Nick Ramsay

Nick Ramsay (born 10 June 1975) is a British politician who has been a Member of the Senedd since 2007. He currently represents the constituency of Monmouth. In 2019 Ramsay was readopted by the Monmouth Conservative Association as its chosen candidate for the elections to the Welsh Parliament due in 2021. Ramsay was asked again by the Conservative Leader in the Welsh Parliament, Paul Davies MS, to join the shadow cabinet in the senior position of Shadow Minister of Finance and to chair the influential Public Accounts Committee.

Nick Ramsay

MS
Shadow Minister of Finance, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee
In office
2008 – Incumbent
LeaderPaul Davies
Preceded byNew post
Member of the Senedd
for Monmouth
Assumed office
3 May 2007
Preceded byDavid Davies
Majority5,147 (16.4%)
Personal details
Born (1975-06-10) 10 June 1975
Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales
Political partyConservative
Alma materDurham University, Cardiff University
Websitewww.nickramsay.org.uk

Early life

Nicholas Ramsay was born in 1975 and is originally from Cwmbran. He was educated at Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School and Durham University where he graduated in English and Philosophy. He later gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics from Cardiff University.

Professional career

Between 1999 and 2001 he worked as a driving instructor in Monmouthshire and The Valleys.

Political career

Ramsay contested the Labour stronghold of Torfaen at the 2003 Assembly and 2005 General elections and has served as a Monmouthshire County Councillor for the ward of Mardy, which had previously been in Labour hands for over 20 years.

Ramsay succeeded David Davies as an Assembly Member for Monmouth, and was appointed Shadow Minister for Local Government in the Third Assembly Term. Nick stood for leadership of the Conservative group in the summer of 2011 and joined the Conservative Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science as well as Chairing the Business and Enterprise Committee.

After Nick Bourne lost his seat in May 2011, Nick Ramsay stood for leadership of the Welsh Conservative Senedd Group against South Wales Central AM, Andrew RT Davies. Davies was elected leader with 53.1% of the membership vote.[1]

On 2 January 2020 it was reported that Ramsay had been suspended from the Welsh Conservative Party and his parliamentary group following what was described as a "police incident" at his home the previous evening.[2] He was held in police custody for 24 hours before being released without charge, but continued to be suspended from the party pending an investigation.[3][4] On 13 February, Ramsay confirmed that he had been reinstated to the Welsh Conservative Party Group in the Senedd and had dropped his legal challenge against the decision by group leader Paul Davies to suspend him.[5] Following a period of nearly seven months Ramsay was reinstated to the Conservative party in July 2020 [6] no further comment was made by the Police or the Conservative party.

S025

In 2008 Ramsay spent much of his time on the Special Assembly Procedure Committee, and in particular the "S025," which re-considered the controversial Robeston Wathen by-pass proposed by the Welsh Assembly Government. These types of Orders and challenges are rare occurrences. The last one which was heard in Parliament was in 1999.

Controversies

In 2011, while a contender for the leadership of the Welsh Conservatives, Ramsay had to apologise after being barred from a pub following a charity pub quiz in aid of Help for Heroes. The landlord is quoted as saying that he resigned his membership of the party over the issue as "Nick Ramsay heckled the quizmaster repeatedly, telling him that his questions were rubbish. He challenged the quizmaster, a local antiques dealer, to bid £100 for a rugby jersey in an auction we held on the same evening for the charity. He was quite rude and objectionable and his comments didn't go down well – I think he'd had a few beers."[7]

In 2012, Ramsay was criticised for missing a committee session; after an evening's drinking in Cardiff at a leaving party for a Labour member of staff at a Cardiff Bay pub before heading into town at closing time for a late city centre bar. He failed to notify the clerk that he was ill until two hours after the meeting was due to start. when an email was received by the clerk from a member of Mr Ramsay’s staff to say he had been taken ill during the night. Ramsay was not in the Assembly chamber for the majority of the afternoon’s session, but arrived at 5.25pm to vote on a Liberal Democrat motion of no confidence in Health Minister Lesley Griffiths.[8]

In 2014, Ramsay was accused of having been drunk during a debate in the Assembly. The Assembly’s Presiding Officer had to launch an investigation after she received a complaint alleging that a Tory AM appeared "drunk" and made "slurred, incoherent and insolent" contributions to a debate on mental health in the Senedd, but he denies being drunk.[9] Ramsay, who also celebrated his birthday that day, had intervened twice during a speech by health minister Prof Mark Drakeford AM, who at one point told him he would pursue the matters raised directly with him outside the confines of the debate.[10] An online clip demonstrated the awkwardness of the debate.[11] Presiding Officer, Dame Rosemary Butler, did not support the claim and no further action was taken.[12]

Ramsay criticised the proposed £10,000 pay rise for assembly members prior to the 2016 election and stated that he would donate his pay rise to charity. [13][14] The Western Mail reported in 2019 that Ramsay had not responded to questions that asked which charity his pay raise had been donated to. The editor of the Monmouthshire Beacon stated that, at a meeting with Ramsay in 2018, Ramsay said he did not wish to make a public announcement at this stage because of the nature of the charity and that the money is tied with an ongoing charitable project which will be announced later in the year. As of March 2019, no announcement had been made.[15]

References
  1. "Andrew RT Davies elected Tory Welsh assembly leader". BBC. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  2. "Welsh Tory Nick Ramsay suspended after 'police incident'". BBC News. BBC. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. "Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay kept suspended by Conservatives'". BBC News. BBC. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  4. "Nick Ramsay issues statement to defend three-week absence from the Assembly after alleged incident". Wales Online. Western Mail. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  5. "Tory AM Nick Ramsay ends legal action against his party". BBC News. 13 February 2020.
  6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-53418793
  7. "Pub ban for Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay after quiz 'banter'". BBCNews. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  8. "Tory AM Nick Ramsay "taken ill" after pub night out and misses committee". WalesOnline. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  9. "Tory AM Nick Ramsay's conduct prompts drunk complaint". BBC News. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  10. "WATCH: Tory AM Nick Ramsay accused of being drunk in the National Assembly". DailyPost. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  11. "Tory AM Nick Ramsay's conduct prompts drunk complaint". BBC News. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  12. "No further action against AM accused of being drunk in Senedd debate". WalesOnline. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  13. "Nick Ramsay criticises £10k payrise for AMs". Monmouthshire Beacon. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  14. "Assembly members to receive £10k salary boost". Monmouthshire Beacon. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  15. "Tory AM avoids issue of pay rise charity donation". Pressreader Western Mail. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.

Offices held
Senedd Cymru
Preceded by
David Davies		 Member of the Senedd for Monmouth
2007–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
(new post)		 Shadow Minister for Local Government and Public Services
2007–2008
11 July 2007 to 22 October 2008		 Succeeded by
Alun Cairns
Preceded by
Angela Burns		 Shadow Minister for Finance
2008–2011
from 22 October 2008		 Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
TBC		 Shadow Minister for Business, Enterprise and Technology
2011–2016		 Succeeded by
post re-organised
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