Jonathan Evans (politician)

Jonathan Evans MP FRSA
Member of Parliament for Cardiff North
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Julie Morgan
Majority	194 (0.4%)
Member of European Parliament for Wales
In office 10 June 1999 – 4 June 2009
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	Kay Swinburne
Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire
In office 9 April 1992 – 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Richard Livsey
Succeeded by	Richard Livsey
Personal details
Born	2 June 1950 (1950-06-02) Tredegar, Monmouthshire
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Margaret
Children	3
Profession	Solicitor
Website	jonathanevans.co.uk

Jonathan Peter Evans FRSA (born 2 June 1950) is a Welsh solicitor and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff North since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.

After training as a solicitor, he was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire between 1992 and 1997, and then Member of the European Parliament for Wales between 1999 and 2009.

Professional career

Born in Tredegar, Evans was educated at Lewis School, Pengam, Howardian High School, Cardiff and the Law Society's College of Law in Guildford and London. He trained with solicitors Leo Abse and Cohen in Cardiff from 1968 and joined the firm upon qualification in 1973 rising to Managing Partner in 1987. In 1997, he was appointed Director of Insurance in the City of London office of Eversheds, the major global law firm and remains a consultant to the practice. He has also acted as a consultant on London Insurance market issues to several major North American insurance corporations.

He is a former Deputy Chairman of the Welsh Housing Corporation (Tai Cymru). In 1995 he was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Political career

He contested the 1987 general election in the marginal Brecon and Radnorshire constituency, but lost by 56 votes to the sitting Liberal MP Richard Livsey.

At the 1992 general election, he defeated Livsey (who was now a Liberal Democrat) by 130 votes and took his seat in the House of Commons. He was a junior minister in the John Major government, serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Lord Chancellor; Corporate Affairs Minister at the Department of Trade and Industry; and then serving under William Hague as Under Secretary of State for Wales from 1996 to 1997. However, at the 1997 general election Livsey retook the seat with a majority of over 5,000.

At the European Parliament election, 1999, Evans was elected as MEP for Wales in 1999, and he was re-elected at the 2004 Euro-elections. He was Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament from 2001 until 2004. In August 2007, he was selected to fight the highly marginal seat of Cardiff North in the 2010 general election. He won and is currently MP for the constituency, turning a majority of 1,146 votes for Labour into a 194 vote majority for himself.

Jonathan Evans stood down from the European Parliament at the 2009 elections and was succeeded by Kay Swinburne, MEP.

Personal life

Evans is married to Margaret, and has three children (Angharad, Rhianydd and Nicholas).

He is a supporter of Cardiff City Football Club and Cardiff Blues Rugby Club.

A roman Catholic, he is a leading pro-life campaigner for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and launched their Welsh office in Cardiff in the 1990s

External links

• Jonathan Evans MP official constituency website
• Jonathan Evans MP Conservative Party profile
• Jonathan Evans MP Welsh Conservative Party profile
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live

Offices held

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Richard Livsey	Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire 1992–1997	Succeeded by Richard Livsey
Preceded by Julie Morgan	Member of Parliament for Cardiff North 2010–present	Incumbent
European Parliament
Preceded by New constituency	Member of European Parliament for Wales 1999–2009	Succeeded by Kay Swinburne