Hannah Blythyn (born 17 April 1979^[1][2]) is a Welsh politician who is currently serving as the Minister for Social Partnership in the Welsh Government as of March 2024.^[3] She was previously the Environment Minister from 2017 to 2018, Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government from 2018 to 2021, and Deputy Minister for Social Partnership from 2021 to 2024. A member of Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party, she has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Delyn since 2016.^[4]

Hannah Blythyn was born on 17 April 1979.^[5] Blythyn is a proud North Walian^[6] and grew up in a working-class community in Connah's Quay, North Wales.^[7]

Blythyn went to St Richard Gwyn school in Flint.^[8] After leaving school, she studied English Literature at De Montfort University in Leicester.^[9] Blythyn also has a Masters in International Politics and Human Rights from City University London, which she studied for part-time whilst working.

Blythyn is a Welsh learner,^[10] who first started learning Welsh as an adult whilst living in London and has delivered speeches and oral statements in Welsh in the Siambr.^[11]

Hannah Blythyn’s first job was working in McDonald’s, before working in the charitable sector as a communications and events officer for Student Action for Refugees.^[12]

Whilst studying for her Masters, Blythyn worked as a parliamentary assistant for Alyn and Deeside Labour MP Mark Tami.^[13]

Blythyn went on to work for Amicus (trade union), then the second largest trade union in the UK before merging with TGWU to form Unite the Union. Blythyn worked as a political officer for Unite at their head office in London before becoming the first political and policy head for Unite Wales. She was active in a number of successful campaigns that led to legislative action and positive change both in Wales and across the UK.^[14]

Hannah Blythyn joined the Labour Party in 2000 and is a former co-chair of UK Young Labour and LGBT Labour.^[15] She first represented the UK in 2003 as part of the UK delegation to the European Community Organisation of Socialist Youth (ECOSY), now known as Young European Socialists (YES), where she became the Vice President a couple of years later.

Hannah Blythyn was selected as the Welsh Labour candidate for the Delyn constituency of the Senedd. On 5 May 2016, she was elected a Member of the Senedd; she had received 9,480 of the 23,159 votes cast (40.9%).^[4] On 6 May 2021 she retained the seat in the 2021 Senedd election; she received 12,846 votes, 48.1% of the 26,443 votes cast.^[16]

Blythyn is a former co-chair of LGBT Labour.^[17]

Hannah Blythyn was first appointed to the Welsh Government Cabinet in 2017 and has served in various roles under former First Minister Carwyn Jones, Mark Drakeford, and current First Minister Vaughan Gething.^[18]

Hannah Blythyn became one of the first three openly gay and lesbian Members of the Welsh Assembly upon her election in 2016.^[19] She featured in the 2017, 2022, and 2023 Pinc List of leading Welsh LGBT figures.^[20]

Blythyn lives in Mold, in her North Wales constituency of Delyn with her wife, Laura, and their dog Scout. Her granddad (maternal) worked at the steelworks in Shotton and Taid (paternal granddad) worked at the Point of Ayr Colliery.^[21]

Outside of politics, Blythyn likes spending time outdoors and now labels herself as a lapsed cyclist, having previously taken part in a charity bike ride across Kenya.^[22]