Alexandra Davies-Jones (born 5 April 1989) is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontypridd since 2019.[1][2] She has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims since July 2024.[3][4] She previously served as Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding from November 2023 to July 2024.[5][6]
Alex Davies-Jones | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Laura Farris |
| Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding | |
| In office 27 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Jess Phillips |
| Shadow Minister for Tech and Digital Economy[a] | |
| In office 4 December 2021 – 27 November 2023 | |
| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Chris Evans |
| Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 26 February 2021 – 4 December 2021 | |
| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Karin Smyth |
| Succeeded by | Tonia Antoniazzi |
| Member of Parliament for Pontypridd | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Owen Smith |
| Majority | 8,402 (21.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexandra Davies-Jones 5 April 1989 Tonyrefail, Wales |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Cardiff University |
Early life and education
editAlexandra Davies was born on 5 April 1989 in Church Village. She is the daughter of a miner, stating that she was "brought up on the values of socialism". She attended Tonyrefail Primary School, Tonyrefail Comprehensive School and graduated from Cardiff University with a joint honours degree in law and politics.[7]
Political career
editDavies-Jones was a youth representative for the Labour Party, Co-operative Party, and the trade union Unite the Union.[8]
She began her career as a researcher in the House of Commons and the National Assembly for Wales. Davies-Jones was a Regional Development Consultant for the Electoral Reform Society from 2010 to 2011.[2] She then worked as a communications and press officer for Wales and the West Midlands at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors from 2013 to 2015. She worked for the non-profit Dwr Cymru Welsh Water as a regional communications director and then a community engagement manager from 2015 to 2019.[7]
Davies-Jones was elected as a councillor for Tonyrefail Community Council in 2012, at the age of 23, and for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in 2017.[9]
Parliamentary career
editAt the 2019 general election, Davies-Jones was elected to Parliament as MP for Pontypridd with 44.5% of the vote and a majority of 5,890.[10][11][12]
Davies-Jones spoke publicly about threats she received in January 2023 after she raised the issue of Andrew Tate's influence over school behaviour in boys. Raising the issue initially at prime minister's questions, she told MPs “Teachers are now having to develop their own resources to re-educate boys who are being brainwashed online by his deeply toxic messaging.”[13] Davies-Jones involved the police after she received death threats and rape threats.[14]
In February 2023 following on investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Davies-Jones was found to have breached the Code of Conduct for Members in relation to asking a parliamentary question about the British Council.[15] She had taken part in a British Council funded trip to Japan the previous autumn. Davies-Jones apologised and following the report's determination that the breach was "minor and inadvertent", the Commons Select Committee on Standards took no further action.[16]
Davies-Jones is a parliamentary supporter of Labour Friends of Israel and was part of a delegation to the country in February 2023.[17][18] Her Parliamentary record in respect to Israel includes abstaining on a vote for a ceasefire in Gaza,[19] as well as forgoing an open letter calling for the suspension of arms sales to Israel in March 2024. Her support of Israel has faced protest from Rhondda Cynon Taf Palestine Solidarity Campaign in light of the Gaza genocide, especially with statements in October 2023 from Israeli President Isaac Herzog being flagged by the International Court of Justice as using genocidal language. [20]
During the run up to the 2024 United Kingdom general election Davies-Jones pulled out of a hustings event held by Rhondda Cynon Taf Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the National Education Union. She told the organisers she could no longer participate as a result of threats from another candidate, and was acting on police advice not to attend the event. The hustings event was cancelled.[21]
On 29 June 2024, two constituents were arrested after Davies-Jones filed a complaint of "intimidation" in response to an online video of them asking her why she had abstained on a SNP motion for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to a statement by the South Wales Police, "Two women, aged 25 and 30, have been arrested on suspicion of harassment, public order offences and criminal damage in the Pontypridd area". The two had their homes raided and were given bail conditions restricting their ability to talk about the arrests on social media.[22] The raid, for which one arrestee is "experiencing PTSD" and another has been forced into homelessness, falls into a pattern of harassment and intimidation by South Wales Police toward the pro-Palestine movement as found by Netpol reports. [23]
At the 2024 general election, Davies-Jones was re-elected as MP for Pontypridd with a decreased vote share of 41.2% and an increased majority of 8,402.[24]
In November 2024, Davies-Jones voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[25]
Personal life
editDavies-Jones has two stepsons, Blake and Kieran, and a son, Sullivan, with her husband, Andrew, whom she married in 2014.[26][2] In January 2021, Davies-Jones talked to BBC News about her experiences of cervical cancer.[27]
Notes
edit- ^ Shadow Minister for Tech, Gambling and Digital Economy (2021–23). Stephanie Peacock assumed responsibilities for Gambling.
References
edit- ^ "Pontypridd parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b c "Davies-Jones, Alexandra Mary". Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U293980. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Parliamentary Career for Alex Davies-Jones". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ a b Mosalski, Ruth (10 November 2019). "The General Election 2019 candidates standing in Pontypridd". Wales Online. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Bond, Daniel (16 December 2019). "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". Politics Home: The House. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "Cllr. DAVIES-JONES Alexandra". Rhondda Cynon Taf. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Statements of Persons Nominated". Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Pontypridd Parliamentary constituency". Election 2019 Results. BBC. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "Election-Results/General-Election-2019". Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ Adu, Aletha (31 January 2023). "MP receives rape and death threats after speaking against Andrew Tate". the Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Andrew Tate: MP gets death threats after criticising influencer", BBC News, 1 February 2023, retrieved 2 July 2024
- ^ "Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones apologises for 'minor' lobbying rules breach". BBC News Online. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ Brawn, Steph (24 January 2023). "Front bench Labour MP under investigation for potential lobbying rules breach". The National. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "LFI Parliamentary Supporters". Labour Friends of Israel. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Bloch, Ben (10 February 2023). "'Israel can rely on Labour' declares MP on week-long trip to Jewish state". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "King's Speech Motion for an Address: Amendment (h)". votes.parliament.uk. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "One Of Wales' Most Pro-Israeli MPs Faces Protests By Palestine Campaigners". Voice.Wales. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Mansfield, Mark (1 July 2024). "Election hustings cancelled after threats to candidate". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Shipton, Martin (3 July 2024). "Two arrested after Labour candidate challenged about her voting record on Gaza". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "Welsh MP triggers police raid on Palestine campaigner". Netpol. 4 September 2024.
- ^ "UK Parliamentary election: Pontypridd constituency - Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". Votes in Parliament. 29 November 2024.
- ^ Mosalski, Ruth (22 December 2019). "The girl who went from working in a bowling alley to being MP for her hometown". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ "Alex Davies-Jones MP 'lost most of cervix after delaying smear'". BBC News. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.