Ministerial offices

Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language
In office 25 May 2007 – 19 July 2007
First Minister	Rhodri Morgan
Preceded by	Jane Davidson
Succeeded by	Jane Hutt
Minister for the Environment, Planning and Countryside
In office 13 May 2003 – 25 May 2007
First Minister	Rhodri Morgan
Preceded by	Delyth Evans
Succeeded by	Jane Davidson
Minister for Assembly Business
In office 18 June 2002 – 13 May 2003
First Minister	Rhodri Morgan
Preceded by	Andrew Davies
Succeeded by	Karen Sinclair
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs
In office 23 July 2000 – 18 June 2002
First Minister	Rhodri Morgan
Preceded by	Christine Gwyther
Succeeded by	Mike German

Member of the Senedd
for Bridgend

In office
6 May 1999 – 29 April 2021

Preceded by

Constituency established

Succeeded by

Sarah Murphy

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

Incumbent

Assumed office
23 January 2025
Life peerage

Personal details

Born

Carwyn Howell Jones

21 March 1967 (age 58)
Swansea, Wales

Political party

Labour

Spouse

Lisa Jones

Children

Alma mater

Aberystwyth University
Inns of Court School of Law

Profession

Barrister

Cabinet

First Jones government
Second Jones government
Third Jones government

Signature

Carwyn Howell Jones, Baron Jones of Penybont, born on March 21, 1967, is a Welsh politician. He was the First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. Before that, he was the Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones was a Member of the Senedd (MS) for Bridgend from 1999 to 2021. He became a member of the House of Lords in 2025.

Jones also served in the Welsh Government as a minister for agriculture and the environment. After the 2007 election, he became the Minister for Education, Culture, and the Welsh Language. He then became Counsel General for Wales.

He took over from Rhodri Morgan as First Minister and leader of Welsh Labour in December 2009. He was the third person to lead the Welsh Government. In April 2018, he announced he would step down. Mark Drakeford became his replacement in December 2018.

Early Life and Education
Career Before Politics
Political Journey
Leading Wales as First Minister
Life After Leadership
Personal Life
Honorary Degrees
See also

Early Life and Education

Carwyn Jones was born in Swansea, Wales. He grew up in Bridgend in a Welsh-speaking family and speaks Welsh fluently. He went to Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend.

In 1988, he earned a law degree from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He joined the Labour Party during the miners' strike in the mid-1980s.

Career Before Politics

After university, Carwyn Jones trained to be a barrister. He worked as a barrister for ten years in Swansea. He focused on family, criminal, and personal injury law.

Later, he taught law at Cardiff University for two years. In 1999, he decided to run for a seat in the first elections for the Welsh Assembly. He won the seat for Bridgend.

Political Journey

Jones was a local councillor for Bridgend for five years. He became a Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Bridgend in 1999.

In 2000, he joined the Welsh Government's Cabinet. He was responsible for agriculture, rural development, and the environment. He also handled countryside issues and planning. In 2002, he became Minister for Open Government.

After the 2007 election, he was appointed Minister for Education, Culture, and the Welsh Language. This role covered education, lifelong learning, culture, the Welsh language, and sport. When his party formed a coalition, Jones became Counsel General for Wales.

In September 2009, the First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, announced he would resign. Jones ran to become his successor. On December 1, 2009, Jones was elected the new leader of Welsh Labour.

Leading Wales as First Minister

Premiership of Carwyn Jones

10 December 2009 – 12 December 2018
Premier	Carwyn Jones
Cabinet	1st Jones government 2nd Jones government 3rd Jones government
Party	Welsh Labour Party
Election	2011, 2016
Appointer	Elizabeth II
Seat	Tŷ Hywel
← Rhodri Morgan • Mark Drakeford →

After winning the leadership election, Jones became the third First Minister of Wales on December 9, 2009. He was officially sworn into office the next day.

After the 2011 elections, Labour gained more seats. Jones decided to form a minority government. This meant Labour could govern alone without a coalition.

Working with the UK Government

Carwyn Jones sometimes disagreed with the UK Government. For example, in 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg criticized Jones. Clegg said Jones blamed London for everything.

A spokesperson for Jones replied that the Welsh Government was focused on helping the Welsh economy. They said businesses needed more support from the UK Government.

Cardiff Airport Discussions

Jones also spoke about Cardiff Airport. In 2012, he said the airport needed to improve to attract new airlines. He mentioned issues like the main entrance being shut.

His comments led to some criticism. However, Jones continued to say the airport's owners needed to run it better or sell it. He later chaired a "Task Force" to help the airport.

Scottish Independence Views

In 2013, Jones stated he was against Scottish independence in their 2014 referendum.

2016 Election Challenge

After the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Labour did not have a majority. Jones began talks with other parties. Both Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood were nominated for First Minister.

On May 11, 2016, they both received 29 votes. If a First Minister is not elected within 28 days, new elections would be needed. After more talks, Jones was re-elected unopposed on May 18. He then formed a minority government.

Decision to Step Down

In April 2018, an independent investigation cleared Jones of accusations that he had misled the Assembly about certain issues. Shortly after this, on April 21, 2018, Jones announced he would step down as First Minister in the autumn.

He also said he would leave the Welsh Assembly in 2021. After Mark Drakeford was elected as the new leader of Welsh Labour, Jones resigned as First Minister on December 12, 2018. Drakeford became First Minister the next day. Jones remained a Member of the Senedd for Bridgend until the 2021 election.

Life After Leadership

After stepping down, Jones continued to be involved in public discussions. He debated Welsh independence, saying Wales was "not too poor to be independent." However, he still supported more devolution rather than full independence.

He became a senior contributor to a business news platform called Business News Wales. He also launched a podcast series called "Carwyn Meets."

In January 2020, Jones was appointed as a Professor of Law at Aberystwyth University. He works there part-time. In November 2020, he was elected to the Labour Party's national executive committee. In May 2021, Jones became the Chair of Trustees for the Welsh Climate Charity, Size of Wales.

In January 2025, he was made a Life peer and became Baron Jones of Penybont. He was introduced to the House of Lords later that month.

Personal Life

Carwyn Jones is married to Lisa, who is from Belfast. They met while studying at Aberystwyth University. They have two children.

Honorary Degrees

Country	Date	School	Degree
Wales	2019	Aberystwyth University	Honorary Fellow

Carwyn Jones facts for kids

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