The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7248 p638
10 May 2003

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Back to the pharmacy for defeated Assembly man?

Geraint Davies, the only pharmacist in the National Assembly for Wales, lost his Rhondda seat at the Assembly election on 1 May. He may now return to working in his community pharmacies.

Mr Davies had represented the constituency for Plaid Cymru for four years following the Assembly's inaugural election in 1999. His success then came as something of a surprise and his defeat is one of the shocks of the 2003 election. Plaid Cymru's 2,285-vote majority was overturned by Labour's Leighton Andrews who took 61.6 per cent of the vote to Mr Davies's 27 per cent, gaining a majority of 7,954.

Mr Davies told The Journal that he is taking a few weeks off to think about his future. "I may end up back in my pharmacies," he said. "I haven't decided yet." He added that he had enjoyed four marvellous years and was proud to have been associated with the Welsh pharmacy strategy, Remedies for success, which "should revolutionise pharmacy in Wales". His defeat was part of the swings and roundabouts of politics and followed a hard-fought campaign by Labour in his constituency, he said.