Simon Baynes was elected as the MP for Clwyd South in December 2019 having grown up nearby at Lake Vyrnwy where his father ran the hotel. He represented the constituency between 2019 and 2024. He went to school in Shrewsbury and studied history at Cambridge after which he worked in finance and business for 25 years before running his own bookshop in Shrewsbury and writing two books. He is married to Maggie and they have two daughters. Simon and Maggie set up the nationwide charity, Concertina – Music for the Elderly, which provides live music in care homes and day centres across England and Wales.
Simon’s main focus in politics has always been on community issues from when he was a County Councillor, Town Councillor and Mayor of Llanfyllin in the north of Powys to his role as the MP for Clwyd South. Helping constituents with their day-to-day problems and concerns is his top priority.
Simon is also campaigning for improved broadband and mobile reception in Clwyd South and is working closely with hospitality and tourism businesses, having previously been elected as a Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Hospitality and Tourism. A canal boat holiday on the Llangollen Canal as a teenager first inspired Simon’s interest in waterways which led to him previously becoming a Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Waterways.
Simon served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration from July to September 2022. Before that, he was a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from February to July 2022 – a position which he has held again since September 2022.
Having lived most of his life in rural Wales, Simon puts the countryside, farming and the environment, particularly the importance of climate change, at the centre of his work as an MP, building on his previous experience as the Chairman of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust and setting up the Cae Bodfach Community Field and Orchard. The arts and heritage are also a key area of interest as Simon is a musician, including playing the organ for church services, and was previously a Trustee of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Mid-Wales Opera as well as being the first Chairman of the Holroyd Community Theatre near Chirk.
Simon strongly supports local businesses from manufacturing companies to independent shops. He is committed to improving transport links to Clwyd South including campaigning for improvements to the A483/A5 and step-free access at Ruabon Station. He was also a member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee before his appointment as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Wales Office.
He served as the Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Markets, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Woods & Trees, and the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Performing Arts Education and Training.
