Kevan Jones

Kevan David Jones (born 25 April 1964) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is currently Labour Member of Parliament for the North Durham constituency, which includes the towns of Chester-le-Street and Stanley and was first elected in 2001. Jones is currently a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence.

Early life

Kevan Jones was born in Nottinghamshire and is the son of a coal miner. He went to the comprehensive Portland School on Sparken Hill in Worksop. He attended Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University) and the University of Southern Maine in the U.S., gaining a BA (Hons) in Government & Public Policy.^{[citation needed]} Before being elected as an MP, he had been a Newcastle-upon-Tyne councillor from 1990 - March 2001 where he was Chairman of the Development Committee, and an elected political and legal officer of the GMB Union.

Parliamentary career

He was a member of the influential Defence Select Committee, and also a member of the Labour Party's Parliamentary Committee. His Private Member's Bill, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004, successfully passed Parliament, and came into force in December 2004. The Act makes it illegal for large shops to open on Christmas Day.

Kevan Jones was re-elected to the North Durham seat in the 2005 general election, with a majority of 16,781. He polled 64.1% of the vote.

Ministerial career

In October 2008 he was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence.^{[citation needed]} In August 2009 he was accused of briefing against the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt^[1]. General Dannatt had already made himself deeply unpopular with the Labour government over repeated calls for increased funding and support for British troops serving in Afghanistan^[2]. Nearing the end of his military service a series of FOI requests were made ^[3][4] concerning his expenses and Guido Fawkes ^[5] 'outed' Jones as the culprit, despite Defence Ministers have been ordered by Secretary of State Bob Ainsworth not to brief against CGS. A furious response from the British military community followed particularly on its unofficial discussion website ARRSE ^[6] and there was also a backlash from some in the tabloid media ^[7][8]. Jones denied the allegations ^[9]. There have been calls for Jones to resign ^[10].

External links

• Kevan Jones MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Kevan Jones MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Kevan Jones MP
• Voting record at the Public Whip
• BBC Politics page

Video clips

• Keeping Christmas Day special

News items

• Opposing shops opening on Christmas Day in 2004

Notes

1. ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/an-unpleasant-skirmish-at-the-ministry-1776202.html
2. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2597538/Dannatt-smear-plot-storm.html
3. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2595221/Labour-plot-to-smear-General-Sir-Richard-Dannatt.html
4. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/6073767/Help-for-Heroes-dragged-into-General-Sir-Richard-Dannatt-smear-campaign.html
5. ^ http://order-order.com/2009/08/19/dannat-v-jones/
6. ^ http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/t=131312.html
7. ^ http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/466641/Champagne-general-He-drinks-pound149-plonk-and-shops-at-Lidl-Richard-Dannatt.html
8. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1208413/Anatomy-smear-General-Dannatt-claimed-19-291--Bob-Ainsworth-claimed-394-306.html
9. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8210781.stm
10. ^ http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/5277423/the-loser-from-the-kevan-jones-storm-is-gordon-brown.thtml