FORMER Llanelli MP Denzil Davies has died.
Mr Davies died on Wednesday, October 10, the day after his 80th birthday.
Denzil Davies became Labour MP for Llanelli in 1970, when he succeeded Jim Griffiths.
He served as the town’s MP for 35 years, stepping down in 2005 when he was succeeded by Nia Griffith.
Like Ms Griffith, Denzil Davies served as both his Party’s shadow Secretary of State for Wales and Shadow Defence Secretary.
Born in Cynwyl Elfed, Denzil Davies academic success at Queen Elizabeth Boys’ Grammar School in Carmarthen led to a first class honours degree from Pembroke College, Oxford. He taught in universities in America and England and practised as a specialist in tax law at the Bar before taking up a ministerial role.
He was a Treasury Minister under Prime Minister James Callaghan in the late 1970s.
Following the fall of the Callaghan Government in 1979, he remained a member of Labour’s Shadow Cabinet.
Viewed as a moderate within the Labour Party of the early and mid-1980s, Denzil Davies was never afraid about refusing to kowtow to political fashion. A staunch opponent of Welsh Devolution, Mr Davies was also noted for his opposition to the UK’s membership of the European Union throughout his Parliamentary career.
In 1983, Denzil Davies finished third out of four candidates in the election to succeed Denis Healy as Labour’s Deputy Leader. In a system dominated by the trades unions’ block vote, he polled 3.5% as Roy Hattersley romped home with over two-thirds of the Electoral College.
Mr Davies quit Labour’s front bench in 1988 after then Opposition leader Neil Kinnock changed the Party’s defence policy without consulting with him beforehand. Years later the by-now former Labour leader expressed his regret about the circumstances which led to the Llanelli MP’s resignation.
After 1988, Denzil Davies never again served on Labour’s front bench. However, following John Smith’s sudden death in 1994, he tried unsuccessfully to gain a place on the ballot to succeed Mr Smith as Party leader.
Mr Davies’ presence on the backbenches was a thorn in New Labour’s side, as he continued to swim against the political tide favouring a closer relationship with the EU.
After stepping down as Llanelli’s MP, Denzil Davies remained active in local affairs and recently had campaigned for a statue commemorating the contribution of his predecessor as Llanelli’s MP, Jim Griffiths, to Welsh political life.
Llanelli AM, Lee Waters said: “Denzil was a brilliant man who made a big contribution. He served the Llanelli constituency from 1970 until 2005 and was a significant figure in UK politics. He was a Treasury Minister in the Callaghan Government and played a key role in setting up the WDA. Had Labour not been in opposition for the whole of the 80s he’d have been a major Cabinet Minister.
“On a personal level he was my MP as I grew up, and he was the first person I interviewed as a budding journalist for my school newspaper. He opened our constituency office last year and dedicated it in memory of Jim Griffiths, his predecessor. Despite being in his 80s he was in sparkling form; I last saw him just a few weeks ago at a dinner in Llanelli supporting young talent”
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