{{Short description|Welsh politician (born 1976)}} {{for|the Canadian rower|Buffy-Lynne Williams}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Buffy Williams | honorific_suffix = [[British Empire Medal|BEM]] | image = Buffy-williams.jpg | caption = Williams in 2021 | office = [[Member of the Senedd]] <br /> for [[Rhondda (Senedd constituency)|Rhondda]] | term_start = 6 May 2021 | term_end = 7 April 2026 | predecessor = [[Leanne Wood]] | successor = ''Constituency abolished'' | birth_name = Elizabeth Williams | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|11|01|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Williamstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf|Williamstown]], [[Rhondda Cynon Taf|Rhondda]], Wales | party = [[Welsh Labour]] }} '''Elizabeth''' "'''Buffy'''" '''Williams''' (born 1 November 1976) is a Welsh politician who was the [[Welsh Labour|Labour]] Member of the [[Senedd]] for [[Rhondda (Senedd constituency)|Rhondda]] until April 2026.
She won the seat from former [[Plaid Cymru]] leader [[Leanne Wood]] in the [[2021 Senedd election]] before losing her seat in the [[2026 Senedd election]].
==Early life and career== Williams was born and brought up in the [[Rhondda]] community of [[Williamstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf]], the daughter of a trade union activist. She left school at the age of sixteen to work in a factory, but continued studying.<ref name="Mosalski"/>
Williams is the manager of a community centre,<ref name=StDavid>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-56489708|title=Labour candidates for St David Awards 'inappropriate'|date=23 March 2021|last=Williams|first=James|website=BBC News|access-date=9 May 2021|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507212342/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-56489708|url-status=live}}</ref> and worked for more than 20 years in the third sector, having set up Canolfan Pentre. Other campaigns she has been involved with include saving the local A&E in the [[Royal Glamorgan Hospital]] from a closure proposed by her own party, and helping in response to the floods caused by [[Storm Dennis]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Kathryn|last2=Dewey|first2=Philip|date=7 February 2020|title=The incredible acts of kindness taking place in the aftermath of Storm Dennis|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/storm-dennis-kindness-community-spirit-17761135|website=WalesOnline|access-date=1 November 2021|language=en|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101144739/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/storm-dennis-kindness-community-spirit-17761135|url-status=live}}</ref>
In March 2021, the Labour Party was criticised for nominating Williams for a Welsh Government award, the [[St David Awards]], after she had been selected as a candidate for the Senedd elections.<ref name=StDavid/> The [[Welsh Conservatives]] asked whether it was appropriate "for the first minister to be seen to be using the prestigious St David Awards to reward his Labour election candidates."<ref name=StDavid/>
Williams won the Rhondda constituency seat on 6 May 2021 from the former Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, with a majority of 5,497.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021-05-07/former-plaid-cymru-leader-leanne-wood-loses-rhondda-senedd-seat |title=Former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood loses Rhondda Senedd seat |date=7 May 2021 |work=[[ITV News]] |access-date=13 May 2021 |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060945/https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021-05-07/former-plaid-cymru-leader-leanne-wood-loses-rhondda-senedd-seat |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/07/welsh-voters-deliver-mixed-election-results-for-labour-and-tories |title=Labour makes big gains in Wales defeating ex-Plaid Cymru leader |last=Morris |first=Steven |date=7 May 2021 |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |access-date=8 May 2021 |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507235254/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/07/welsh-voters-deliver-mixed-election-results-for-labour-and-tories |url-status=live }}</ref>
In February 2025 during a trial at [[Merthyr Tydfil]], it emerged that a member of staff from Williams’ office had made a complaint to the Police that resulted in a former [[Royal Marine]] Commando, Jamie Michael, being charged and prosecuted for inciting racial hatred. The complaint related to a Facebook video he had posted in the aftermath of the [[2024 Southport stabbings]], in which he stated "we are under attack" from illegal migrants. He referred to "psychopaths" and "scumbags", whom his lawyer said was only a reference to criminal migrants. He was acquitted unanimously in under an hour.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cheung |first=Iolo |date=5 February 2025 |title=Ex-footballer not guilty of racial hatred on Facebook |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75zke1l7ylo |work=BBC News}}</ref> In the aftermath, Williams received significant online abuse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shipton |first=Martin |date=2025-02-13 |title=Senedd Member suffers vile social media abuse |url=https://nation.cymru/news/senedd-member-suffers-vile-social-media-abuse/ |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=Nation.Cymru |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In the [[2026 Senedd election]], she was a candidate in the [[Afan Ogwr Rhondda (Senedd constituency)|Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-02 |title=Senedd election: Senior Labour MSs face three-way selection fight |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk283v2nx4o |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> and second on the party list.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-12 |title=Senior Labour figure comes third in selection contest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0dvplz7eno |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Under the [[D'Hondt method]] she failed to be re-elected.
==Personal life== She is married with three children and lives in [[Pentre]], the Rhondda.<ref name="Mosalski">{{cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/senedd-election-2021-who-standing-19600682|title=Senedd election 2021: Who is standing in Rhondda?|date=28 March 2021|last=Mosalski|first=Ruth|website=WalesOnline|access-date=9 May 2021|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509082511/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/senedd-election-2021-who-standing-19600682|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Welsh MSs 2021–2026|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Buffy}} [[Category:1976 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Female members of the Senedd]] [[Category:People from Rhondda Cynon Taf]] [[Category:Welsh Labour members of the Senedd]] [[Category:Wales MSs 2021–2026]]