Ann Clwyd

Labour MP Cynon Valley

Date of birth

21 March 1937

Political profile

The first woman to represent a Welsh mining valley, Ann Clwyd has been a thorn in the side of successive Labour leaders and governments of every hue.

Her tenacity and energy saw her rise to the shadow cabinet in the early 1990s, serving as shadow overseas development minister 1989-92, followed by stints covering Wales (1992) and national heritage (1992-3).

She remained on the frontbench until 1995 when she was sacked by Tony Blair for investigating, without the permission of the whips', Turkish attacks on the Kurds.

Throughout her career she has been a persistent critic of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, and it was her championing of the moral case for war in Iraq that led to her rapprochement with the prime minister in 2003.

In May 2003 she was appointed as Mr Blair's special envoy on human rights in Iraq, and was made a privy counsellor in August 2004.

She is a strong campaigner on a raft of issues, especially questions of international human rights.

She is also a leading parliamentary opponent of nuclear weapons, and was a outspoken supporter of the Greenham Common protesters.

She is a persistent rebel against the government - indeed, between 1997 and 2001 she was Labour's 18th most rebellious MP - and is a particular critic of asylum policy.

Contact

Constituency office 01685 871394