Rhianon Passmore

Rhianon Passmore MS
Passmore in 2016
Member of the Senedd for Islwyn
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2016
Preceded by	Gwyn R Price
Majority	5,239 (21.4%)
Caerphilly County Borough Councillor for Risca East
In office 10 June 2004 – 16 October 2016[1]
Preceded by	Harry Styles
Succeeded by	Arianna Passmore
Personal details
Political party	Labour Co-operative

Rhianon Passmore is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician. Since May 2016, she has been the Member of the Senedd for Islwyn.

Political career

Passmore was elected to represent Risca east on Caerphilly County Borough Council in 2004, defeating incumbent Plaid Cymru councillor Harry Styles.[2][3][4] She was re-elected at elections in 2008 and 2012, before standing down in 2016 after her election to the Senedd.[3][1] Her daughter, Arianna Passmore, successfully contested the by-election on her resignation.[5]

Passmore stood unsuccessfully on Labour party lists for Mid and West Wales at the 2003 Welsh Assembly elections[6] and for South Wales East in the 2007 elections. In July 2015, Passmore was selected as the Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party candidate for the Islwyn constituency of the Senedd.[7] On 5 May 2016, she was elected with 10,050 votes (45.0% of votes cast).[8] She was re-elected in 2021 with a majority of 5,239 votes.[9]

Passmore is a member of the Finance Committee, Petitions Committee and Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee. She chairs the cross-party group on Music, and a member of groups on Armed Forces and Cadets and Lung Health.[10]

Passmore was briefly suspended from the Labour group in the Senedd on 26 June 2024 after she was alleged to have used several number plates on her car, which is a criminal offence. The suspension was lifted in under 24 hours after a police investigation ruled that there was no evidence for this claim and that no offence had been committed.[11]

2017 arrest

In October 2017 she was arrested by South Wales Police after failing to provide a breath test; as a result she was banned from driving for 20 months, fined £1,000, £100 victim surcharge and £620 in costs.[12] Passmore alleged she was not unwilling to provide a sample, but physically unable due to her asthma, and a lack of access to her asthma medication.[13] She was also suspended from the National Assembly for a fortnight and was suspended by the Labour Group from 10 July 2018 until 1 October 2018.[14][15]

References

1. "Local Elections Archive Project — Risca East Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
2. "Results for Caerphilly County Borough". South Wales Argus. 14 June 2004. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
3. "Caerphilly County Borough Council Election Result 1995-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2024.
4. "BATTLE FOR CAERPHILLY". South Wales Echo. 14 May 2004. p. 18.
5. Gurner, Richard (13 October 2016). "Labour hold seats in two by-elections". Caerphilly Observer. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
6. "The National Assembly for Wales elections 2003 - The official report and results" (PDF). electoralcommission.org.uk. November 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
7. Iwan, Caio (13 July 2015). "Councillor in the running for Islwyn Senedd seat". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
8. "Islwyn Welsh Assembly constituency". Wales Election 2016. BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
9. "Election results for Islwyn, 6 May 2021". business.senedd.wales. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
10. "Rhianon Passmore MS". senedd.wales. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
11. "Police say no offence by Labour MS over number plates". BBC News. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
12. Dafydd, Aled ap (9 July 2018). "AM faces Senedd ban over breath test". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
13. Mosalski, Ruth (9 July 2018). "Assembly Member failed to give a breath test to police". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
14. Dafydd, Aled ap (9 July 2018). "Confirmation from @WelshLabour that @AssemblyWales Labour group has withdrawn the whip from @rhi4islwyn until October 1st". Twitter.com. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
15. Dafydd, Aled ap (10 July 2018). "Labour action on AM's conviction queried". Retrieved 14 April 2019 – via www.BBC.co.uk.

Senedd
Preceded by Gwyn R Price	Member of the Senedd for Islwyn 2016 – present	Incumbent