David Watts, Baron Watts

David Leonard Watts, Baron Watts (born 26 August 1951) is a British politician and life peer who served in the Blair and Brown governments as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 2005 to 2010 and chaired the Parliamentary Labour Party as a backbencher from 2012 to 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for St Helens North from 1997 to 2015.

The Lord Watts
Official portrait, 2018
Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party
In office
15 March 2012 – 9 February 2015
LeaderEd Miliband
Preceded byTony Lloyd
Succeeded byJohn Cryer
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
10 May 2005 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister
Preceded byJohn Heppell
Succeeded byAngela Watkinson
Parliamentary offices
Member of the House of Lords
Life peerage
23 October 2015
Member of Parliament
for St Helens North
In office
1 May 1997 – 30 March 2015
Preceded byJohn Evans
Succeeded byConor McGinn
Personal details
Born (1951-08-26) 26 August 1951 (age 73)
St Helens, England
Political partyLabour
Spouse
Avril Davies
(m. 1972)
Children2

Early life

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Watts was educated at Malvern Primary School and Huyton Hey Secondary Modern School, Huyton. He was leader of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council for four years. He was a union official at Huntley & Palmers' biscuit factory in Huyton.

Parliamentary career

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Watts was a Government Whip and Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury from 2008 to 2010. On 15 March 2012, he was elected to succeed Tony Lloyd as the Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party, a role he performed until he stood down to be replaced by John Cryer on 9 February 2015.[1] He stood down at the 2015 General Election.[2] Watts is associated with[vague] the Labour Friends of Israel.[3]

Watts was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours.[4] On 23 October 2015, he was created Baron Watts, of Ravenhead in the County of Merseyside, for life.[5] By virtue of that life peerage, he became a member of the House of Lords. He entered the House of Lords on 3 December 2015 continuing to sit under the Labour whip.

Personal life

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Watts married Avril Davies in 1972, with whom he has two sons.

References

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  1. ^ "John Cryer Is The New Chair Of The PLP". LabourList. 9 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Dave Watts To Stand Down As St Helens North MP". St Helens Star. 3 January 2015.
  3. ^ "2014 11 – Parliamentary Notes". Labour Affairs Magazine. November 2014.
  4. ^ "Dissolution Peerages 2015". Gov.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  5. ^ "No. 61394". The London Gazette. 29 October 2015. p. 21238.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for St Helens North
19972015
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party
2012–2015
Succeeded by
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Watts
Followed by