Jon Pearce

Pearce was born and grew up in Derbyshire. His mother was a nurse in the NHS.{{cite web |url=https://www.jon4highpeak.com/nhs-survey-your-experiences-with-local-nhs-services/ |title=NHS Survey: Your Experiences with Local NHS Services |publisher=Jon Pearce MP |date=23 January 2023 |access-date=11 September 2024}}

He attended Murray Park School and Mackworth Tertiary College before going on to Newcastle University where he completed a bachelor's degree in History and Politics.

In his early life Pearce worked stacking shelves in a supermarket, as a crew member for McDonald's, as a waiter in a pub, in sales selling computers, as a shop assistant in an off-licence, boxing chocolates in the Thorntons factory in Belper and as a car park attendant.{{cite web |url=https://www.jon4highpeak.com/about-jon/ |title=About me |publisher=Jon Pearce MP |access-date=11 September 2024}}

Following university, Pearce worked for a charity in the North East helping vulnerable people live in warmer homes, before being seconded into the civil service to help with the implementation of the Labour Government's fuel poverty strategy, under the Blair premiership.

Pearce went on to work for the Labour Party, first as an organiser, and then as a policy adviser on housing, transport and local government. Following the 2006 local elections, Pearce converted to law, attending Nottingham Law School. He completed his legal training contract at Eversheds Sutherland to become a solicitor. He spent the following 14 years as an employment lawyer, specialising in workers' rights and discrimination law, becoming a partner at healthcare specialist firm Hempsons in 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.hempsons.co.uk/news-articles/hempsons-welcomes-new-partner-to-head-up-its-employment-team-in-london |title=Hempsons welcomes new partner to head up its employment team in London |date=3 July 2020 |publisher=Hempsons LLP |access-date=11 September 2024}}

Pearce was elected Member of Parliament for High Peak at the 2024 General Election, defeating incumbent Conservative MP Robert Largan with 22,533 votes (45.8%) and a majority of 7,908 (16.1%).{{cite web |url=https://electionresults.parliament.uk/members/5115|title=Jon Pearce: Elections won |publisher=UK Government |access-date=11 September 2024}} During his campaign, Pearce focused on local issues such as the lack of access to NHS dentists in High Peak, preventing local community centre closures, the polluting of local rivers and waters and delivering free student bus travel within the High Peak.

Pearce asked his first question in Parliament on 23 July, referring to the High Peak as an 'NHS dental desert', and asked what plans the government had to tackle this issue.{{Cite Hansard |title=NHS Dental Contracting Framework |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |house=House of Commons |date=23 July 2024 |volume=752 |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-07-23/debates/73ABDF7F-5E76-42BE-9A9E-97708C8D2876/details |access-date=11 September 2024}}

Pearce made his maiden speech during the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill on 29 July, where he said that "When I was young, my father worked on British Rail as a storeman." Pearce recounted the fear of layoffs during the 1990s when rail companies were privatised, while supporting the government's bill to renationalise rail companies.{{Cite Hansard |title=Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |house=House of Commons |date=29 July 2024 |volume=752 |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-07-29/debates/665BE82F-65E7-4D1E-973B-D2F4837ACA17/details |access-date=11 September 2024}} He also referenced his plans for the High Peak to get its 'fair share' of national economic growth and investment.{{Cite Hansard |title=Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |house=House of Commons |date=29 July 2024 |volume=752 |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-07-29/debates/665BE82F-65E7-4D1E-973B-D2F4837ACA17/details#contribution-533F518C-22DD-4878-9A3C-E539FD8D10EE |access-date=11 September 2024}}

On 6 August, Pearce announced that, in partnership with Mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward, students in High Peak attending college in Greater Manchester would receive free bus travel, delivering on a key local campaign pledge.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyvpp01vy58o |title=Free college bus plan to go ahead |first=George |last=Torr |publisher=BBC News |location=Derby |date=7 August 2024 |access-date=11 September 2024}}

On 17 September 2024, Pearce was announced as the new chair of Labour Friends of Israel, replacing Steve McCabe who had stepped down at the 2024 election.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-17 |title=Labour Friends of Israel announces new parliamentary chair |url=https://www.lfi.org.uk/labour-friends-of-israel-announces-new-parliamentary-chair/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=Labour Friends of Israel |language=en-US}}

In December 2024, he replaced Josh Simons on the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee.{{Cite web |title=Business without Debate – Hansard – UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-12-09/debates/E2118495-09E3-444E-B3F8-895A20B1F95A/BusinessWithoutDebate |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=hansard.parliament.uk |language=en}}

Following the publication in December 2024 of a white paper proposing detail for the forthcoming English Devolution Bill, Pearce announced his support to merge all or part of the Borough of High Peak into Greater Manchester.{{Cite web |last=Timan |first=Joseph |date=2024-12-16 |title=Calls for towns to become part of Greater Manchester amid major council shake-up |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/theyve-been-talking-years-calls-30597260 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Manchester Evening News |language=en}}

Pearce lives in Hope Valley with his wife and children and two pet dogs. He is a lifelong supporter of Derby County F.C. and has previously been the chair of the RamsTrust,{{cite web |url=https://ramstrust.org.uk/wp/ramstrust-board-2/ |title=RamsTrust Board |publisher=RamsTrust |date=24 September 2022 |access-date=11 September 2024}} a supporters' group that aims to secure the long-term sustainability of the club. In November 2024, Pearce became the first sitting High Peak MP to have a child while in office.{{cite news |url=https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/politics/high-peak-mp-welcomes-baby-daughter-and-thanks-our-amazing-nhs-4859334 |title=High Peak MP welcomes baby daughter – and thanks "our amazing NHS" |first=Lucy |last=Ball |date=8 November 2024 |newspaper=Buxton Advertiser |access-date=9 November 2024}}

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Category:Living people

Category:UK MPs 2024–present

Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Politicians from Derbyshire

Category:Alumni of Newcastle University

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire

Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for High Peak

Category:1979 births