Joanna Meriel Stevens[1] (born 6 September 1966)[2] is a Welsh politician serving as Secretary of State for Wales since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2015, representing Cardiff East since 2024, having previously represented Cardiff Central.[3][4]
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Stevens previously served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales from 2016 to 2017, and again from 2021 to 2024, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2020 to 2021.
Early life and career
editStevens was born in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales and grew up in Mynydd Isa, Flintshire, where she attended Argoed High School and Elfed High School.[5]
She studied law at Manchester University and completed the Solicitors' Professional Examination at Manchester Polytechnic in 1989.[6]
Before becoming an MP, Stevens was People and Organisation Director of Thompsons Solicitors.[5]
Member of Parliament
editStevens was elected as MP for Cardiff Central on 7 May 2015 with a majority of 4,981, defeating incumbent Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott.[3]
In 2014 she accused her then Liberal Democrat opponent Jenny Willott of having "neglected her constituency" by taking a ministerial role.[7] In a 2015 interview Stevens said that, if elected, she'd be "happy as a backbench MP" adding she was "not a professional politician."[8] Stevens later went on to serve in the shadow cabinets of Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer.
In Jeremy Corbyn's January 2016 reshuffle, she was appointed shadow solicitor general and shadow justice minister. She supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership election. In the October 2016 reshuffle, after Corbyn's re-election as party leader, Stevens became Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.[9] An opponent of Brexit, she resigned as a shadow minister on 27 January 2017 in order to vote against triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, in defiance of a three-line whip that obliged Labour MPs to vote in favour.[10] In March 2019, Stevens voted against the Labour Party whip and in favour of an amendment tabled by members of The Independent Group for a second public vote on Brexit.[11]
Stevens chairs the GMB parliamentary group, which ensures that issues of importance to members of the GMB trade union are raised in the House of Commons.
Stevens supported Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership election.[12][13] He subsequently appointed her Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, shadowing Oliver Dowden. On 29 November 2021, she was reshuffled back to the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Wales by Keir Starmer.[14]
In 2023, Stevens' office was defaced by protestors after she abstained on a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. She described the incident as 'intimidating'.[15]
In the 2024 general election, she was selected to contest the new Cardiff East constituency, after Cardiff Central was abolished.[16] She won the seat, with a majority of 9,097 votes.[4] Stevens was appointed Secretary of State for Wales in the first cabinet of Keir Starmer following the 2024 election.[17]
Stevens was sworn of the Privy Council on 10 July 2024, entitling her to be styled "The Right Honourable" for life.[18]
Political positions
editStevens is a unionist.[19] She has opposed devolution of policing and justice,[20] of legal gender recognition,[21] and full devolution of the post-Brexit Shared Prosperity Fund to the Senedd.[22]
She opposed Brexit, describing herself as a "passionate European" in 2017.[23] She has called for the introduction of legislation penalising social media companies that fail to tackle disinformation.[24] She has supported introducing automatic voter registration upon receiving a national insurance number and lowering of the voting age to 16.[25]
Personal life
editIn January 2021 Stevens was treated in hospital for COVID-19.[26]
References
edit- ^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9127.
- ^ "Jo Stevens MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Cardiff Central Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Cardiff East – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Democracy Club CVs". Democracy Club. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.[failed verification]
- ^ "Jo Stevens – About". Jo Stevens MP. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ ITV News (4 November 2014). "Cardiff MP Jenny Willott quits government role". ITV News. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ David Deans (5 April 2015). "General Election 2015: Meet the women set to vie for one of Wales' tightest marginals". WalesOnline. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "As it happened: Steven Woolfe in hospital and Labour reshuffle". BBC News. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ Elgot, Jessica (27 January 2017). "Labour MP Jo Stevens quits shadow cabinet over article 50 vote". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ Mosalski, Ruth (14 March 2019). "Brexit latest: The Welsh MPs who voted for a second referendum". Wales Online.
- ^ "My nomination for the next Labour Leader | Jo Stevens MP". Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "Labour leadership: Who are Welsh MPs backing?". BBC News. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ Stevens, Jo [@JoStevensLabour] (29 November 2021). "I'm moving Shadow Cabinet jobs from DCMS to Wales" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 November 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Labour MP Jo Stevens's office vandalised after Gaza vote". BBC News. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Cardiff East Constituency Candidates – General Election 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Who is the new Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens?". ITV News. ITV. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "List of Business – 10 July 2024" (PDF). Privy Council Office. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "'I don't like nationalism', because it's 'insular' says Shadow Welsh Secretary". Nation.Cymru. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Deans, David (18 June 2024). "Labour won't 'fiddle' with police powers – Stevens". BBC News. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Welsh shadow minister accused of undermining devolution". Nation.Cymru. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Deans, David (14 June 2024). "UK would partly control Wales Brexit cash – Labour". BBC News. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Tamara (27 January 2017). "Jo Stevens quits shadow cabinet over Corbyn's Brexit stance". Sky News. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Helm, Toby (15 November 2020). "Social media firms must face sanction for 'anti-vax content', demands Labour". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Williamson, David (15 November 2017). "A Welsh MP is bidding to make a law to automatically register everyone to vote". Wales Online. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Jo Stevens: Labour's shadow culture secretary in hospital with COVID-19". Sky News. 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
External links
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