Chris Bryant
(January 11, 1962 - living) U.K.
Member of Parliament
Born in Cardiff, Wales, he received his education at Cheltenham College, Mansfield College, and Oxford University where he studied English. He went to Rippon College, Cuddesdon, to study theology. He was a curate for All Saints church in High Wycombe and was ordained in 1987.
Bryant was a member of the Conservative Party, a Hackney councillor, and a local government development officer. He was head of European affairs at the BBC from 1998 to 2000.
In 2000 the incumbent Labour Party MP for the constituency of Rhondda, Allan Rogers, announced that he was stepping down at the next election. The local Labour Party selected Chris Bryant as the new candidate for the June 2001 general election despite his background. In the general election of May 1997 Allan Rogers had had 61.1% of the vote and the seat should have been a certainty for 2001, especially as the Labour Party were the favourites by a large margin.
However, the 'parachuting in' of a candidate who had previously been a Tory upset some local activists. The Plaid Cymru candidate hoped to take advantage of the Labour Party's recent difficulties in Wales. However, with a turnout down from 74% to 61% Chris Bryant held the seat with 68% of the vote despite a 7% swing from Labour to Plaid Cymru.
In Wales, Gay Labour Party MP Chris Bryant, still reeling from the storm surrounding his e-mailing of a photograph of himself in his underwear to a stranger on a gay website, is facing fresh allegations that he performed indecent sexual acts in nightclubs. A Welsh Labour spokesman said last night: "It's a private matter; he's always been open about his sexuality."
Speaking before the allegations broke, Bryant claimed the Tory newspapers were out to get him. Last month a paper accused Bryant of flouting Westminster's dress code "by flouncing around the Members' lobby in a tight T-shirt and jogging shorts" and detailed his recent break-up with his brewery industry boyfriend.
After the picture was published by a number of newspapers, Bryant issued a statement, apologising. It read:
"I'm sorry this has happened. I've always been open and honest about my private life but never sought to make an issue of it. I'm saddened that others have sought to do so. The important thing is the work that I do for my constituents as an MP. I will not myself be distracted from standing up for the people of the Rhondda."
Bryant had never made a secret of being gay, and this is a private matter for him and his constituency Labour party. This is just one of those stories that gay people have to put up with from time to time.
Book:
- Stafford Cripps: The First Modern Chancellor (1998)
Source: excerpts from: The Knitting Circle, U.K. - http://www.sbu.ac.uk/stafflag/people.html
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