Marcus Jones (British politician)

Marcus Jones
MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Leader David Cameron
Preceded by Stephen Williams
Member of Parliament
for Nuneaton
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Bill Olner
Majority 4,882 (10.7%)
Personal details
Born (1974-04-05) 5 April 1974
Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Website www.marcusjones.org.uk

Marcus Charles Jones (born 5 April 1974)[1] is a Conservative Party politician in the UK who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nuneaton since 2010, having won the seat again in 2015. Previously he had been Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

Education and early career

Marcus Jones has lived in Nuneaton all his life. He grew up in Whitestone, Nuneaton, and was educated at St Thomas More Catholic School and King Edward VI College. He worked as a conveyancing manager at Tustain Jones & Co., solicitors in Nuneaton.

Jones has a number of hobbies, including football, and has played for a number of local Sunday league teams in the Nuneaton and district league. He is a supporter of Coventry City. He also enjoys angling.

Local government

Marcus Jones was elected Conservative Councillor for Whitestone on the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in 2005. He was Conservative group leader from 2006–2009. In 2008 Marcus became the first Conservative Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth, in the Council's 34-year history. He served as council leader and was also the Council's portfolio holder for Finance and Civic Affairs from 2006–2009, before standing down to concentrate on his parliamentary campaign.

House of Commons

Marcus Jones was first elected to the House of Commons in 2010, as the Member of Parliament for Nuneaton with a majority of 2,069 votes.[2] His victory overturned a notional Labour majority of 3,850 and, as a result, he became the first Conservative MP for the town since 1992.

As an MP, Jones has campaigned for a PFI rebate, and is a member of the PFI Rebate campaign of more than 80 MPs, from all three major parties, who have been calling for savings on PFI.[3] Marcus claims that the PFI funding under which the University Hospital in Coventry was built and is now serviced has caused a substantial cost drag, and has put huge financial pressure on health services in Warwickshire.

Jones is Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Town Centres and has sat on the Backbench Business and Administration Select Committees. He is also an Ambassador the Federation of Small Businesses' Keep Trade Local campaign[4]

In the general election in 2015 Nuneaton was Labour's target number 38,[5] but Jones won the seat for a second time.

As of May 2015, Marcus Jones became Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, under the first Conservative Government for 18 years.

In January 2016, in response to a proposed law that all rented houses should be fit for human habitation, he said: “New clause 52 would result in unnecessary regulation and cost to landlords which would deter further investment and push up rents for tenants.

“Of course we believe that all homes should be of a decent standard and all tenants should have a safe place to live regardless of tenure, but local authorities already have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality and safe accommodation and we expect them to use them.”[6]

Elections

General Election 2015: Nuneaton [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Marcus Jones 20,827 45.5 +4.0
Labour Vicky Fowler 15,945 34.9 -2.0
UKIP Alwyn Waine [8] 6,582 14.4 +14.4
General Election 2010: Nuneaton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Marcus Jones 18,536 41.5 +4.6
Labour Jayne Innes 16,467 36.9 -9.8
Liberal Democrat Christina Jebb 6,846 15.3 +2.8
BNP Martyn Findley 2,797 6.3 +6.3
Majority 2,069 4.6
Turnout 44,646 65.8 +6.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +7.2

Personal life

Marcus lives with his wife Suzanne and has two young children, Oliver and Martha.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Marcus Jones MP". BBC Democracy Live (BBC News). Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  2. ↑ "UK> England> West Midlands> Nuneaton". Election 2010 (BBC). 7 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  3. ↑ "MP Welcomes PFI Savings of £1.5bn | Marcus Jones MP". Marcusjones.org.uk. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Local MP Signs Up to Support Small Businesses in Nuneaton | Marcus Jones MP". Marcusjones.org.uk. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "UKPollingReport Election Guide » Labour Target Seats". Ukpollingreport.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "MP says rule requiring landlords to make homes fit for human habitation is 'unnecessary'". Coventry Telegraph. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  7. ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/Nuneaton/
  8. ↑ http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/wife-expelled-tory-stand-ukip-8309064
  9. ↑ "Nuneaton MP welcomes new arrival – Coventry News – News". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2012.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Bill Olner		 Member of Parliament for Nuneaton
2010–present 		Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.