Graham Jones (politician)

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Graham Jones
Official portrait, 2017
Chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls
In office
22 November 2017 – 6 November 2019
Succeeded byMark Garnier
Member of Parliament
for Hyndburn
In office
6 May 2010 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byGreg Pope
Succeeded bySara Britcliffe
Personal details
Born
Graham Peter Jones

(1966-03-03) 3 March 1966 (age 58)[1]
Accrington, Lancashire, England
Political partyLabour (suspended)
Domestic partnerKimberley Whitehead
Children2
ResidenceBaxenden
Alma materUniversity of Central Lancashire, BA
ProfessionPrepress

Graham Peter Jones (born 3 March 1966) is a former British Labour Party politician, and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Hyndburn.[2][3]

Early life and education[edit]

Jones's father's family originate from the Mill Hill area of Blackburn, and his mother's family from Accrington. His grandfather worked at Howard and Bulloughs Cotton Mil.[4] Jones was brought up in Baxenden, attending St John's CofE Primary School, Baxenden, and St Christopher's Church of England High School, Accrington. He attended Accrington and Rossendale College, studying A levels. After three years at college, Jones was employed for Blackburn with Darwen Council on refuse collection, and by Lancashire County Council as a carer home assistant.

Jones attended the University of Central Lancashire, to study an BA. In 1989, he studied Graphic Design, and completed the City and Guilds qualification in Desktop Publishing, followed by employment at Holland's Pies. He then took employment for two years with Blackburn Council working on the parks department in summer and the refuse collection in winter.

Jones had periods of temporary and part time work for Lancashire County Council in various roles; as a community transport driver, meals on wheels driver and care assistant at Whinberry View, Rawtenstall. He attended night school passing City & Guilds qualifications in digital press-press. From 2001 until 7 May 2010, the day after the 2010 general election, Jones worked at Daltons Printers.

Local government career[edit]

In November 2001, he was one of two candidates, selected from four, to contest the safe Labour seat of Peel Ward on Hyndburn Council. He was re-elected in 2004, and again in 2008.

In May 2005, he was elected as the Opposition Leader on Hyndburn Borough Council, and remained as such until his resignation as an councillor from Hyndburn Council in May 2010, the seat being retained by Labour Councillor Wendy Dwyer, who had been Jones' predecessor in the Accrington South division on Lancashire County Council elections.[5][6]

In June 2009, he contested the Accrington South Division (Peel, Baxenden and Barnfield wards) for the County Council amidst the MP's expenses scandal. His majority was reduced from 17.6% to 17.1%, a majority of 469 votes turning it into one of Labour's safer seats.[7] Across Lancashire County, Labour were reduced from 44 seats to 16.[8]

In February 2010 The Blackburn Citizen reported that Jones had acted in "technical breach" of council rules, in discussing unadopted roads Annie Street, Hodder Street and Manor Street at meetings, whilst on one occasion failing to mention that he lived on Hodder Street. The Hyndburn Standards Committee concluded that Jones had not attempted to conceal his address from the council, having declared it on other occasions.[9]

In July 2010, he was also involved in a dispute with rival councillor Peter Britcliffe, who implied that Jones had other undeclared property interests. This was by repeatedly shouting "two houses" at Jones during a council meeting. Britcliffe subsequently apologised after legal threats, acknowledging that the second home belonged to a late relative of Jones and was not his property.[10]

Parliamentary career[edit]

Hyndburn's Labour MP Greg Pope suddenly announced his intention to step down on 11 June 2009.[11] In November 2009, Jones was chosen as the candidate to succeed him by Labour;[12] he held the seat by a majority of 3,090 at the 2010 general election.

In October 2010, Jones was appointed to the Labour Whips office, following Ed Miliband becoming Labour leader. He was an assistant whip throughout the 2010–15 Parliament.[13] In August 2013, he was reselected as the Labour candidate for the 2015 general election.

On 14 September 2015, Jones resigned from the front benches of Labour, following the election of Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership contest.[14] He said he could not serve under Mr Corbyn as he was from the "extreme left", and did not hold Labour's "true values". Jones was critical of Corbyn's policies on welfare, the economy and immigration, and believed Labour in opposition must be "more fiscally responsible".[15] He supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 leadership election.[16]

Jones was a leading member of the successful campaign to reduce maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2. In agreeing to the change, the government has taken up a Labour manifesto pledge. Described by Labour List as "a stunning victory for those who have led a five-year long campaign to reduce the impact that FOBTs, the “crack cocaine of gambling”, can have on communities, families and individual gamblers."[17]

Jones also established and was Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Metal, Stone and Heritage Crime to raise awareness of the social and economic impact of metal, stone and heritage crime.[18][19] Jones was at the forefront of the campaign to amend the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 and stamp out illegal scrap metal dealers plaguing estates. In November 2011, he introduced a private member's bill[20][21] under the Ten Minute Rule, proposing licensing for scrap metal dealers in an attempt to cut down on metal theft which led to the Scrap Metals Dealers Act 2013.[22] He called for travelling scrap metal dealers to be legally required to carry clearly visible identification signs on their vehicles including a contact number.[23]

By November 2017, Jones was Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Venezuela, and argued for support for the opposition in Venezuela.[24]

Jones also established the influential All Party Parliamentary Group, Transport Across the North: a dedicated cross-party forum to promote discussion and investment in all modes of transport across the North of England and to provide better opportunities for MPs representing Northern constituencies to meet with senior officials and receive relevant briefings. Jones was elected as Chair to campaign to fight for fair resources across the North.[25]

He was chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls in the 57th parliament[26] defeating the Conservative MP for North East Hampshire, Ranil Jayawardena MP. As Chair, Jones raised the 'forgotten war' in Yemen[27] as well as raising serious concerns about China. Jones set up the Labour Friends of Yemen[28] and became its first Chair.

In 2017, Jones was elected to the Defence Select Committee. Jones was a strong advocate for increased defence spending[29] and for defending Eastern Europe and the Caucasus against threats from Russia.[30]

Jones was one of six Labour MPs elected by the Parliamentary Labour Party to the Parliamentary Committee which meets weekly in private with the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.[31] He was also elected as Chair of the Labour Parliamentary Committee on Culture Media and Sport.[32]

In 2019, Jones was elected as a Parliamentary representative to the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).[33]

He lost his seat at the general election of 2019. His Conservative successor, Sara Britcliffe, is the daughter of Peter Britcliffe, the councillor against whom he previously took legal action.[10] After the election result had been declared, Jones said, "Obviously, I am disappointed but... I'm pleased that I went straight from a factory to a frontbencher."[34]

Jones posted a video about his last day in Parliament.[35]

Life after Parliament[edit]

After the election, Sarah Britcliffe was photographed in a nightclub wearing a t-shirt with Jones' picture printed on mocking him. Jones described it as "childish behaviour”.[36]

Jones said that he wanted to help local charities and stay involved with the local Labour Party. He stated that he was "100 per cent" committed to standing to become Hyndburn's next MP, insisting he has "unfinished business".[37] In March 2023, he was reselected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Haslingden and Hyndburn constituency;[38] however, on 13 February 2024 he was suspended by Labour, following reports of comments he made about the Israel-Hamas war.[39] Jones said Britons who go to Israel to fight for the Israel Defense Forces "should be locked up".[40]

Personal life[edit]

Jones' partner is Kimberley Whitehead, with whom he has a daughter.[41] He was previously married and has one son.

He is a lifelong supporter of Blackburn Rovers, and also attends games at Accrington Stanley.[41] The latter's chairman, Ilyas Khan, played an active role in Jones' 2010 election campaign.[42]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. ^ "No. 59418". The London Gazette. 13 May 2010. p. 8743.
  3. ^ "Election 2010: Constituency: Hyndburn". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Accrington Pals historian praised in Commons (From Lancashire Telegraph)". Lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Wendy Dwyer wins Peel ward by-election". Accrington Observer. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Lancashire County Council: Elections". Lancashire.gov.uk. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Lancashire County Council: Elections". Lancashire.gov.uk. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Lancashire County Council: Elections". Lancashire.gov.uk. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Accrington councillor breached standards over pothole repairs". The Citizen. Newsquest Media Group. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  10. ^ a b Bell, Alex (16 July 2010). "Council leader says sorry over 'two houses' incident". Accrington Observer. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Greg Pope to step down as Hyndburn MP (From Lancashire Telegraph)". Lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Hyndburn Labour successor to Greg Pope announced (From Lancashire Telegraph)". Lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Graham Jones". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Accrington MP resigns from the front benches saying Jeremy Corbyn 'does not hold true Labour Values'". accringtonobserver.co.uk. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Labour MP says Corbyn critics receiving 'vile abuse'". BBC. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  17. ^ Rodgers, Sienna. "Maximum stake on addictive FOBTs cut to £2". LabourList. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  18. ^ "All-Party Parliamentary Group on Metal, Stone and Heritage Crime".
  19. ^ S, Paul; erson (22 February 2012). "Graham Jones MP says itinerant people are behind a lot of metal theft". REB Market Intelligence. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  20. ^ Cruces, Emma (15 November 2011). "Hyndburn MP Graham Jones introduces metal theft Bill". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  21. ^ "Hyndburn MP Graham Jones in scrap metal theft crackdown hopes". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  22. ^ "East Lancashire MP's fight to cut metal theft continues". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Hyndburn MP calls for signs on scrap metal lorries". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Graham Jones MP: We must do more to support Venezuela as it resists the grip of dictatorship". PoliticsHome. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  25. ^ "All-Party Parliamentary Group, Transport Across the North".
  26. ^ "Past members of the Committees on Arms Export Controls". Parliament of the United Kingdom.
  27. ^ "Britain's Arms Export Chief Finds Iran, Houthis Most Responsible for Civilian Dead in Yemen". 7 February 2019.
  28. ^ "Labour Friends of Yemen". www.labourfriendsofyemen.org.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Defence Committee renews spending demand for 3% of GDP". 26 June 2018.
  30. ^ totallyadmin (13 May 2016). "Estonia visit reinforces its importance in future of Europe". BGIPU. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Corbyn's Labour and the path to power". rabble.ca. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  32. ^ Bean, Emma. "Results in full: Labour parliamentary chairs all elected unopposed". LabourList. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe". osce.org. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  34. ^ Heeds, Chantelle (13 December 2019). "Labour's Graham Jones speaks out after Hyndburn seat turns blue". LancsLive. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  35. ^ Graham Jones - My last day in my Parliamentary office.... | By Graham Jones | My last day in my Parliamentary office. We get one week to wind down in Westminster. I needed to sort out emails, making staff redundant, my pass & my..., retrieved 4 August 2022
  36. ^ "New Tory MP Britcliffe criticised for wearing T-shirt showing candidate she beat". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  37. ^ Pike, Stuart (30 January 2021). "'Unfinished business' drives former Hyndburn MP to stand again". LancsLive. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  38. ^ Lopez, Simon (13 March 2023). "Ex-MP Graham Jones to stand again in Haslingden and Hyndburn in a bid to win seat back". LancsLive. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  39. ^ Stacey, Kiran (13 February 2024). "Labour suspends second parliamentary candidate over Israel comments". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  40. ^ "Britons who fight for Israel should be 'locked up', suspended Labour candidate said". The Telegraph. 13 February 2024.
  41. ^ a b Watkinson, David (8 May 2010). "Dream result for Hyndburn Labour candidate". The Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  42. ^ "Accrington Stanley chairman signs for Labour". The Citizen. Newsquest Media Group. 24 April 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Hyndburn
2010–2019 		Succeeded by
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