Andrew Robert Tudor Davies CBE (born 28 November 1968) is a Welsh politician who has served as Member of the Senedd since 2007, first for South Wales Central region and then for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg from 2026.

He has previously served as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Senedd Group from 2011 to 2018 and 2021 to 2024. Both times Davies resigned due to pressure from within his party to do so. As a consequence of being leader of the Welsh Conservatives, he has served a total of four terms as Leader of the Opposition, from his first from 2011 to 2016, his second from 2017 to 2018, his third from January–March 2021 and his fourth and final from May 2021–2024.

Background Andrew Robert Tudor Davies was educated at Llanfair Primary School, St John's Preparatory School, Porthcawl, and later boarded at Wycliffe College, Stroud. He is married to a qualified midwife and they have four children. He is a partner in the family farming business based in St Hilary near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan. Davies was a Welsh delegate on the Council of the National Farmers Union (NFU), vice-president of the local Young Farmers Club, and is a former chairman of Creative Communities, which seeks to develop structural community development. Davies is also a life governor of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and was the Society's Oxford Farming Conference Scholar in 2002. He is a former governor at Llanfair Primary School.

Career Early political career Joining the Conservative Party in 1997, Davies fought Cardiff West in the 2001 general election, and Brecon and Radnorshire in 2005. He served as Deputy Chairman (Political) for the Conservative Party in South Wales Central from 2002 to 2003, a region that comprises the Conservative Associations in Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Between 2004 and 2005 he was Deputy Chairman of the Cardiff West Conservative Association.

Third Senedd (2007–2011) In 2007, he was elected to the National Assembly of Wales on the South Wales Central regional list. He was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport by Nick Bourne. During his time as Shadow Transport Minister he supported protests from Welsh hauliers over the cost of fuel.

On 16 June 2008 he was reshuffled to the role of Shadow Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. While in this role, he supported the removal of the flat-rate financial support grant at the time provided to Welsh people who studied at Welsh universities, and criticised that both spending and achievement were lagging behind English counterparts.

He also sat on the Assembly's Petitions Committee and the Subordinate Legislation Committee.

In February 2009 he became the Shadow Minister for Health in the National Assembly for Wales. He then resigned from the role in November 2010, shortly after a wider reshuffle. He claimed at the time of his resignation he was not seeking the leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group.

He won an award for being "Assembly Member to Watch" in December 2008.

First leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group

Davies was re-elected as AM for South Wales Central at the 2011 Welsh Assembly election. A leadership election was held after Nick Bourne lost his seat at that election. RT Davies contested this leadership election, and was elected as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group on 14 July 2011, having won 53.1 per cent of the vote, defeating Nick Ramsay. He then became Leader of the Opposition in Wales, as the Welsh Conservatives were the second largest party, and appointed his Shadow Cabinet.

In February 2014, Davies removed four ministers; Nick Ramsay, Antoinette Sandbach, Mohammad Asghar and Janet Finch-Saunders, from his cabinet over a vote on tax-varying powers for the Welsh Assembly. The four ministers failed to support a motion condemning the choice of the lock-step model for devolution of taxation, which would not allow Wales to increase the rate of tax paid on any specific tax band – instead requiring any change to be made to all of them. They were removed from their roles despite this being the policy of the UK Conservative Party.

After the 2016 Welsh Assembly election, Davies was re-elected but ceased to be Leader of the Opposition, as the Welsh Conservatives became the third largest party. Davies became Leader of the Opposition again in April 2017, after Mark Reckless rejoined the Welsh Conservative Senedd group, making the Welsh Conservatives the second largest group in the Senedd again. RT Davies was criticised for allowing Reckless to rejoin the group, with Byron Davies, then Conservative MP for Gower describing it as "not a particularly bright idea," and Wales Secretary Alun Cairns clarifying that Reckless had not been allowed to become a member of the Conservative Party, and was only a member of the Conservative Senedd Group.

In June 2018, Wales Online led an investigation into what they described as Davies keeping his "public constituency office hidden from the public". The piece stated the office was located in a "wooden cabin 50 yards beyond a vehicle security barrier on a rural farm estate". In a freedom of information response by the Assembly Commission, the address of the office was confirmed as Penllyn Estate, Llwynhelig, Cowbridge CF71 7FF, a 1,200-acre mixed farm operation. The information only came to light after the FOI request by a Conservative Party member. A spokesperson for Davies responded to the investigation by stating the arrangements had been made "following a security incident at Andrew’s previous office on Cowbridge High Street where police attended to support a female employee", necessitating a more secure location. They continued stating that "Andrew regularly hosts constituents and organisations at his office and if he knew a Western Mail journalist had intended to visit he would’ve been there to welcome him with the kettle on".

Resignation Davies responded to concerns raised by Airbus in June 2018 regarding the threat of a no-deal Brexit by stating that "there is a lot of hyperbole flying around" regarding a no deal Brexit. The comments were criticised by Conservative figures including Guto Bebb. Bebb went on to dispute Davies title as "Leader of the Welsh Conservatives", stating he only led the Assembly group. Secretary of State Alun Cairns described Airbus' comments as a "wake-up call" for "one of the jewels in the crown of UK manufacturing". A number of Davies' Welsh Conservative colleagues, including Secretary of State Alun Cairns, Mr Davies' Deputy, Paul Davies, and Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay, were all Remain supporters, in contrast to Davies role as a Vote Leave voice in the Welsh Conservatives.

In Spring 2018, a text was reportedly sent by Cairns which discussed with Welsh Conservative AMs how and when to remove Davies. Davies initially only stated that a figure in Westminster had sent the text, but refused to name the individual. This text was reportedly sent to Davies by accident, describing how "the other end of the M4" were in support of his replacement.

In around April 2018, it was rumoured that his Deputy Leader Paul Davies was planning a leadership challenge to Davies. Amid internal discussions in the party, Nick Ramsay reportedly made it clear to Mr Davies that they did not like each other prior to his resignation, and an AM reportedly "stormed out" of a dinner regarding the leadership of the party after Davies had spoken, who later was reported to be Ramsay.

Davies resigned as Leader of the Welsh Conservatives on 27 June 2018. A source close to Davies described the events at the time as "the revenge of Tory Remainers who can’t forgive him for going against Cameron and campaigning for a Leave vote in the Brexit referendum." Davies resignation was viewed by some in the media as sparked by Davies' "inflammatory remarks" towards Airbus. Sources close to Davies however spoke to the media and stated they felt he had been victim of "a plot to get rid of him for "seven or eight weeks" dating back to his controversial "decision to back a Leave vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum" which came against the wishes of then Prime Minister David Cameron, who had backed Remain.

Inter-leadership career RT Davies was appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Sustainability, and Rural Affairs by Paul Davies in September 2018. In the role RT Davies led criticism of Natural Resources Wales in November 2018, particularly around their selling of timber on a closed rather than open market. He proposed splitting NRW into two separate bodies, and described the "bloated and largely incompetent quango" body as "no longer fit for purpose". Plaid agriculture spokesman Llyr Gruffydd however stated the issues faced by NRW were down to the 35% real terms cut in their budget and the organisation being under resourced.

In 2019, Davies was reported by Wales Online as having the highest budget for constituency office spending of any AM in the five Assembly political groups, with a spend of £102,655, including £35,182 for a salary for his wife Julia. Davies did not respond to requests for comments in the piece.

In a June 2019 op-ed on Nation.Cymru, Davies stated his top wishes from an incoming Conservative prime minister for Wales would be:

A "shared prosperity fund" replacing the Joint Ministerial Committee. A "significant investment in Welsh infrastructure projects" to make up for previous rejections including the M4 Relief Road and tidal lagoon, through a "Green Deal". A "broadband revolution". The "devolution of air passenger duty" for Cardiff Airport. The restructuring of the Wales Office. Welsh representation on national and cross border bodies, to respond to the issues such as where the Countess of Chester hospital rejected Welsh patients. Welsh figures on regulators such as OFGEM, OFCOM, and Ofwat.

In July 2020, RT Davies was reshuffled from Shadow Environment Minister to Shadow Health Minister.

Following the storming of the United States Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on 6 January 2021, Davies was criticised for comparing the riot to other British politicians' opposition to Brexit.

Second leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group RT Davies was appointed as Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Group on 24 January 2021, following the resignation of Paul Davies, after a scandal involving possible breaches of Welsh COVID-19 regulations. He quickly appointed a Shadow Cabinet on the same day. This ceased to be the Shadow Cabinet on 29 March 2021, after Nick Ramsay left the Welsh Conservatives to contest the 2021 Senedd election as an independent. In the 2021 Senedd election, the Welsh Conservatives received 16 seats. Davies stated his intention to remain as leader of the Welsh Conservatives after this result.

In a July 2021 op-ed for Mail+, Davies accused the Welsh media of being "in hock to the nationalist agenda". He wrote: "This is what's in store for us in the Senedd over the next five years: listening to Labour ministers regurgitate historically ignorant, politically extreme ideas and a demonstrably poor understanding of sovereignty in Britain as they call for a federalist system that will only serve to worsen, not solve, the issues present in Wales."

Davies took a leave of absence from September to December 2021, citing the impact that bouts of COVID-19 and the flu had had on his mental wellbeing.

During his leadership, he opposed the changing of the default urban speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph, being censured by the Senedd standards committee for bringing the Senedd into disrepute by inaccurately describing the policy as blanket. He also opposed the continued tenure of Vaughan Gething as First Minister, and called for further investigation and publication of evidence with regard to the firing of Hannah Blythyn. His leadership was increasingly described as populist.

2024 leadership crisis