Jeremy Miles

Jeremy Miles MS is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party politician, serving as Minister for Education and Welsh Language in the Welsh Government since 2021. Miles has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Neath since 2016. He previously served in the Welsh Government as Counsel General for Wales from 2017 to 2021, Brexit Minister from 2018 to 2021, and the Minister for coordinating Wales’ recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021.[1]

Jeremy Miles
MS
Official portrait, 2020
Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Assumed office
13 May 2021
First MinisterMark Drakeford
Preceded byKirsty Williams (Education) Eluned Morgan (Welsh Language)
First MinisterMark Drakeford
Minister for European Transition
In office
13 December 2018 – 13 May 2021
First MinisterMark Drakeford
Preceded byMark Drakeford
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Counsel General for Wales
In office
16 November 2017 – 13 May 2021
First MinisterCarwyn Jones
Mark Drakeford
Preceded byMick Antoniw
Succeeded byMick Antoniw
Member of the Senedd
for Neath
Assumed office
6 May 2016
Preceded byGwenda Thomas
Majority5,221 (18.9%)
Personal details
BornPontarddulais, Wales
Political partyWelsh Labour and Co-operative
Alma materNew College, Oxford
Signature

Early life

He was born and brought up in Pontarddulais near Swansea, south Wales and, as a native Welsh speaker, was educated at a bilingual comprehensive school – Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera in the Swansea Valley.[2] He graduated from New College, Oxford, where he read law. After graduating, he taught law at the Centre for English Legal Studies, Warsaw University.[3]

He returned to the UK and practised as a solicitor in London initially, and then held senior legal and commercial posts in media sector businesses including ITV and with the US television network and film studio, NBCUniversal, based in London.[4]

He stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate in the safe Conservative seat of Beaconsfield at the 2010 general election. Miles also stood in the Labour selection for Aberavon in 2014, losing the selection to Stephen Kinnock by one vote.[5]

After returning to live in South Wales, he set up his own business affairs consultancy, working with international clients in the broadcast and digital sectors.[4]

Political career

Member of the Senedd for Neath

Following the announcement by Gwenda Thomas, the then-Assembly Member for Neath, that she was planning to stand down at the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election, he was selected to stand as the Labour and Co-operative candidate in Neath constituency in October 2015, following a twinned selection process with Gower constituency.[6]

He was until his selection as the candidate for Neath a trustee and secretary of the social justice charity the Bevan Foundation.[7]

He was elected to the Senedd in May 2016 and was one of the first out gay MSs elected.[8] In November 2017, he was nominated to be the Counsel General for Wales. Before his appointment to government, he sat on the Economy, Skills and Infrastructure committee, Culture, Welsh Language and Communications committee and the External Affairs committee and is the chair of the Co-operative group of AMs.[9]

Counsel General for Wales (2017-2021)

In November 2017, First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones undertook a Welsh Government reshuffle.[10] Miles was nominated to the cabinet-level role of Counsel General.[11]

In March 2018, he introduced draft legislation that would create a codified statute book of Welsh law, which would make Wales the first of the home nations to organise its laws in this way. The statute book would be designed to improve accessibility to Welsh Law for both lawyers and the general population.[12]

In the news

In August 2016, he warned that public disillusionment with politics could threaten devolution in Wales.[13] He expanded on this in an essay for Western Mail where he warned "if we assume the only choice is between complacency and immediate disaster, then we will fail to learn the lessons of Brexit".[14]

In 2016, he entered the Pinc List: The 40 most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Wales for the first time.[15] and was named again on the 2017 Pinc List.[16]

In March 2018, he wrote an article[17] for the Fabian Society in Wales, setting out challenges for the country and seeking to kick-start a debate on the future of Welsh Labour under a new leader.[18] Soon after, he nominated and endorsed Mark Drakeford in the election to succeed Carwyn Jones as Party leader and First Minister.[19]

Other activities

Miles is a member of the Co-operative Party and was elected chair of the Co-operative Group of Senedd Members in 2016. He is also a member of the GMB and Unite trade unions.

Prior to being elected, he had volunteered as a youth mentor with the Young Foundation, and also as an adviser at free legal advice centres. He was an adviser to the Use Your Vote campaign for the 2010 United Kingdom general election. He claims his political interests include economic and community development, skills, co-ops and mutuals.[2]

He lives in Alltwen and enjoys film, reading, cooking, hiking and cycling and following local rugby.[2]

References
  1. "Jeremy Miles MS: Counsel General and Minister for European Transition". Gov.Wales. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  2. "Member Profile". National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  3. Jones, Ciaran (6 May 2016). "Assembly Election 2016: The full list of Welsh AMs". walesonline. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  4. "Jeremy Miles AM". GOV.WALES. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  5. "Stephen Kinnock selected as Labour's candidate for Aberavon". LabourList. 22 March 2014.
  6. Deans, David (6 October 2015). "Candidates picked for Labour's Assembly fights in Gower and Neath". walesonline.
  7. "Jeremy Miles to stand down as Trustee". Bevan Foundation. 20 October 2015.
  8. "Three gay and lesbian AMs 'a milestone'". BBC News. 7 May 2016.
  9. "Member Profile". National Assembly for Wales.
  10. "Welsh Government cabinet reshuffle: Who is in and out?". BBC News.
  11. "Cabinet Members". Gov.wales. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  12. March 2018, Michael Cross26. "Wales bill set to overhaul legislation". Law Gazette.
  13. Deans, David (26 August 2016). "Labour AM warns of threat to devolution in Brexit vote wake". BBC News. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  14. Miles, Jeremy (31 August 2016). "The three lessons the Assembly needs to learn from Brexit". Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  15. Administrator, walesonline (13 August 2016). "The Pinc List 2016: The 40 most influential LGBT people in Wales". Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  16. "Pinc List 2017". Wales Online. 19 August 2017.
  17. Fabians, Welsh (12 March 2018). "Wales in a changing world — Jeremy Miles AM". Medium.
  18. "Make Wales 'second chance nation' urges Labour AM". ITV News. 13 March 2018.
  19. "Potential leader rival backs Drakeford". BBC News. 4 August 2018.
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