22 Facts About Rod Richards

Rod Richards was a Conservative before joining UKIP in 2013.

Rod Richards was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Clwyd North West, in Wales, from 1992 to 1997, when he lost his seat in the Labour Party landslide.

Rod Richards was the first Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in 1999, after being elected as an Assembly Member for North Wales.

Welsh-speaking Rod Richards was educated at Llandovery College and at Swansea University where he gained a first class honours degree in economics and statistics.

Rod Richards failed to complete training and therefore was never commissioned in to the Corps.

Rod Richards served on the intelligence staff of the Ministry of Defence, and worked as an economic forecaster.

Rod Richards first rose to public prominence in the 1980s as a Welsh-language newsreader for BBC Wales.

Rod Richards first tried to enter parliament at the 1987 general election, when he stood unsuccessfully for the Carmarthen seat, giving up his job with the BBC to do so.

Rod Richards was unsuccessful again two years later at a by-election for the Vale of Glamorgan, again giving up his work as a broadcaster, but at the 1992 general election he was elected as MP for the former parliamentary seat of Clwyd North West.

Rod Richards made several attempted Parliamentary comebacks, but failed to secure the nomination for Clwyd West ahead of the May 2001 general election, and was reported to be looking at several 'safe' conservative seats in England.

Rod Richards was elected the Welsh Conservative Party Leader in a ballot of Welsh party members defeating Nick Bourne, who was then widely known in the media to be William Hague's first choice for the job.

Rod Richards stood down as leader after he was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm on a young woman.

Rod Richards had the party whip withdrawn from him following his decision to abstain rather than vote with his fellow Conservatives against the Assembly's budget at the end of 1999.

Rod Richards continued to sit in the Assembly, as an 'Independent Conservative' until September 2002 when he resigned as an Assembly Member due to problems with alcohol.

In one interview, Rod Richards said he would consider opposing Bourne if the latter stood for Police Commissioner.

In July 2013, Rod Richards defected to UKIP, after becoming "disillusioned with mainstream parties".

Rod Richards refused to be drawn on whether he wanted to seek UKIP's candidacy in the 2014 European Parliament election.

Rod Richards was married to a psychologist, Liz, until their divorce, after revelations in June 1996 of his extra-marital affair.

In 1999, while Welsh Conservative leader, Rod Richards was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm on a young woman but was acquitted after trial.

Rod Richards was later released after receiving a caution from police.

Rod Richards became angry when the councillor, who was canvassing door-to-door, told him he hadn't been sent promotional literature as he was already listed as a prominent party member.

Rod Richards died of cancer on 13 July 2019 at the age of 72.