Jon Trickett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Trickett MP
Official portrait, 2017
Member of Parliament for Normanton and Hemsworth Hemsworth (1996–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 February 1996
Preceded by	Derek Enright
Majority	6,662 (18.3%)
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office 4 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Ian Austin
Succeeded by	Desmond Swayne
Shadow cabinet portfolios 2017–2020 Cabinet Office 2016–2020 Lord President of the Council 2016–2016 Business, Innovation and Skills 2015–2017 National Campaign Coordinator 2015–2016 Communities and Local Government 2013–2015 Without Portfolio 2011–2013 Cabinet Office
Leader of Leeds City Council
In office 1989–1996
Preceded by	George Mudie
Succeeded by	Brian Walker
Member of Leeds City Council for Beeston
In office 28 September 1984 – 1996
Preceded by	Michael McGowan
Succeeded by	Angela Gabriel
Personal details
Born	Jon Hedley Trickett (1950-07-02) 2 July 1950 (age 75) Leeds, England
Political party	Labour
Other political affiliations	Socialist Campaign Group
Alma mater	University of Hull (BA) University of Leeds (MA)

Jon Hedley Trickett (born 2 July 1950) is a British politician. He is a member of the Labour Party. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1996. An MP is someone elected to represent a local area in the UK Parliament.

He first represented the area of Hemsworth. Since 2024, he has been the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth. From 2016 to 2020, he was a "Shadow Minister" for the Cabinet Office. This means he was part of the opposition party's team, checking on the government's work. He also helped lead the Labour Party's election campaigns from 2015 to 2017.

Jon Trickett worked for Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010. He was later promoted to the Labour Party's "Shadow Cabinet" in 2011. The Shadow Cabinet is a group of senior politicians from the main opposition party. They match the government's cabinet ministers.

He is also part of the Socialist Campaign Group. This is a group of Labour MPs who share similar political ideas.

Early Life and Education

Jon Trickett was born in Leeds, England, on 2 July 1950. He went to Roundhay Grammar School. He studied politics at the University of Hull. Later, he earned a master's degree in Political Sociology from the University of Leeds.

He became interested in politics in the late 1960s. This was partly due to the movement against the Vietnam War. He joined the Labour Party in 1969. From 1974 to 1986, he worked as a builder and plumber. In 1975, he helped lead the "Vote No" campaign in Leeds during a vote about joining the European Communities.

In the 1970s, Jon Trickett was involved with a political group called the ILP. He also worked against fascism and war. He was a delegate for the Leeds Trades Council, which represents workers' unions.

Local Government Work

Jon Trickett was first elected to Leeds City Council in 1984. He was 34 years old at the time. He became the leader of the Council in 1989. He held this important local leadership role until 1996. He then left the Council to become an MP in the national Parliament.

Parliamentary Career

Working in Government

In 1996, Jon Trickett was elected as the MP for Hemsworth. He won with a large number of votes. He was re-elected in the 1997 general election.

After the 1997 election, he became a "parliamentary private secretary" (PPS). This role means he helped a government minister. He worked in the Cabinet Office and later the Department of Trade and Industry.

He was re-elected as MP for Hemsworth in the 2001 and 2005 general elections.

Jon Trickett spoke out against the Iraq War. He also took part in protests against it. He often disagreed with some of Prime Minister Tony Blair's plans for public services. He pushed for Parliament to meet urgently when Israel attacked Lebanon. He also worked to change a law about companies. He wanted companies to report on how their products were made, including issues in their supply chains.

In 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked him to lead a group on housing for the Labour Party. He did not take this role. In 2008, he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

In Opposition

Jon Trickett was re-elected in the 2010 general election. In 2011, he joined the "Shadow Cabinet." This is the team of senior politicians from the main opposition party. He became the Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office. He was re-elected again in the 2015 general election.

In 2015, he supported Jeremy Corbyn to become the leader of the Labour Party. Jon Trickett was then appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. This role meant he was the opposition's spokesperson on local government matters.

In 2016, he became the Shadow Lord President of the Council. He also became the Campaigns and Elections Director for the Labour Party. Later that year, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Jon Trickett was re-elected in the 2017 and 2019 general elections. In April 2020, after Keir Starmer became the new Labour Party leader, Jon Trickett left his frontbench roles.

Due to changes in constituency boundaries, his Hemsworth constituency was replaced. In the 2024 general election, Jon Trickett was elected as the MP for the new Normanton and Hemsworth area.

Current Role

In September 2024, Jon Trickett was the only Labour MP to vote against a government plan. This plan would change how the Winter Fuel Payment is given to older people. He argued that this change could make poverty worse for older people in his area. He believed the payment should remain a benefit for all older people, as it was when it was first introduced in 1997.

Personal Life

Jon Trickett married Sarah Balfour in 1993. They have three children.