Jonathan Reynolds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Reynolds
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Secretary of State for Business and Trade President of the Board of Trade |
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| Assumed office 5 July 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Kemi Badenoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde |
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| Assumed office 6 May 2010 |
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| Preceded by | James Purnell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 8,539 (22.9%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council for Longdendale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 May 2007 – 5 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Bibby | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Gillian Peet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 August 1980 Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England |
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| Political party | Labour Co-op | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Claire Johnston | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residences | Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Manchester BPP Law School |
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| Profession | Solicitor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jonathan Neil Reynolds (born 28 August 1980) is a British politician. He has been the Secretary of State for Business and Trade since July 2024. He is also the President of the Board of Trade. As a member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde since 2010.
Before his current role, Reynolds held several important positions in the Labour Party. He was a Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change from 2013 to 2015. He also served as a Shadow Transport Minister and a Shadow Treasury Minister. From 2020 to 2021, he was the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
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Early Life and Education
Jonathan Reynolds was born on 28 August 1980 in Houghton-le-Spring, England. He grew up in County Durham. In 1998, he moved to Manchester to study.
He attended the University of Manchester, where he studied Politics and Modern History. He also studied at BPP Law School in Manchester. After finishing his studies, Reynolds worked for the local council. He also worked for James Purnell, who was the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde at the time.
In 2007, Jonathan Reynolds was elected as a local councillor. He represented the Longdendale ward on Tameside Council. He is a member of the Co-operative Party and Unite the Union.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In the 2010 general election, Jonathan Reynolds was elected as the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde. He won with 39.6% of the votes. This gave him a majority of 2,744 votes over the next candidate.
Once he became an MP, he stopped being a local councillor in 2011. He focused on local issues during his election campaign. These included improving town centres like Stalybridge. He also worked on better rail links and getting more primary school places in Hyde. He also supported improvements to the Northern Hub rail network.
Roles in the Shadow Cabinet
A "Shadow Cabinet" is a group of politicians from the main opposition party. They match the government's cabinet ministers. Each shadow minister "shadows" a government minister. They question the government's actions and propose different ideas.
Shadow Energy and Climate Change Minister
Under Ed Miliband, who was the leader of the Labour Party, Reynolds became a Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change. In this role, he focused on important issues. These included helping people who struggled to pay for heating and electricity. He also worked on making homes more energy-efficient. He supported the use of solar energy.
In the 2015 general election, Reynolds was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde. He received more votes this time, with 45% of the total. His majority also increased to 6,686.
Shadow Treasury Minister
After Jeremy Corbyn became the Labour Party leader in 2015, Reynolds was made a Shadow Minister for Transport, focusing on rail. Later, he became a Shadow City Minister in 2016. In this role, he talked about how important it was for financial services to have a good deal after Brexit.
In the 2017 general election, Reynolds was re-elected again. His vote share increased to 57.2%, and his majority grew to 8,084. He was re-elected once more in the 2019 general election.
Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions
After Keir Starmer became the Labour Party leader in 2020, Jonathan Reynolds was appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. In this role, he looked at how the Universal Credit system worked. He wanted to make sure it supported people who needed help. He also focused on long-term plans for pensions and social security.
Shadow Secretary for Business and Trade
In September 2023, Reynolds was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade. He talked about the relationship between the UK and the EU after Brexit. He said Labour would not rejoin the EU’s single market or customs union. Instead, he aimed for a better trade deal with the EU.
He also supported an "industrial strategy." This plan aimed to bring back industries to the UK and make the economy greener. It focused on investing in new technologies and creating jobs. He was a strong supporter of the Green Prosperity Plan. This plan aimed to create many new jobs through green investments. It also aimed to reduce energy costs and achieve net zero emissions.
Secretary of State for Business and Trade (2024–present)
New Government Role
In the 2024 general election, Jonathan Reynolds was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde. His majority increased to 8,539. After the Labour Party won the election, he was appointed as the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. He also became the President of the Board of Trade. This means he is a senior government minister.
On 10 July 2024, he joined the Privy Council. This is a group of senior advisors to the King. Being a member means he can be called "The Right Honourable" for life.
Supporting Workers and Businesses
As Business Secretary, Reynolds has talked about making work laws more flexible. He believes this can help different parts of the country and increase productivity. He has supported increasing the minimum wage. He also wants to ban "zero-hours contracts," which offer no guaranteed work hours. He aims to stop companies from using "fire and re-hire" practices.
He has also spoken about supporting businesses. He wants to help Britain open new markets around the world. He plans to remove certain business taxes and help small businesses get paid on time. He also wants to invest in new green industries. Reynolds believes that working with companies, local councils, and trade unions will help build a stronger economy. He aims for Britain to use clean energy by 2030.
Reynolds has also focused on attracting more investment to the UK. He wants to show the world why Britain is a great place to invest. He is working on an "industrial strategy" to bring in new funds.
Personal Life
Jonathan Reynolds lives in Stalybridge in Greater Manchester. He has four children. Three are with his wife, Claire Johnston, and one is from a previous relationship. His oldest son is autistic. Outside of politics, he enjoys supporting Sunderland A.F.C., watching films, and gardening.
