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Friday, 23 June, 2000, 15:21 GMT 16:21 UK
A colourful and controversial character
![]() Rod Richards lost the Tory leadership to Nick Bourne
Rod Richards first came to public prominence as a Welsh-language newsreader for the BBC in the 1980s.
Prior to that he spent time in the Royal Marines and served at least part of his time in Northern Ireland.
He took Clwyd North West in 1992 and was constituency MP until 1997. Llanelli-born Mr Richards was also Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Welsh Office from 1994 until 1996, when he was forced to resign as a minister after allegations of an extra-marital affair. He served as a special adviser to David Hunt during his time as Welsh Secretary.
And his boss, Welsh Secretary John Redwood, was forced to apologise on his behalf when he called Labour councillors "short, fat, slimy and corrupt". He lost his parliamentary seat in the 1997 General Election to the Labour landslide. Although defeated in his constituency seat during the National Assembly elections in 1999, he gained a seat as lead candidate on the Conservative party's regional list. He was the first AM to be sworn in on May 10, becoming 'Father of the House'.
Once in the Assembly, he called it a "pussycat's parlour." "If this is to be the shop window of Wales, wake up, get up, stand up and say what you really believe and what you really think," he told fellow AMs. He handed over leadership of the party to former leadership opponent Mr Bourne when he resigned last August following allegations of assault. He was suspended from the Assembly Conservative group in February for breaking party discipline. He called the group meeting that suspended him '"a kangaroo court".
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