:Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

Jones was born in Cardiff to Bill and Audrey Jones, and was educated at Whitchurch High School. She then studied at the University of Sussex, gaining a BA in Sociology.{{cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/controversial-candidate-strikes-back-smear-2406481 |title=Controversial candidate strikes back at 'smear' |author=Martin Shipton |work=Western Mail |publisher=WalesOnline |date=2005-02-17 |accessdate=2009-06-20}} She now lives in Hove.[https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2016/07/18/brighton-labour-member-accused-of-spitting-at-party-meeting-makes-formal-complaint/ Brighton and Hove News » Brighton Labour member accused of spitting at party meeting makes formal complaint]

Jones was Director of Policy and Public Affairs of the trade union UNISON until 2006. In 1979 she became a regional official of National Union of Public Employees (NUPE), which merged into UNISON.

She has a background as a housing campaigner and environmentalist as well as fighting low pay and discrimination at work. She was previously a trustee of Shelter and the Waste & Resources Action Programme as well as being on the board of the Circle 33 Housing Trust.{{cite web |url=https://www.labourlords.org.uk/maggie-jones |title=Maggie Jones |website=Labour Lords |access-date=10 July 2021}} She has been a Development Board member of ClientEarth,{{cite web |url=https://www.clientearth.org/people/development-board/ |title=Development Board |website=ClientEarth |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401222848/https://www.clientearth.org/people/development-board/ |archive-date=1 April 2016}} board member of Ombudsman Services, Chair of Rothamsted Enterprises, and President of Friends of the South Downs.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 2020, Lady Jones was appointed as a member of the South Downs National Park Authority.

Jones was a member of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC) within the trade union section from 1993 to 2005. She was elected Chair of the Labour Party in 2000, the year the Prime Minister Tony Blair controversially appointed Charles Clarke to be the similarly named Party Chairman.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/Archive/Article/0,4273,4228365,00.html|title=Blair mistook his Clarke for a chair|author= Roy Hattersley|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 July 2001|accessdate=2007-05-24}} She was co-convener, along with Tony Blair, of the NEC Joint Policy Committee for much of her time on the NEC.

Jones was the Labour Party parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Blaenau Gwent at the 2005 general election, the safest Labour seat in Wales, and fifth safest in the UK. She was selected from a women-only shortlist which was controversially imposed upon the local party;{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3312113.stm |title=Row as candidate elected |work=BBC News |date=2003-12-11 |accessdate=2009-06-20}} subsequently eight of twelve members of the local executive resigned in protest.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3312389.stm |title=Resignations over women-only shortlist |work=BBC News |date=2003-12-12 |accessdate=2009-06-20}} The retiring MP Llew Smith also criticised the selection method.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/wales/4513231.stm |title=Victorious Law attacks 'thuggery' |work=BBC News |date=6 May 2005 |accessdate=2010-05-15}}

Peter Law, the Labour Welsh Assembly Member for the constituency, resigned from the party and stood against her as an independent. Prior to the announcement of Law's rumoured candidacy, Jones stated that Law would be "very foolish" to stand against her. She argued "Blaenau Gwent is solidly Labour and I don't think people will vote for anyone else."{{cite web |author1=Martin Shipton |title=Controversial candidate strikes back at 'smear' |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/controversial-candidate-strikes-back-smear-2406481 |website=WalesOnline |access-date=8 July 2021 |language=English |date=17 Feb 2005 }}

Law won the seat with a majority of 9,121 votes, creating one of the media highlights of the election. The Daily Telegraph described Jones' defeat as "one of the most spectacular general election results of modern times".{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1516661/Peter-Law.html |title=Peter Law |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url-access=limited |date=26 April 2006 |access-date=10 July 2021}}

Following her election defeat, Jones was nominated for a life peerage in 2005 by the Labour Party, according to a list leaked to The Times.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-1862176,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051115193007/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-1862176,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 November 2005|title=Sleaze row as election donors get peerages|author=Greg Hurst|newspaper=The Times|date=8 November 2005|accessdate=2009-06-20}}{{cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/peerage-woman-who-lost-safest-2367230 |title=Peerage for woman who lost safest seat |author=Martin Shipton |work=Western Mail |publisher=WalesOnline |date=2005-11-10 |accessdate=2009-06-20}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4419704.stm |title=Losing candidate may become peer |work=BBC News |date=2005-11-09 |accessdate=2009-06-20}} This leaked list eventually led to the Cash for Peerages scandal in which Jones was not implicated. On 10 April 2006, her nomination for a peerage was officially announced,{{cite web |url=http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page9311.asp |title=Working Life Peers List |publisher=Number10.gov.uk |date=2006-04-10 |accessdate=2009-06-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060414222717/http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page9311.asp |archivedate=14 April 2006 |df=dmy-all }} and she was gazetted as Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, of Whitchurch in the County of South Glamorgan on 5 June 2006.{{London Gazette |issue=58005 |date=8 June 2006 |page=7857}} Jones' peerage was widely criticised, with Law stating "That is the way New Labour works. It's a poor example of patronage and power." Labour MP Paul Flynn was also critical, he argued: "This is standing democracy on its head. The House of Lords shouldn't be used to reward a candidate who has been emphatically rejected by the electorate."[https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/4622939.losing-candidate-tipped-for-peerage/ Losing candidate tipped for peerage | South Wales Argus]

On 16 November 2006, she made her maiden speech in the House of Lords during a debate on the Queen's Speech.{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= Debate on the Address |url= https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2006-11-16/debates/06111637000013/details#contribution-06111637000085 |house= House of Lords |date= 16 November 2006 |volume= 687 |column_start= 33 |column_end= 35 |speaker= Baroness Jones of Whitchurch |position=}}

In June 2010 Jones joined Labour's Shadow Ministerial Team, as Labour's House of Lords Spokesperson on Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. She was then promoted to the Shadow Spokesperson for Education and served from 2011 to 2015. From 2015, she undertook the role of Labour's Shadow Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and served until 2022, before serving as Shadow Spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology from 2023 to 2024. {{Cite web |title=Roles in the Lords |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/baroness-jones-of-whitchurch |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=www.gov.uk |language=en}}

In July 2024, she was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Legislation and as a Baroness in Waiting.{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: July 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-july-2024 |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety - GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-for-the-future-digital-economy-and-online-safety |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=www.gov.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Legislation - GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-for-legislation |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=www.gov.uk |language=en}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060112050413/http://www.labour.org.uk/councillors/newsite/index.php?id=636 Labour Party profile]

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Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:Welsh trade unionists

Category:Labour Party (UK) officials

Jones of Whitchurch

Category:Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II

Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II

Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex

Category:People educated at Whitchurch Grammar School, Cardiff

Category:Chairs of the Labour Party (UK)

Category:Labour Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting

Category:British women trade unionists

Category:Politicians from Cardiff