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Sarah Jones (politician)

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Sarah Jones
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of State for Industry
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byAlan Mak
Member of Parliament
for Croydon West
Croydon Central (2017–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded byGavin Barwell
Majority14,226 (37.3%)
2023–2024Industry and Decarbonisation
2020–2023Policing and the Fire Service
2018–2020Housing
Personal details
Born
Sarah Ann Jones

(1972-12-20) 20 December 1972 (age 51)
Croydon, London, England
Political partyLabour
Alma materDurham University (BA)
Websitesarah-jones.org

Sarah Ann Jones (born 20 December 1972)[1] is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Croydon West, formerly Croydon Central, since 2017 and Minister of State for Industry since July 2024.[2][3][4]

She was the MP for Croydon Central[5] from the 2017 general election until the seat's abolition in 2024.[6][7] She previously served as Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation as part of Labour's Shadow Business and Trade team.[8] Until September 2023, Jones was the Shadow Minister for Policing and the Fire Service.

Life and career

[edit]

Jones was born in Croydon and is a lifelong resident.[9] She was educated at the private Old Palace School in Croydon and at Durham University, where she read history.[10] She was a member of Trevelyan College.[11]

Jones joined the Labour Party aged 19 in 1992 after watching Conservative Party MP Peter Lilley, then the Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, make a speech to his party's annual conference where he attacked benefit claimants and women who allegedly become pregnant to gain council housing. Jones, who was pregnant at the time, joined the Labour Party as a direct reaction to the speech.[12][13]

After leaving university Jones worked for Mo Mowlam, Labour Member of Parliament for Redcar and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Jones worked briefly as a Press Officer for the Labour Party during the 1997 general election.  

Jones later became Head of Campaigns at the housing charity Shelter. During that time Shelter won the PR award for best public affairs campaign.[14] She was later appointed Head of Public Affairs for the NHS Confederation.[15]

Jones served as a senior civil servant and was part of the team delivering the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Jones worked with Tessa Jowell, who was Minister for the Olympics at the time, and continued as a senior civil servant under Jeremy Hunt, the then Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.[16][17]

Jones oversaw Government communications for the Olympics, attended COBRA, and managed a large team of civil servants and communications professionals from across Government departments.

After leaving the Civil Service in 2012, Jones worked in a series of roles in the public and private sector, including at Gatwick Airport, where she campaigned for a second runway.

Jones remained close with Jowell, and in 2018 led a debate in the House of Commons paying tribute to Jowell's fight against brain cancer and her campaign for improved cancer treatment.[18] Jones continued to campaign in the wake of Jowell's death, prompting the government to launch the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM).[19][20] Upon its launch, Jones was appointed to the Joint Strategy Board of the TJBCM.[21]

Parliamentary career

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Jones was selected to contest the marginal Croydon Central constituency at the 2015 general election. Despite achieving a 5.9% swing to Labour, Jones narrowly lost by 165 votes to the incumbent Conservative MP Gavin Barwell.[22]

At the 2017 general election, she defeated Barwell with a majority of 5,652 votes.[23] Jones's victory made further headlines due to Barwell publishing a book titled How to Win a Marginal Seat after his 2015 victory.[24]

Jones made her maiden speech in the House of Commons during a debate on the Grenfell Tower fire. Jones criticised politicians' failure to listen to Grenfell victims before the disaster, and called on the Government to retrofit sprinklers in all council tower blocks.[25] The speech received widespread coverage for being the first time Croydon rapper Stormzy was quoted in Parliament, with Jones warning MPs: "You're never too big for the boot."[26][27][28]

After highlighting the rise in knife crime in Croydon during the general election campaign, Jones has run a campaign calling for a stronger Government response to knife crime across the UK.[29] She launched the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Knife Crime in September 2017, being elected as the group's Chair.[30] At its launch over 30 MPs and Peers joined the group, which is supported by charities Redthread and Barnardo's. The APPG's stated aims are to 'look in detail at the root causes of knife crime – with particular focus on prevention and early intervention'.[31] Whilst Jones chaired the APPG on Knife Crime, she published a report on the role of youth services in tackling knife crime. This research has been referenced many times in Parliament.[32]

Under Jones' chairmanship, the APPG also published a report on the link between school exclusions and knife crime, which found that children who have been excluded from school may be at serious risk of involvement in knife crime and youth violence.[33][34]

Jones was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Healey, Labour's Shadow Housing Secretary in January 2018, and was subsequently promoted to Shadow Housing Minister in 2018, succeeding Tony Lloyd. From the Labour frontbench, Jones has called on the Government to implement fire safety reform and secure protections for leaseholders. Together with John Healey, she published 'Ending the Scandal: Labour's New Deal for Leaseholders' in July 2019. She was re-elected in the December 2019 election, again for Croydon.[35]

She backed Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.[36] In April 2020, Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer appointed Jones as Shadow Minister for Police and the Fire Service.

Jones led the Fire Safety Act 2021 through Parliament and tabled amendments to prevent fire safety remediation costs being passed on to leaseholders. The Government agreed to Jones' amendments to implement the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1 Recommendations by October 2021.[37]

As Labour's Shadow Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service, Jones led Labour's response to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Parliament. Jones tabled various measures to improve the Bill, including amendments to better protect the rights of victims, protect key workers, support the police, learn the lessons from serious violence, safeguard children, prevent violence against women and girls and tackle child criminal exploitation across the county. Jones also tabled a series of amendments to ensure there is proper consideration of disproportionality before Serious Violence Reduction Orders can come into force.

Jones led Labour's response to the Public Order Bill as Shadow Policing Minister, leading multiple attempts to mitigate some of the Bill's potential adverse impacts and create appropriate safeguards.

She also led a campaign in Parliament to protect retail workers through a change in the law that would create a standalone offence and a 12-month prison sentence for abuse, threats, and violence against retail workers.

In the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was given the new role of Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation.[38]

Views

[edit]

On rising rates of knife crime, Jones has said,[39]

While parliamentary farce and stalemate continues, the reality for our country is regression. The most visceral symptom is the continuing epidemic of knife violence. Across the country children are arming themselves and dying on our streets. What bigger symbol could there be of a generation abandoned and all aspiration lost?[40]

Jones lists Mo Mowlam as a political hero, and in March 2023 spoke at the opening of the Mo Mowlam Cinematic Arts Studio at Ulster University.[41] In her speech, she spoke of Mowlam's resolute commitment to peace in Northern Ireland. Mowlam's starting point, according to Jones, was her 'total joy of humanity...a pragmatism to get things moving' and a commitment to working 'the common ground'.[42]

Before her election, Jones commented on the makeup of the House of Commons. She said 'I think everybody accepts that in Parliament the imbalance is still there. There are not enough women, there are not enough BME backgrounds, there not enough people with disabilities...Parliament doesn't reflect the people that they are there to serve and I think if you have all those different perspectives in the room, you will have a better conversation and better quality results.'[43]

Jones believes in freedom of choice to have an abortion. During the passage of the Public Order Act, Jones gave vocal support from the Labour frontbench to amendments delivering so-called 'buffer zones' around abortion clinics.[44] The amendments were later passed into law.

Personal life

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Jones is married and has four children: Joseph Jones, Isobel Lloyd-Jones, and twins Gabriel and Arthur Lloyd-Jones.[9][45] She had her first child at the age of 19.[46]

Jones was brought up in the Methodist Church, and has stated in the House of Commons that she occasionally prays.[47]

References

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  1. ^ "Sarah Jones MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Minister of State for Industry – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ^ "General election results 2024". Croydon Council. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Sarah Jones MP". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Croydon Central". Election 2017. BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  7. ^ Booth, Samantha (9 June 2017). "Labour winner Sarah Jones thanks Theresa May for calling the general election". Croydon Advertiser. Retrieved 9 June 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b Tobin, Olivia (9 June 2017). "Who is Sarah Jones? What do we know about Croydon's first female MP". Croydon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Jones, Sarah". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ^ University of Durham Congregation, 30 June 1995, 9:50am, Durham: Durham University, p. 3
  12. ^ Baynes, Chris (5 May 2015). "ELECTION 2015: How her babies' fight for life and a song from The Mikado shaped Labour's Sarah Jones". Croydon Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  13. ^ "17 From '17: Labour's Sarah Jones On How She Refused To Be Demonised As A Teenage Mum". HuffPost UK. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  14. ^ Gazette, Press (11 May 2005). "PR role at NHS Confederation". Press Gazette. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  15. ^ Tobin, Olivia (9 June 2017). "Who is Sarah Jones? What we know about Croydon's first female MP". croydonadvertiser. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  16. ^ "We must ensure people with brain tumours live well for longer – what better tribute to Tessa Jowell could there be?". Politics Home. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  17. ^ ""It's a hugely humbling position to be in – and very scary": Sarah Jones on being Croydon's newest MP – The Croydon Citizen". The Croydon Citizen. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  18. ^ Perkins, Anne (19 April 2018). "Tessa Jowell hailed as an inspiration during MPs' cancer debate". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  19. ^ "Uniting our community at Westminster | The Brain Tumour Charity". www.thebraintumourcharity.org. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM)". www.tessajowellbraincancermission.org. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  21. ^ "The TJBCM Team | Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM)". www.tessajowellbraincancermission.org. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  22. ^ Lynch, Russell (8 May 2015). "Croydon Central election results: Tory Gavin Barwell clings on to seat by 165 votes". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Croydon Central parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Tory housing minister who wrote book on how to win marginal seat loses marginal seat". The Independent. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  25. ^ "New MP Jones challenges Tories to pay for sprinklers". Inside Croydon. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Watch a Labour MP quote Stormzy lyrics in the House Of Commons – NME". NME. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Music News LIVE: Stormzy makes political history". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  28. ^ "STORMZY JUST MADE POLITICAL HISTORY". Grime Daily. 14 July 2017.
  29. ^ Younge, Gary (18 October 2017). "UK needs coordinated strategy to tackle knife crime, says MP". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  30. ^ "London MP sets up all-party group to combat knife crime". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  31. ^ "Knife Crime debate & APPG launch". Sarah Jones MP. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  32. ^ Pinnock, Baroness Kath (8 October 2019). "House of Lords Hansard, Sale of Knives, debated on Tuesday 8 October 2019".
  33. ^ All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime & Violence Reduction. "Securing a Brighter Future: The Role of Youth Services in Tackling Knife Crime" (PDF).
  34. ^ All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime. "Back To School? Breaking the Link Between School Exclusions and Knife Crime" (PDF).
  35. ^ "General election results 2019 in full: here's how your constituency voted". www.banburyguardian.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  36. ^ @BBCPolitics (6 January 2020). "Labour's Sarah Jones on why she backs Keir Starmer for next party leader "Keir is probably the best placed to brin…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Jones, Sarah (28 April 2021). "Hansard, Fire Safety Bill, debated on Wednesday 28 April 2021".
  38. ^ Belger, Tom (5 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Starmer unveils six new shadow ministers of state". LabourList. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  39. ^ Jones, Sarah (14 December 2018). "Scotland is showing how to win the fight against knife crime | Sarah Jones". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  40. ^ Younge, Gary; Caelainn, Barr (29 November 2018). "Surge in young knife deaths amid police cuts and 'a climate of fear". The Guardian.
  41. ^ "17 From '17: Labour's Sarah Jones On How She Refused To Be Demonised As A Teenage Mum". HuffPost UK. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  42. ^ "https://twitter.com/LabourSJ/status/1632045727089131524". Twitter. Retrieved 3 July 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  43. ^ "ELECTION 2015: How her babies' fight for life and a song from The Mikado shaped Labour's Croydon Central candidate Sarah Jones". Your Local Guardian. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  44. ^ Jones, Sarah (7 March 2023). "Hansard, Public Order Bill, debated on Tuesday 7 March 2023".
  45. ^ "Sarah Jones's CV, Croydon Central, MP candidate". cv.democracyclub.org.uk. Democracy Club. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017.
  46. ^ "17 From '17: Labour's Sarah Jones On How She Refused To Be Demonised As A Teenage Mum". HuffPost UK. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  47. ^ Jones, Sarah (7 March 2023). "Hansard, Public Order Bill, debated on Tuesday 7 March 2023".
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sarah Jones (MP).
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Croydon Central
2017–2024 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Croydon East
2024–present 		Incumbent
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