Darren Jones (politician)

Darren Jones
MP
Member of Parliament
for Bristol North West
Assumed office
9 June 2017
Preceded by Charlotte Leslie
Majority 4,761 (8.8%)
Personal details
Born (1986-11-13) 13 November 1986
Bristol, England, UK
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Lucy Symons-Jones
Children 1
Alma mater Plymouth University

Darren Paul Jones (born 13 November 1986)[1] is a British Labour politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol North West[2] in the 2017 general election,[3][4] which he won with 50.7% of the vote.

Background

Born at Southmead Hospital, Jones grew up in Lawrence Weston, Bristol in the 1980s and 90s.[5] He attended Avon Primary School and Portway Community School,[6] where he first became involved in community politics in a bid to save his school sixth form from closure.

After sitting his A-levels at the Bristol Post-16 Centre in South Bristol, Jones read for a degree in Human Bioscience at Plymouth University with a particular focus on immunology. At the end of his degree, Jones was elected as the President of the University of Plymouth Students' Union.[7] Jones has previously been Chair of Governors at Nova Primary School (formally Avon Primary), led a mentoring programme with Oasis Academy Brightstowe (formally Portway School), was a trustee at the Shirehampton Community Action Forum and the North Bristol Advice Centre in Lockleaze.[6]

Professional career

Jones worked in the National Health Service for several years in Bristol and Plymouth, including at the Southmead and Henbury Family Practice.[6] He served as a governor on the boards of the Plymouth NHS Trust and Plymouth University, and was a weekly newspaper columnist with the Plymouth Herald.

Jones later secured a training contract from Bond Dickinson LLP,[8] securing his place as a trainee solicitor. He completed his legal studies in Bristol at the University of the West of England and the College of Law before qualifying as a telecommunications and technology solicitor. He developed an advisory practice working across the energy and communications sector, and led his firms Smart Cities group. Jones also started a successful mentoring programme in Bristol, bringing young people from his old school in Lawrence Weston into the legal profession.

After three years working at Bond Dickinson LLP in Bristol, Jones took a job with BT plc in London.[7] It was during this time that he extended his European law expertise and became increasingly involved in leading EU legislative projects with other communications companies, including the EU wide review of consumer rights law.[9] During the EU Referendum, Jones was the National Chair of a group of young lawyers campaigning to Remain[10] and is still a board member of U.K. Legal Futures, which brings together leading lawyers to advise politicians and civil servants on the legal questions surrounding Brexit.[11]

Political career

Jones first got involved in Labour Party politics as the leader of Labour Students at Plymouth University. He interned for Linda Gilroy MP and Alison Seabeck MP before being selected to be the Labour Party candidate for Torridge & West Devon at the 2010 General Election.[12]

A Co-operative Party and Unite the Union member, Jones served on the national youth committees of both organisations before his election onto the Regional Political Committee of Unite the Union in the South West.[13]

In 2012, Jones won the selection to become the Labour Party candidate for his home constituency of Bristol North West for the 2015 General Election. As a national target seat for the Labour Party, Bristol North West fought a high-profile but unsuccessful campaign against Conservative incumbent Charlotte Leslie bringing the party from third to second place. Jones campaigned on being the first MP for Bristol North West to have been born and raised there, and against alleged Conservative Party plans to introduce charges into the National Health Service.

Following the 2015 General Election, Jones joined the Labour Party leadership campaign of Andy Burnham as the South West coordinator before chairing the successful selection and election campaigns of the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees.[14] Jones then joined the Remain campaign and the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, working in Miami.[15]

Outside of elections, Jones is the director of Future Labour, a think tank focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Jones has a particular interest in technology, the digital economy and the future of work.[16]

Following the announcement of the 2017 General Election, Jones was re-selected as the Labour Party candidate for Bristol North West. He won a surprise victory with a 16.2% swing gaining over 10,000 more votes from the previous General Election and securing 51% of the vote (27,000).[17]

Parliamentary career

Following his election in June 2017, Jones stated that stopping or mitigating Brexit was his number one priority.[18] Jones sits on the European Scrutiny Committee.[19]

Jones also works on activity related to the digital economy, technology and the environment as a Member of the Science & Technology Select Committee.

Jones is an officer or member of a number of all-party parliamentary groups (known as APPG's), such as the Parliamentary Information, Communications and Technology Forum (“PICTFOR”).[20]

Jones is an officer of the following APPG:

  • Consumer Protection (Vice Chair) – To provide a voice for ordinary retail consumers across a range of sectors in the UK economy; to raise awareness of issues, rights and obligations in the field of consumer protection with parliamentarians and the wider public.
  • Corporate Governance – To influence and develop understanding of corporate governance through the promotion of a culture based on responsible leadership and investments, thus enabling corporate and their shareholders to enhance prosperity for the benefit of shareholders, economies and society.
  • Entrepreneurship – To encourage, support and promote entrepreneurship. It also ensures that Parliament is kept up-to-date on what is needed to create and sustain the most favourable conditions for entrepreneurship.
  • Food Waste (Treasurer) – To bring together parliamentarians with an interest in this issue; to facilitate informed discussion with policy-makers, the food industry and environmental and food redistribution organisations; to promote policies which will reduce food waste.
  • Smart Cities (Vice Chair) – To engage parliamentarians who share an interest in how the digital revolution can benefit our cities and how the UK can take the lead in seizing a substantial share of the international ‘smart cities’ market.
  • Vegetarians & Vegans – To provide a forum for parliamentarians, academics, organisations and interested individuals to meet to promote and raise awareness of vegetarianism and veganism and to discuss issues relating to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.

Jones is a member of the following APPG:

  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) – To explore the impact and implications of artificial intelligence including machine learning.
  • Childcare and Early Education – To provide a forum for parliamentarians to constructively examine and debate policy affecting non-maintained childcare and early education providers.
  • China – To ensure parliamentarians are kept well informed on China, and to act as a platform for discussions on all issues of importance to the UK-China relationship.
  • Disability – To work on all-party basis within Parliament for the interests of all disabled people, their families, friends and carers.
  • Health – To disseminate knowledge, generate debate and facilitate engagement with health issues amongst Members of both Houses of Parliament.
  • Performers Alliance – To work alongside the unions of the Performers’ Alliance – Equity, the Musicians’ Union and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain – to raise issues affecting performers and writers across the arts community and to provide a forum for issues relating to arts and culture policy.
  • Rule of Law – To promote parliamentary and public discussion on the rule of law as a practical concept.

Jones has spoken on numerous occasions about the need for greater investment in the Bristol North West infrastructure network, championing local rail projects including the Henbury Loop line.[21] Jones has also championed, and raised awareness of, the issues of Modern Slavery,[22] gender inequality and sexual harassment.[23][24] Jones has also advocated electronic voting[25] in elections to reduce costs and boost turnout, Jones has championed Bristol as a trial area.

Jones was one of about 40 MPs to attended a demonstration on 26 March 2018 against Antisemitism in the Labour Party in Parliament Square.

Jones has also campaigned on a wide range of issues including access to childcare for working parents, Crime and policing, against the hostile takeover of GKN by Melrose and rights for EU citizens.

Personal life

Jones is married to technology entrepreneur Lucy Symons-Jones, who co-founded renewable energy company Village Infrastructure and attended the London Mayor's "Female Founders" international business delegation to Silicon Valley. Jones is a father of one and has called for electronic or proxy voting in Parliament during paternity and maternity leave.[26]

Jones is a practicing vegan, and a jazz saxophonist.[27] He is the first Darren to be elected to the House of Commons.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Darren Jones MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "Darren Jones MP". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Who is Darren Jones? Profile of Labour candidate standing for Bristol North West in the 2017 general election Archived 2017-07-15 at the Wayback Machine. Bristol Post, 6 June 2017
  4. ↑ "Election results 2017: Labour wins four Bristol seats". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Ashcroft, Esme (9 June 2017). "Who is Darren Jones? All about the Labour candidate who won Bristol North West in the 2017 general election". Bristol Post. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "About Me". Darren Jones. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Darren Jones – BSc (Hons) Human Biosciences graduate". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Jones, Darren Paul. ukwhoswho.com. Who's Who. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  9. ↑ "Breakfast with Darren Jones MP". GBx. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Young lawyers campaign to keep Britain in Europe". Medium. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "In-House to in the House". Legal 500. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  12. ↑ Daly, Patrick (12 June 2017). "How much do you know about Bristol's newest MP Darren Jones?". Bristol Post. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "PPC Profile: Darren Jones". Labour List. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Jones, Darren. "From disinterest and fear to hope: why I'm backing Owen Smith for leader". Labour List. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  15. ↑ Pipe, Ellie. "A Day with Bristol North West MP Darren Jones". B24/7. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  16. ↑ Dheensa, Sandi; Cox, Michael. "Artificial Intelligence, robots, and the future of society". Bristol Cable. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Bristol North West". BBC. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Brexit is top priority for Bristol's newest MP". Bristol 24/7. 2017-06-14. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  19. ↑ "Membership - European Scrutiny Committee". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  20. ↑ "The Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum Officers | PICTFOR". Pictfor. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  21. ↑ Daly, Patrick (2017-11-30). "Call for more trains to beat North Bristol gridlock". bristolpost. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  22. ↑ Bartlett, Nicola (2017-10-26). "A male MP has spoken with painted nails in the House of Commons". mirror. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  23. ↑ Daly, Patrick (2017-10-31). "MPs 'gagging media over sexual harassment allegations'". bristolpost. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  24. ↑ "Bristol MP on the fight for gender equality". Bristol 24/7. 2017-12-06. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  25. ↑ Daly, Patrick (2017-12-06). "Bristol could be the first place where you can use an app to vote in elections". bristolpost. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  26. ↑ Daly, Patrick (2017-12-13). "This change could let new mums and dads take time off more easily". bristolpost. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  27. ↑ Pipe, Ellie. "Brexit is top priority for Bristol's Newest MP". B24/7. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  28. ↑ "MP hails himself 'Commons' first Darren'". 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Charlotte Leslie		 Member of Parliament
for Bristol North West
2017–present		 Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.