James Donnelly Touhig, known as Don Touhig (born 5 December, 1947) is the Welsh Labour and Co-operative member of Parliament for Islwyn.

Early life

He went to St Francis RC School in Abersychan near Pontypool, then the Mid Gwent College (now Coleg Gwent) in Pontypool. Before entering parliament, he had been a journalist from 1968-76. From 1976-90, he was the Editor of the Free Press of Monmouthshire (Monmouth Free Press). From 1988-92, he was the General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of the Free Press Group of newspapers. He was the General Manager (business development) of the Bailey Group from 1992-3, then of Bailey Print from 1993-5. He served on Gwent County Council from 1973-95. He joined the TGWU in 1962 and the Labour Party in 1966.

Parliamentary career

He contested the Richmond and Barnes seat in the 1992 general election. He was elected to Parliament in a by-election on February 16 1995, to replace Neil Kinnock, who had resigned. From 1996-7, he was on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee. He served as parliamentary private secretary to Gordon Brown and as a whip before becoming a minister. He had to resign in 1999 when he confessed to receiving a leaked Social Security Select Committee report on Child benefit, being suspended from the Commons. He was succeeded by John Healey. He was a junior minister at the Ministry of Defence, with special responsibility for veterans, but left government in the May 2006 reshuffle. He was made a Member of the Privy Council on 19 July 2006.

Personal life

Touhig is a papal knight of the Order of Saint Sylvester. He was married on September 21st, 1968 to Jennifer Hughes. He has two sons and two daughters.

External links

• Don Touhig official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Don Touhig MP
• Voting record at the Public Whip
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Don Touhig MP
• BBC Politics page
• Blake's Parliamentary Yearbook

News items

• Concern for the Labour Party in 2006
• Resigning in July 1999