Susan Elan Jones

Susan Elan Jones (born 1 June 1968[1]) is a former British Labour Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clwyd South, replacing the previous Labour MP Martyn Jones after his retirement.[2] She returned to the voluntary sector after leaving Parliament.[3]

For other people with the same name, see Sue Jones.

Susan Elan Jones
Official portrait, 2017
Shadow Minister for Wales
In office
18 September 2015 – 27 June 2016
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byNia Griffith
Succeeded byGerald Jones
Member of Parliament
for Clwyd South
In office
6 May 2010 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byMartyn Jones
Succeeded bySimon Baynes
Southwark Borough Councillor
for The Lane ward
In office
4 May 2006 – 11 November 2009
Preceded byAubyn Graham
Succeeded byNick Dolezal
Personal details
Born (1968-06-01) 1 June 1968
Ponciau, Wrexham, Wales, UK
Political partyWelsh Labour

Biography

Jones comes from Ponciau near Rhosllannerchrugog and studied at Bristol University and Cardiff University.[4] She worked as a charity manager and professional fundraiser for 15 years before becoming an MP.[5]

In the 1997 general election, Jones stood for Labour in Surrey Heath, coming third.[6] From 2006 to 2009 she was a councillor in the London Borough of Southwark and was deputy leader of the opposition from 2007 to 2009.[7]

Parliamentary career

Following the 2010 general election, as the new Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Jones took her Parliamentary Oath of Allegiance to the Queen in Welsh; she is fluent in the language.

When making her maiden speech in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 9 June 2010 Jones spoke of the historic discrimination faced by speakers of the Welsh language. In her speech, she compared the ordinary people who campaigned for the Welsh language at times when it had not been fashionable to do so as civil rights activists "in the mould of Mrs Rosa Parks".[8][9] During her time as MP she returned to the issue in her speeches in the Commons, including on the Welsh television channel S4C[10] and campaigned successfully for Welsh to be used in Parliament at meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee[11]

She campaigned on military issues, and used her first appearance at Prime Minister's Questions to support a Royal British Legion campaign against the planned abolition of the Chief Coroner's office, which they argued would have undermined the independence and quality of investigations into military deaths.[12] Prime Minister David Cameron reversed his decision two weeks later and announced that the service would not be scrapped.[13] She assailed Conservative Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke over "secret inquests" opposed by military families, provoking a "swipe" at the Royal British Legion from the Minister.[14]

She frequently backed various local business interests in parliamentary debates, including solar panel businesses concerned about cuts to subsidies for domestic solar panels,[15] and wood panelling businesses[16] which employ many people in the Clwyd South constituency.

Jones strongly advocated the publication of all MPs' expenses and published her own expense claims on her website each month.[17] She is a past recipient of the Brake Parliamentarian of the Year award for her campaigning on road safety.[18]

From October 2010 to October 2011, Jones served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Harriet Harman MP, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, in her role as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. In the October 2011 reshuffle, Jones was appointed to the Labour front bench as a Whip.[19]

Jones resigned from Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Ministerial Team, along with dozens of her colleagues, in June 2016 and, in calling Corbyn "unelectable", also urged him to resign as Labour leader. She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election.[20] Via a statement on her website, Jones called Brexit "a disaster"[21] and supported the campaign for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal.[22] Jones is a proponent of proportional representation and a supporter of the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform.

She was defeated in the 2019 United Kingdom general election.[23] Jones turned down an Honour in 2020 in protest at some of the Honours awarded by Boris Johnson's administration.[24]

Voluntary Sector

Susan Elan Jones returned to the voluntary sector after leaving Parliament.[3] As an MP, she was Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Charities and Volunteering.[25] She served as a member of the Bill Committees for the Small Charitable Donations Bill, the Small Charitable Donations and Childcare Payments Bill and the National Citizen Service Bill.[26] Jones co-authored the 'Red Book of the Voluntary Sector' (CAF/ACEVO,2015)[27] and has also written on social enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility.[28][29] She is a regular platform speaker at voluntary sector conferences and events.[30][31] Jones introduced the Charity Trustees (Time Off for Duties) Bill to Parliament in March 2019.[32][33]

References
  1. "Susan Elan Jones MP". Democracy Live. BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  2. "Wrexham and Clwyd South stay Red but majorities are slashed". The Leader. NWN Media Ltd. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  3. "Susan Elan Jones". LinkedIn.
  4. "Susan Jones – Parliamentary Candidates". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2010. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  5. "Companies House - Susan Elan Jones". Companies House. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  6. "BBC NEWS | VOTE 2001 | RESULTS & CONSTITUENCIES | Surrey Heath". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. "Susan Elan Jones profile". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  8. Staff writer (10 June 2010). "Dromey and De Piero among maiden speeches". epolitix.com. ePolitiX.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  9. Staff writer (29 June 2010). "A bevy of maidens". Democracy Live. BBC. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  10. Susan Jones, MP for Clwyd South (12 July 2011). "Cymraeg". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 229.
  11. Roberts, Joe. "MPs held a Commons debate in Welsh for first time ever". Metro. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  12. Susan Jones, MP for Clwyd South (2 November 2011). "Abolition of Chief Coroner's Office". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 918–919.
  13. "Chief coroner: Royal British Legion welcomes U-turn". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 November 2011.
  14. Deacon, Michael (13 March 2012). "Sketch: Ken Clarke's swipe at the Royal British Legion". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK.
  15. Susan Jones, MP for Clwyd South (23 November 2011). "Solar paneling". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 397–398.
  16. Susan Jones, MP for Clwyd South (16 March 2011). "Wood panel industry". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Westminster Hall. col. 108WH.
  17. "Expenses/Treuliau". Susan Jones MP. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  18. "Susan Elan Jones, MP for Clwyd South". Brake. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  19. "Ed Miliband's new frontbench team". Labour Party. 10 October 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  20. "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  21. "Statement by Susan Elan Jones MP". Susan Elan Jones. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  22. Clifford, Alex. "Susan Elan Jones – Pink Book figures show EU exports at a record high". People's Vote. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  23. "Clwyd South parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News".
  24. https://www.linkedin.com/analytics/post-summary/urn:li:activity:6946852273780105216/
  25. "ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON CHARITIES AND VOLUNTEERING". NCVO. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  26. "Theyworkforyou Susan Elan Jones". Theyworkforyou. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  27. "THE RED BOOK OF THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE LABOUR PARTY AFTER THE 2015 ELECTION". Charities Aid Foundation. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  28. Simpson, Aden (15 June 2016). "Social enterprise a practical solution in tight times - Susan Elan Jones MP". PoliticsHome. PoliticsHome. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  29. Jones, Susan (10 March 2016). "Transparency around charitable donations should not be feared by the private sector". Susan Elan Jones MP website. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  30. "Westminster Social Policy Forum Keynote Seminar: The future for charity fundraising: finance, data and priorities for the Fundraising Regulator" (PDF). Westminster Social Policy Forum. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  31. "CELEBRATING EXCELLENT FUNDRAISING IN THE CHARITY SECTOR". Institute of Fundraising. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  32. Mason, Tania. "Bill to allow trustees time off from work is read in Parliament". Civil Society. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  33. "Charity Trustees (Time Off for Duties)". Hansard. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
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