aged seven, four year old Carys and Rachel, aged two.