Lee Waters

Lee Waters (born 12 February 1976) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician serving in the Welsh Government as Deputy Minister for Climate Change since 2021.

He joined the Labour Party in 1994 upon starting his studies and went on to the University's Parliamentary Placement Scheme where he worked in Westminster.

Upon graduating he took a year out to work for his local MP Dr Alan Williams during the 1997 general election.

This was followed by an internship in the United States House of Representatives as an ESU Capitol Hill Scholar for a summer.

After graduating, Waters received multiple job offers: from the PPS to the Secretary of State for Wales Nick Ainger, from Peter Hain MP, and from Welsh Secretary Ron Davies MP.

He went on to work as the Political Secretary to Davies in August 1998 as part of the leadership campaign between him and Rhodri Morgan.

Davies won the election for leader, but resigned from it and the Cabinet a month later after his "moment of madness" in 1998.

He then joined BBC Wales news as a researcher and then radio producer on Good Morning Wales.

In 2001 Waters joined the ITV Wales political unit where he reported as a lobby correspondent and presented the weekly politics programme Waterfront, becoming chief political correspondent.

He stated he moved out of the industry after he lost interest in learning shorthand and did not see it as a job "for a grown up".

He chaired the Governing body of the highly regarded Barry Island Primary School for over seven years.

In 2007, he became Director of the green transport organisation, Sustrans Cymru.

Waters joined sustainable cycling charity Sustrans Cymru in January 2007.

He led a campaign involving his organisation Sustrans Cymru, the BMA, and the NAHT, who wrote a joint letter arguing for an independent commission to review whether the National Assembly for Wales was underfunded.

This campaign formed the groundwork for the Holtham Commission.

He was Vice-Chair of the successful 2011 Yes for Wales campaign, leading on communications for the campaign after being appointed to the cross-party steering committee by the First Minister.

In 2013, he was appointed the director of the Welsh independent think-tank, the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

Upon joining the organisation he found it to be "nearly bankrupt" with tired staff and three months of funding left, and described his time in the role as highly fundraising-orientated.

During his three years leading the independent policy institute he refreshed the charity, stabiliisng its finances, overhauling its systems and setting a new strategy.

He edited the magazine, the Welsh Agenda, and contributed to the pioneering of crowdsourcing in policy development.

He has served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Llanelli since 2016.

Waters grew up in Brynamman in the Aman Valley.

His father was a coal miner who was made redundant and his mother was a hairdresser.

He has stated he did not grow up in a political or "militant" family but remembered his father, who was supportive of a ballot rather than industrial action at the time, going on strike.

He studied at Amman Valley Comprehensive School and while at school wrote a piece for Wales on Sunday about his fellow students, asking whether they were planning on staying in their community.

He found many were keen to leave.

He has criticised those who told him at 15 that "if you want to get on, you have to get out".

Waters grew up with an interest in current affairs and kept scrap books of newspapers.

He was in a class of three studying politics in school, and later was the only student in the class.

He went to study at University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

He left the role in 2016 in order to campaign to become the Senedd Member for Llanelli, a race which he won with a majority of 382.

In December 2018 he became Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport with additional responsibility for the Welsh Government's Strategic Communications.

He led work on creating a Digital Strategy for Wales and in developing the Foundational Economy including a £4.5m Challenge Fund to trial new approaches.

Along with Julie James, the Minister for Climate Change, Waters announced in 2021 a freeze on all new road building projects in Wales pending a Welsh government review.

The decision is motivated by the government's goal to cut emissions.

Both Plaid and Conservative MS' voiced concerns about the plan.

In 2023, as a Welsh Government minister, Waters accidentally voted against the government, with Waters describing it as "embarrassing and frustrating".

In March 2024, Waters announced his intention to resign from his position as Deputy Minister for Climate Change.

near the conclusion of the 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election, as well as announcing he would be deleting his X (Twitter) account due to unpleasant comments.

Andrew RT Davies, opposition and Welsh Conservative leader, described his announcement to be a "sigh of relief" to motorists and business owners, due to Waters' policies during his time in the position.