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, United Kingdom |
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| Political party | Labour Co-op | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Claire Reynolds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residences | Stalybridge, Greater Manchester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Manchester BPP Law School |
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Jonathan Neil Reynolds (born 28 August 1980) is a British politician. Since July 2024, he has been the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. This means he is a government minister in charge of business and trade for the whole country. He is also the President of the Board of Trade.
Jonathan Reynolds is a member of the Labour and Co-operative parties. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde since 2010. An MP represents their local area in the UK Parliament.
Before becoming a main government minister, he held important roles for the Labour Party. He was a "Shadow Minister," which means he spoke for his party on different topics. These included energy, climate change, transport, and money matters. He also spoke for his party on jobs and support for people.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Politics
Jonathan Reynolds was born on 28 August 1980 in Houghton-le-Spring, England. He went to Houghton Kepier Comprehensive School and Sunderland City College. In 1998, he moved to Manchester. There, he studied politics and history at the University of Manchester. He also studied law at a law school.
After university, Reynolds worked as a trainee lawyer. However, he did not finish his training to become a full lawyer. From 2003 to 2005, he was part of the Labour Party's main committee. In 2007, he was elected as a local councillor for Tameside Council. He represented the Longdendale area.
Before becoming an MP, Reynolds worked for four years for the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, James Purnell. He was chosen to take Purnell's place when Purnell left Parliament. Reynolds is a member of the Co-operative Party and a trade union called Unite the Union.
Working in 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. In 2011, he stopped being a local councillor. He focused on local issues during his election campaign. These included improving town centres and transport links. He also wanted more primary school places and better rail services.
Roles Under Ed Miliband
When Ed Miliband was the leader of the Labour Party, Reynolds was given different jobs. He was a "Shadow Whip" for justice and constitutional affairs. Later, he became Miliband's helper in Parliament. He also became the Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change. In this role, he focused on helping people who struggled to pay for heating. He also worked on making energy use more efficient and promoting solar energy.
In the 2015 general election, Reynolds was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde. He won with more votes and a larger majority.
Roles Under Jeremy Corbyn
After Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader in September 2015, Reynolds became a Shadow Minister for Transport. He was responsible for rail. He later resigned from this role in January 2016. He felt he could help the party best as a regular MP. He supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership election.
After Corbyn was re-elected as leader, Reynolds was given a new role. He became the Shadow City Minister. This meant he spoke for Labour on financial matters. In December 2015, Reynolds tried to change how UK general elections work. He wanted to use a different voting system. He also questioned Mike Ashley about working conditions at Sports Direct.
Reynolds believed Labour needed a strong economic plan. He supported a Brexit deal that would be good for financial services. In the 2017 general election, he was re-elected again with an even larger majority. He is the Chair of Christians on the Left and a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel. He describes himself as a Christian socialist.
In the 2019 general election, Reynolds was re-elected, but with a smaller majority. In January 2024, he was chosen again to be the Labour candidate for Stalybridge and Hyde.
Roles Under Keir Starmer
After Keir Starmer became Labour leader in 2020, Reynolds was appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He spoke about problems with the Universal Credit system. He wanted to make sure people received fair support. He also called for an emergency budget to help with the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September 2023, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade. He talked about the UK's relationship with the European Union after Brexit. He said Labour would not rejoin the EU's single market or customs union. Instead, they would focus on getting a better trade deal.
Reynolds also supported a plan to boost UK industries. This plan aimed to make the economy greener and create jobs. He was a strong supporter of the Green Prosperity Plan. This plan aimed to create many new jobs through green investments. He also spoke out about energy rules and how they affected people and small businesses.
Secretary of State for Business and Trade (2024–present)
Appointment to Government
In the 2024 general election, Jonathan Reynolds was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde. He won with an increased majority. After the Labour Party won the election, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Reynolds to his current role. He became the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade.
He was sworn into the Privy Council on 10 July 2024. This means he can be called "The Right Honourable" for life.
Workers' Rights and Investment
Jonathan Reynolds has spoken about flexible work laws. He believes they can help reduce differences between regions and make businesses more productive. He has also supported increasing the minimum wage. He wants to ban "zero-hours contracts" and stop companies from firing and rehiring staff on worse terms.
In September 2024, he criticised Amazon for making employees return to the office five days a week. He believes workers should be judged by their results, not where they sit. He also said that the government would help open new markets for British businesses around the world. He wants to invest in new green industries.
Reynolds visited Saudi Arabia to discuss a new trade deal. He said that growing the economy is the government's main goal. He wants to boost trade and investment with big economies around the world. He also said he was tired of the UK losing investment opportunities to other countries like France and Spain. He plans to show how Britain will attract global investment.
British Steel
In April 2025, Reynolds played a key role in helping British Steel. There were concerns that the company's owner might shut down a major site. Reynolds helped pass a new law quickly. This law gave the government powers to direct steelmaking operations in England. It also set out penalties if companies did not follow the rules.
Personal Life
Jonathan Reynolds lives in Stalybridge in Greater Manchester. His wife, Claire, is a political director for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. They have three children together. He also has an eldest son from a previous relationship, who is autistic. Outside of politics, he enjoys supporting Sunderland A.F.C., watching films, and gardening.
