Marcus Jones (British politician)

Marcus Jones MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 May 2015
Leader	David Cameron Theresa May
Preceded by	Stephen Williams
Member of Parliament for Nuneaton
Incumbent
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

Personal life

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

See also

• Nuneaton
• Nuneaton and Bedworth
• Conservative Party
• Nuneaton Constituency

References

External links

• Marcus Jones' Website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou