21 Facts About Helen Jones

Helen Mary Jones was born on 24 December 1954 and is a British Labour politician who was the Member of Parliament for Warrington North from 1997 to 2019.

Helen Jones was born and brought up in Chester, the daughter of Robert Edward Helen Jones and Mary Scanlan.

Helen Jones was educated at St Werburgh's Primary School and Ursuline Convent in Chester.

Helen Jones graduated with a BA from University College London and a MEd from the University of Liverpool and holds qualifications from the former Chester College and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Helen Jones has been employed as an English teacher, a solicitor, a development officer with the mental health charity MIND and a justice and peace officer with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Helen Jones served on Chester City Council from 1984 to 1991.

Helen Jones was unsuccessful in contesting the Lancashire Central constituency at the 1984 European Parliament election and North Shropshire and Ellesmere Port and Neston at the 1983 and 1987 general elections respectively.

Helen Jones served as a member of the House of Commons select committees on Catering, Public Administration and Education and Employment.

Helen Jones served on the Standing Orders Committee and the Unopposed Bills.

Helen Jones was a member of Labour Party backbench committees on Home Affairs, Education and Employment, Health and International Development.

Helen Jones served on the all-party groups on Child Abduction and CAFOD.

Helen Jones stepped down from the frontbench in July 2014, stating a desire to focus on community matters and speak freely on matters such as fracking and HS2 In June 2015, she was elected to the chairmanship of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee and the chairmanship of the Petitions Select Committee.

Helen Jones supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour leadership election.

Helen Jones is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.

In November 2003, Helen Jones accused her local ambulance service of being a "shambles" and criticised delays in answering 999 calls.

In early 2007, Helen Jones criticised Scottish Power Manweb for continuing to send bills to a deceased relative's home.

Helen Jones has engaged in a fierce war of words with Warrington Borough Council on numerous occasions, notably in 2007 when she obtained emails that revealed the council's Chief Executive had explored the possibility of legal action against her following an Adjournment Debate in the Commons.

Helen Jones condemned the council's threat as a "waste of time and money", reminding them that any comments made in the House enjoy legal protection.

Helen Jones claimed that the council's threat to sue her for defamation "raised questions about the competence" of council officers.

In 2007, Helen Jones made local headlines when she posed with a cardboard cut out of the council's Chief Executive in protest at her alleged failure to tackle important community issues, including anti-social behaviour in the Orford area.

In May and June 2019, Helen Jones attracted criticism from local councillors who had resigned from the Labour Party.