35 Facts About Carwyn Jones

Carwyn Jones previously served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009.

Carwyn Jones has been a member of the House of Lords since 2025.

Carwyn Jones served in the Cabinet as Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Welsh Government from 2000 to 2002, and as Minister of State for the Environment from 2003 to 2007.

Carwyn Jones succeeded Rhodri Morgan as first minister and the leader of Welsh Labour on 1 December 2009.

The third politician to lead the Welsh Government, Carwyn Jones was formally nominated as first minister by the National Assembly on 9 December 2009, and was sworn into office the following day.

Carwyn Jones graduated in 1988 from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth with a Bachelor of Laws degree and went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London to train as a barrister.

Carwyn Jones was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1989 and subsequently spent a further year in Cardiff in pupillage followed by ten years in practice at Gower Chambers, Swansea, in family, criminal and personal injury law.

Carwyn Jones left practice to become a tutor at Cardiff University for two years on the Bar Vocational Course.

Carwyn Jones unsuccessfully sought the Labour nomination for the UK parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in 1997; he later said in a BBC interview that he considered trying to become an MP, but in 1999, "had a chance" to stand for the Bridgend constituency in the first elections for the Welsh Assembly; he has held that seat ever since.

Carwyn Jones was a County Borough Councillor for Bridgend for five years, where he eventually chaired the Labour group.

Carwyn Jones became a Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Bridgend in 1999 and was appointed Deputy Secretary in the National Assembly for Wales on 23 February 2000.

Carwyn Jones was formally sworn into office as First Minister the following day.

Carwyn Jones was appointed a Privy Counsellor on 9 June 2010.

Carwyn Jones opted to form a minority government as opposed to continuing the coalition, allowing Labour to govern alone.

On 8 September 2012, in defending the UK government spending cuts, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg accused Carwyn Jones of blaming London.

Carwyn Jones's comments are hardly going to encourage tourism and business to Wales.

On 20 March 2012, Carwyn Jones again attacked Cardiff Airport saying "business people" had complained to him "week after week, for many months about the airport".

In 2013, Carwyn Jones came out against Scottish independence in the September 2014 referendum.

Carwyn Jones returned to the media spotlight in April 2018 when he was cleared by independent investigator James Hamilton of accusations that he had misled the Assembly about bullying problems in the Government which were first alleged in 2014, and which Jones in 2017 told the Assembly had been resolved.

Shortly after the completion of the investigation, on 21 April 2018, Carwyn Jones announced that he would stand down as First Minister in the autumn.

In May 2018, Carwyn Jones announced he would leave the Welsh Assembly at the next Assembly election in 2021.

Carwyn Jones remained a Member of the Senedd for Bridgend as previously indicated until the 2021 Senedd election.

The coroner, John Gittins, confirmed that Carwyn Jones had given a statement as evidence, but that Carwyn Jones had later withdrawn a particular remark regarding his actions upon hearing of Sargeant's death.

Gittins stated that Carwyn Jones was either mistaken, or more controversially, "perhaps deliberately" misleading about the facts he had originally stated.

Gittins later accepted in his judgment that Carwyn Jones had acted "perfectly properly".

Carwyn Jones later appealed against the decision but this was rejected in the High Court.

Since stepping down from the leadership, Carwyn Jones has participated in a number of public discussions on a range of Welsh civic issues.

Carwyn Jones has continued to argue for greater devolution rather than independence, arguing that independence is "not as easy as some think".

Carwyn Jones was announced as a senior contributor to the non-political "business to business news platform" Business News Wales.

Carwyn Jones has launched a podcast series with the website entitled "Carwyn Meets", where he has interviewed the Welsh Rugby Union CEO Roger Lewis, the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Minister Ken Skates, the Celtic Manor Resort CEO Ian Edwards, and the Transport for Wales' CEO James Price, among others.

In November 2020, Carwyn Jones was elected as the representative of Welsh Labour on the Labour party's national executive committee.

In May 2021, Carwyn Jones was announced as the Chair of Trustees for the Welsh Climate Charity, Size of Wales.

In late 2024, Carwyn Jones was nominated for a Labour Party life peerage by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Carwyn Jones was created Baron Jones of Penybont, of Penybont in the County of Penybont Ar Ogwr, on 23 January 2025, and was introduced to the House of Lords on 27 January.

Carwyn Jones met his wife Lisa, who is from Belfast, while they both studied at Aberystwyth University.