Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Early life and career  





2 Member of Parliament  





3 Political positions  





4 Personal life  





5 References  





6 External links  














Jo Stevens







Cymraeg
Deutsch
Français
Bahasa Indonesia
مصرى
Русский
Simple English
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikimedia Commons
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Jo Stevens
Official portrait, 2024
Secretary of State for Wales

Incumbent

Assumed office
5 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byDavid TC Davies

Shadow Ministerial Roles

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
In office
29 November 2021 – 5 July 2024
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byNia Griffith
Succeeded byThe Baron Davies of Gower
In office
7 October 2016 – 27 January 2017
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byPaul Flynn
Succeeded byChristina Rees
Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
In office
6 April 2020 – 29 November 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byTracy Brabin
Succeeded byLucy Powell
Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales
In office
13 January 2016 – 6 October 2016
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byKarl Turner
Succeeded byNick Thomas-Symonds

Member of Parliament
for Cardiff East
Cardiff Central (2015–2024)

Incumbent

Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byJenny Willott
Majority9,097 (23.3%)
Personal details
Born

Joanna Meriel Stevens


(1966-09-06) 6 September 1966 (age 57)
Swansea, Wales
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Manchester
Manchester Metropolitan
University
Websitewww.jostevens.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

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]

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

[edit]

Stevens 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 lawatManchester University and completed the Solicitors' Professional Examination at Manchester Polytechnic in 1989.[6]

Prior to becoming an MP, Stevens was People and Organisation Director of Thompsons Solicitors.[5]

Member of Parliament

[edit]

Stevens 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.

InJeremy Corbyn's January 2016 reshuffle, she was appointed shadow solicitor general and shadow justice minister. She supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party 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 Party 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 United Kingdom 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

[edit]

Stevens is a unionist.[19] She has opposed devolution of policing and justice,[20]oflegal 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

[edit]

In January 2021 Stevens was treated in hospital for COVID-19.[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "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.
  • [edit]
    Parliament of the United Kingdom
    Preceded by

    Jenny Willott

    Member of Parliament
    for Cardiff Central

    20152024
    Succeeded by

    Constituency abolished

    Preceded by

    New constituency

    Member of Parliament
    for Cardiff East

    2024–present
    Incumbent
    Political offices
    Preceded by

    Karl Turner

    Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales
    2016
    Succeeded by

    Nick Thomas-Symonds

    Preceded by

    Paul Flynn

    Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
    2016–2017
    Succeeded by

    Christina Rees

    Preceded by

    Tracy Brabin

    Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
    2020–2021
    Succeeded by

    Lucy Powell

    Preceded by

    Nia Griffith

    Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
    2021–2024
    Succeeded by

    Byron Davies

    Preceded by

    David TC Davies

    Secretary of State for Wales
    2024–present
    Incumbent

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jo_Stevens&oldid=1235325814"

    Categories: 
    1966 births
    Living people
    21st-century British women politicians
    Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies
    Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University
    Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester
    Welsh Labour MPs
    Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cardiff constituencies
    UK MPs 20152017
    UK MPs 20172019
    UK MPs 20192024
    UK MPs 2024present
    British abortion-rights activists
    Politicians from Swansea
    Politicians from Cardiff
    People from Mold, Flintshire
    Secretaries of State for Wales
    Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East
    Female members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom
    Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
    Hidden categories: 
    All articles with failed verification
    Articles with failed verification from December 2022
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Use British English from September 2019
    Use dmy dates from September 2019
    Commons category link from Wikidata
    S-aft: 'after' parameter includes the word 'abolished'
    S-bef: 'before' parameter begins with the word 'new'
    S-bef: 'before' parameter is 'New constituency'
    Articles with UKPARL identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 18 July 2024, at 18:45 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki