# Trish Law > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trish_Law > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trish_Law.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trish_Law > Source revision: 1355093322 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British politician (born 1954) Trish Law Official portrait, 2007 Member of the Welsh Assembly for Blaenau Gwent In office 29 June 2006 – 31 March 2011 Preceded by Peter Law Succeeded by Alun Davies Majority 5,357 (22.8%) Personal details Born Patricia Bolter (1954-03-17) 17 March 1954 (age 72) Nantyglo, Blaenau Gwent, Wales Party Independent (2010-present) Other political affiliations Blaenau Gwent People's Voice (2006-2010) Spouse Peter Law ​ (died 2006)​ Children 5 **Patricia Law** ([née](/source/Birth_name#Maiden_and_married_names) **Bolter**; born 17 March 1954) is a Welsh politician who was the [Blaenau Gwent People's Voice](/source/Blaenau_Gwent_People's_Voice) [AM](/source/National_Assembly_for_Wales) for [Blaenau Gwent](/source/Blaenau_Gwent_(National_Assembly_for_Wales_constituency)) in [Wales](/source/Wales) between 2006 and 2011. ## Background Patricia Bolter was born in [Nantyglo](/source/Nantyglo), [Blaenau Gwent](/source/Blaenau_Gwent), in 1954. She was educated in Nantyglo Junior School, Glanyravon Secondary Modern School and Ebbw Vale College. She trained as a Nursing Assistant in an EMI unit for Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust, before marrying [Peter Law](/source/Peter_Law). The couple were married for 30 years and had five children and one grandchild. During Peter Law's term as AM and MP, Trish Law worked in his constituency office. She was Mayoress of Blaenau Gwent in 1988–89, Secretary of Abertillery and Blaina Inner Wheel Club (Rotary) and for a short period of time was Secretary of the League of Friends at Blaina Hospital. ## Political career After Peter Law's resignation from the Labour Party due to the imposition of an [all-women shortlist](/source/All-women_shortlist), and later death from a [brain tumour](/source/Brain_tumour) on 25 April 2006, Trish Law was supported by [Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group](/source/Blaenau_Gwent_People's_Voice_Group), the group formed by those who helped Peter Law overturn a 19,000 Labour majority at the [2005 General Election](/source/2005_United_Kingdom_general_election). She won the seat at a [by-election](/source/2006_Blaenau_Gwent_by-elections) on 29 June 2006. Labour also failed to regain the [Westminster](/source/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom) seat as Peter Law's former campaign manager, [Dai Davies](/source/Dai_Davies_(politician)), was elected to replace him.[1] Following her election, the [National Assembly for Wales](/source/National_Assembly_for_Wales) became the first UK legislature to have a female majority of representatives.[2] Although an independent, Law backed Labour's Assembly Budget after Finance Minister [Sue Essex](/source/Sue_Essex) accepted two of her demands: a commitment that women's refuges will be set up in all Welsh counties that don't currently have one; and the opening of a therapy centre in Blaenau Gwent for people suffering from depression, stress and low self-esteem. This and other campaigns meant Law won the [BBC Wales](/source/BBC_Wales) award for Campaigning Politician of the Year.[3] Law won re-election as an independent at the [2007 National Assembly for Wales election](/source/2007_National_Assembly_for_Wales_election). In November 2008, Law attempted to prevent a reading by poet [Patrick Jones](/source/Patrick_Jones_(poet)), arranged by Liberal Democrat AM [Peter Black](/source/Peter_Black_(Welsh_politician)) and scheduled to take place in the buildings of the Welsh Assembly on 11 December 2008. Jones had been invited by Black to give a reading from his book *Darkness Is Where the Stars Are*, after the bookseller [Waterstone's](/source/Waterstone's) had cancelled a launch event for the book following threats to disrupt the event from [Christian fundamentalist](/source/Christian_fundamentalist) group [Christian Voice](/source/Christian_Voice_(UK)), led by Stephen Green.[4] Notwithstanding that the [UK's blasphemy law](/source/Blasphemy_law_in_the_United_Kingdom) had been repealed, Law wrote to [Welsh Parliament Presiding Officer](/source/Llywydd_of_the_Senedd) [Dafydd Elis-Thomas](/source/Dafydd_Elis-Thomas) to ask him to forbid the reading, saying: "I am disgusted that, two weeks before Christmas Day, it is proposed to proceed with the reading of blasphemous poems which are an insult to Jesus Christ and to all his followers."[5] Her request for censorship was refused, Assembly Commission chief executive [Claire Clancy](/source/Claire_Clancy) saying: "Neither officials nor the Assembly Commission make judgments on the nature or purpose of these events, except to ensure they would not give rise to any legal problems. Assembly buildings are public buildings, and secular in character. It is our responsibility to ensure that events sponsored by any Assembly Members are always allowed to take place without fear of disruption or intimidation, while respecting the right to peaceful protest."[5] In August 2010, Law indicated that she would not seek re-election at the 2011 Assembly election. ## Sources 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Double election defeat for Labour"](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/5127262.stm). 30 June 2006 – via news.bbc.co.uk. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Shipton, Martin (4 July 2006). ["World first as Trish Law takes Assembly seat"](http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/world-first-trish-law-takes-2325688). *WalesOnline*. Retrieved 2 August 2006. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Shipton, Martin (19 January 2007). ["'I'll stand again - I feel I can't let people down'"](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/ill-stand-again---feel-2282594). *WalesOnline*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Christian group halts book launch"](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7725790.stm). 12 November 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-multiple1_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-multiple1_5-1) ["AM fails to block poet from Assembly reading"](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/am-fails-block-poet-assembly-2141833). *WalesOnline*. 25 November 2008. ## External links - [Biography at National Assembly for Wales](https://web.archive.org/web/20070108135814/http://www.wales.gov.uk/who/members-biog7-e.htm) (archived on 8 January 2007) ## Offices held Senedd Preceded by Peter Law Assembly Member for Blaenau Gwent 2006- 2011 Succeeded by Alun Davies v t e Members of the National Assembly for Wales 2007–2011 3rd Assembly Labour (26) Leighton Andrews Lorraine Barrett Rosemary Butler Christine Chapman Jeffrey Cuthbert Jane Davidson Alun Davies Andrew Davies Brian Gibbons Janice Gregory John Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Edwina Hart Jane Hutt Irene James Carwyn Jones † (leader from Dec 2009) Ann Jones Huw Lewis Valerie Lloyd Sandy Mewies Rhodri Morgan † (leader until Dec 2009) Lynne Neagle Carl Sargeant Karen Sinclair Gwenda Thomas Joyce Watson Plaid Cymru (15-14) Mohammad Asghar (until Dec 2009) Jocelyn Davies Nerys Evans Chris Franks Bethan Jenkins Alun Ffred Jones Elin Jones Gareth Jones Ieuan Wyn Jones † Helen Mary Jones David Lloyd Janet Ryder (Dafydd Elis-Thomas) Rhodri Glyn Thomas Leanne Wood Conservatives (12-13) Mohammad Asghar (from Dec 2009) Nick Bourne † Angela Burns Andrew RT Davies Paul Davies William Graham Mark Isherwood David Melding Darren Millar Jonathan Morgan Nick Ramsay Brynle Williams (died Apr 2011) Liberal Democrats (5-6) Mick Bates (until Dec 2010) Peter Black Eleanor Burnham Mike German † (leader until Oct 2008/AM until Jun 2010) Veronica German (from Jul 2010) Jenny Randerson Kirsty Williams † (leader from Dec 2008) Independent (1-2) Mick Bates (from Dec 2010) Trish Law Presiding Officer: Dafydd Elis-Thomas † = Party leaders --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Trish Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trish_Law) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trish_Law?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.