Labour MP The Rhondda

Date of birth

11 January 1962

Political profile

Chris Bryant has said that "the best politicians are those with another string to their bow".

The Labour member for Rhondda has other strings in abundance, as an author, having written biographies of Stafford Cripps and Glenda Jackson, as a BBC executive and as an Anglican priest - he resigned his holy orders in order to fight the seat of Wycombe in 1997.

He is also an unusual figure to represent a seat in the Labour heartlands, as a public school educated openly gay former member of Hackney council, although he was born in Wales.

There was some controversy surrounding his selection to succeed Allan Rogers, but he set about burnishing his Welsh roots: a great-uncle captained the Welsh rugby team.

Politically too, he does not fit the usual Labour template, having been, briefly, a member of the Oxford University Conservative Association at the same time as William Hague.

Now he is seen as an ultra-loyal model Blairite - pro-Europe, anti-drugs, pro-PFI for hospitals.

Nonetheless, he describes himself simply as "a socialist who wants to change the world" and is one of the most enthusiastic backbench champions of an elected House of Lords.

Contact

bryantc@parliament.uk

Constituency office 01443 687697