Marcus Jones (politician) explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Right Honourable
Marcus Jones
Office:Government Deputy Chief Whip
Treasurer of the Household
Primeminister:Rishi Sunak
Termstart:27 October 2022
Termend:5 July 2024
Predecessor:Craig Whittaker
Successor:Mark Tami
Office1:Minister of State for Housing
Primeminister1:Boris Johnson
Termstart1:8 July 2022
Termend1:7 September 2022
Predecessor1:Stuart Andrew
Successor1:Lee Rowley
Office2:Comptroller of the Household
Primeminister2:Boris Johnson
Termstart2:17 September 2021
Termend2:8 July 2022
Predecessor2:Mike Freer
Successor2:Rebecca Harris
Office3:Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Termstart3:13 February 2020
Termend3:17 September 2021
Office4:Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Local Government
Term Start4:8 January 2018
Term End4:13 February 2020
Successor4:13
Office5:Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government[1]
Predecessor5:Brandon Lewis
Successor5:Heather Wheeler
(Housing and Homelessness)
Rishi Sunak
(Local Government)
Term Start5:8 May 2015
Term End5:8 January 2018
Birth Date:5 April 1974
Birth Place:Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England
Nationality:British
Party:Conservative
Website:www.marcusjones.org.uk
Office6:Member of Parliament
for Nuneaton
Term Start6:6 May 2010
Term End6:30 May 2024
Primeminister3:Boris Johnson
Primeminister5:David Cameron
Theresa May
Leader4:Theresa May
Boris Johnson
Successor6:Jodie Gosling
Predecessor6:Bill Olner
Predecessor3:Stuart Andrew
Successor3:James Morris

Marcus Charles Jones (born 5 April 1974)[2] is an English Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nuneaton from 2010 to 2024. Previously he had been the Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. He had previously served as Government Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household since October 2022.[3]

He was appointed Minister of State for Housing in the July 2022 British cabinet reshuffle. He served until September 2022.[4] He stood as a candidate for Nuneaton in the 2024 general election, when he lost his seat.[5]

Education and early career

Marcus Jones was born in Nuneaton on 5 April 1974 and has lived in the town all his life. He grew up in the suburb of Whitestone and was educated at St Thomas More Catholic School and King Edward VI College. Before becoming and MP, he worked as a conveyancing manager at Tustain Jones & Co., solicitors in Coventry and Nuneaton.[6]

Local government

Jones stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate in the Wem Brook ward of Nuneaton and Bedworth Council in 2002 and 2004, before being elected in the Whitestone ward in 2005. He was Conservative group leader from 2006 to 2009. In 2008 Marcus became the first Conservative Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth, in the council's 34-year history. He served as council leader and was also the council's portfolio holder for Finance and Civic Affairs from 2006 to 2009, before standing down to concentrate on his parliamentary campaign. Jones stood down before the local elections in May 2010 and the Conservatives retained his seat, although they lost control of the council.[7]

House of Commons

Jones was first elected to the House of Commons in 2010, as the Member of Parliament for Nuneaton with a majority of 2,069 votes.[8] His victory overturned a notional Labour majority of 3,850 and, as a result, he became the first Conservative MP for the town since 1992.

As an MP, Jones has campaigned for a PFI rebate, and is a member of the PFI Rebate campaign of more than 80 MPs, from all three major parties, who have been calling for savings on PFI.[9]

Jones's voting record is and has been widely inline with the rest of the Conservative party's MP's, however, there are notable exceptions, for example, Jones has voted against same-sex marriage for LGBT+ people. Jones has also voted multiple times to repeal the Human Rights Act (1998) and voted against largely retaining the EU "Charter of Fundamental Rights" as part of UK law following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.[10]

Jones is Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Town Centres and is also an Ambassador the Federation of Small Businesses' Keep Trade Local campaign[11]

In the general election in 2015 Nuneaton was Labour's target number 38,[12] but Jones won the seat for a second time.

As of May 2015, Jones became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government in the first Cameron ministry, the first Conservative Majority Government for 18 years.

In January 2016, in response to a proposed law that all rented houses should be fit for human habitation, he said: "New clause 52 would result in unnecessary regulation and cost to landlords which would deter further investment and push up rents for tenants. Of course we believe that all homes should be of a decent standard and all tenants should have a safe place to live regardless of tenure, but local authorities already have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality and safe accommodation and we expect them to use them." He voted against the proposed law, but was not one of the 72 Conservative MPs who did so whilst also being landlords themselves.[13]

In May 2016, it emerged that Jones was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[14] However, in May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.[15]

Jones was re-elected in the 2017 general election, and during the first cabinet reshuffle of the second May ministry, he was appointed Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party, with responsibility for Local Government.

He was again re-elected in the 2019 general election, with an increased majority of over 13,000 votes.

On 13 February 2020, Jones was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (Government Whip) during a cabinet reshuffle. On 17 September 2021, he was appointed Comptroller of the Household, a senior Government Whip, in the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry.[16] In that role, he took part in the 2023 Coronation.[17]

In the House of Commons, Jones sat on the Administration Committee and Backbench Business Committee, and currently serves on the Speakers Committee on the Electoral Commission.[18]

On 8 July 2022, Jones was appointed as Housing Minister following the resignation of Stuart Andrew during the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis.[19]

On 8 March 2023, he was appointed as a member of the Privy Council.[20]

Personal life

Marcus Jones lives with his wife Suzanne and has two children.[21]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Portfolio included Housing and Homelessness
  2. Web site: Democracy Live Your representatives Marcus Jones . . 30 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140824103708/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/76806.stm . 24 August 2014 . en . . Born: 5/4/1974.
  3. Web site: Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022 . 2022-10-27 . GOV.UK . en.
  4. Web site: Marcus Jones MP . 2022-09-24 . GOV.UK . en.
  5. News: 4 July 2024 . UK general election results 2024: live tracker . 4 July 2024 . The Guardian.
  6. Web site: About Marcus. Marcus Jones. 1 August 2018.
  7. Web site: Nuneaton Council Election Results 1973–2012. Plymouth University. 1 August 2018.
  8. News: UK> England> West Midlands> Nuneaton. 7 May 2010. Election 2010. BBC. 11 May 2010.
  9. Web site: MP Welcomes PFI Savings of £1.5bn | Marcus Jones MP . Marcusjones.org.uk . 20 July 2011 . 4 July 2012.
  10. Web site: Voting record – Marcus Jones, former MP, Nuneaton. TheyWorkForYou.
  11. Web site: Local MP Signs Up to Support Small Businesses in Nuneaton | Marcus Jones MP . Marcusjones.org.uk . 20 July 2010 . 4 July 2012.
  12. Web site: UKPollingReport Election Guide » Labour Target Seats . Ukpollingreport.co.uk . 4 July 2012.
  13. News: Gilbert . Simon . MP says rule requiring landlords to make homes fit for human habitation is 'unnecessary' . 30 October 2021 . . . 17 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170317215617/http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/mp-says-rule-requiring-landlords-10746978 . 17 March 2017 . . en.
  14. News: Tory election fraud allegations: the full story — election expenses exposed . 30 October 2021 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20170424085916/https://news.channel4.com/livepages/2016/election-expenses/ . 24 April 2017 . en . .
  15. News: No charges over 2015 Conservative battle bus cases. BBC News. 1 August 2018.
  16. Web site: Ministerial appointments: September 2021. 16 September 2021.
  17. News: Coronation order of service in full . BBC News . 5 May 2023 . 6 May 2023.
  18. Web site: Marcus Jones. Parliament UK. 1 August 2018.
  19. Web site: Hay . Bryan . 2022-07-08 . New Housing Minister appointed . 2022-07-09 . The Intermediary . en-GB.
  20. Web site: Orders for 8 March 2023. Privy Council Office. 9 March 2023.
  21. News: Coventry Live . Nuneaton MP welcomes new arrival . 30 October 2021 . . . 15 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180514065049/https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/nuneaton-mp-welcomes-new-arrival-3037587 . 14 May 2018 . . en.