Fay Jones (politician)

Fay Jones was born in Cardiff in 1985. Her father is Gwilym Jones, who at the time of her birth was the Conservative MP for Cardiff North.{{Cite web|url=http://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/article.cfm?id=112168&headline=Fay%20Jones%20%27over%20the%20moon%27%20to%20win%20in%20Brecon%20and%20Radnorshire§ionIs=news&searchyear=2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814104020/https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/article.cfm?id=112168&headline=Fay+Jones+%27over+the+moon%27+to+win+in+Brecon+and+Radnorshire§ionIs=news&searchyear=2019|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 August 2021|title=Fay Jones 'over the moon' to win in Brecon and Radnorshire|work=Brecon & Radnor Express|date=13 December 2019|access-date=13 December 2019}} She studied French at King's College London.{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/brecon-radnorshire-general-election-result-17395058|title=General Election 2019 result for Brecon and Radnorshire: The new MP and the constituency vote totals|last=Mosalski|first=Ruth|date=13 December 2019|work=WalesOnline|access-date=13 December 2019}}

After graduating from university, Jones' first job was as a researcher for Charles, Prince of Wales.{{cite news |last1=Clements |first1=Laura |title=The three female Welsh MPs who made history at the 2019 General Election |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/conservative-female-mps-wales-election-17420200 |accessdate=16 December 2019 |work=WalesOnline |date=15 December 2019}}{{Cite web |title=About Fay Jones |url=https://www.fayjones.org.uk/about-fay-jones |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=Fay Jones |language=en}} In 2012, she moved to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to join the UK negotiating team in the 2011 Common Agricultural Policy reform. She then worked for the National Farmers' Union{{Cite web|url=https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/17975650.general-election-fay-jones-selected-welsh-conservatives-brecon-radnorshire/|title=Conservatives select General Election candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire|work=County Times|last=Parry|first=Anwen|date=17 October 2019|access-date=13 December 2019}} and for the public relations firm Grayling. Before the 2019 general election she was chair of Public Affairs Cymru, a membership organisation for professionals working in public affairs.{{cite web |title=About us |url=https://publicaffairscymru.com/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216162548/https://publicaffairscymru.com/about/ |website=Public Affairs Cymru |date=31 January 2019 | archive-date=16 December 2019}}

In politics, Jones worked for the Conservative Member of the European Parliament Jonathan Evans and the Conservative MP David Jones.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50772518|title=General Election 2019: Meet Wales' first female Tory MPs|work=BBC News|date=13 December 2019|access-date=13 December 2019}} In 2019 she was a volunteer in Boris Johnson's campaign for leadership of the Conservative Party. She was third on the party-list in Wales for the Conservatives at the 2019 European Parliament election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50420507|title=General election 2019: Who are the candidates in Wales?|work=BBC News|date=15 November 2019|access-date=13 December 2019}}

Jones was elected as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire in the 2019 general election, beating the Liberal Democrat incumbent Jane Dodds, who had been the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats since 2017. Dodds had won the seat in a by-election in August 2019, which had been triggered by a recall petition after the Conservative MP Chris Davies was convicted for submitting a false expenses claim.{{cite web |title=General election 2019: Tories re-take Brecon and Radnorshire |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50768483 |website=BBC News |accessdate=16 December 2019 |date=13 December 2019}}

Jones has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She established the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Farming. In February 2022, she was made PPS to Mark Spencer, the leader of the House of Commons.{{cite news |title=Fay Jones becomes PPS to the Leader of the House of Commons |url=https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/19921317.fay-jones-gets-new-position-working-pps-leader-house-commons/ |access-date=13 February 2022 |work=County Times |date=13 February 2022}} She resigned as a PPS during the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis.{{Cite web |last=Owen |first=Cathy |last2=Mosalski |first2=Ruth |date=2022-07-06 |title=Second Welsh MP quits government job amid further wave of resignations |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/second-welsh-mp-quits-government-24416521 |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}

Jones endorsed Rishi Sunak during the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=Ruth |last2=Jones |first2=Fay |last3=Trott |first3=Laura |author-link1=Ruth Edwards |author-link3=Laura Trott (politician) |title=Sunak will champion women – not erase us |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/98a8c2ee-0069-11ed-809e-d123192dfb7c |access-date=11 July 2022 |work=The Times |date=11 July 2022}}

Jones served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Thérèse Coffey, the Deputy Prime Minister between September and October 2022 before being appointed as an Assistant Government Whip by Rishi Sunak a position in which she served until November 2023 when she joined the Wales Office as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,{{cite web |title=Ministerial appointments: November 2023 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-november-2023 |website=Gov.uk |access-date=14 November 2023}} the same role that her father held between 1994 and 1997.

Jones contested the altered constituency of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe at the 2024 general election, but was not elected, with the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate David Chadwick winning the seat with a majority of 1,472 votes.{{Cite news |title=Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/W07000085 |access-date=2024-07-10 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Jones lives near Crickhowell, Powys. On 4 November 2023 she married her long-term partner Tim Poole, who serves in the British Army.{{cite web |title=About Fay Jones |url=https://www.fayjones.org.uk/about-fay-jones |work=Fay Jones |access-date=13 February 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Matt |title=Love is in the air for Powys MP Fay Jones' wedding day |url=https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/23904159.love-air-powys-mp-fay-jones-wedding-day/ |work=Powys County Times |date=6 November 2023}}

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• {{UK MP links |parliament=4763 |publicwhip=Fay_Jones |theywork=fay_jones}}
• {{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Fay |title=Reflections on a year in Welsh politics |url=https://www.iwa.wales/click/2018/11/reflections-on-a-year-in-welsh-politics/ |website=Click on Wales |publisher=Institute of Welsh Affairs |date=22 November 2018}}

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{{s-bef|before=Jane Dodds}}

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for Brecon and Radnorshire|years=2019–2024}}

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{{s-bef|before=James Davies}}

{{s-ttl|title=Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales|years=2023–2024}}

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{{Wales Conservative Party MPs}}

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Category:1985 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of King's College London

Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies

Category:UK MPs 2019–2024

Category:Politicians from Cardiff

Category:21st-century British women politicians

Category:21st-century Welsh women politicians

Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies

Category:National Farmers' Union of England and Wales officials