1. Jonathan Michael Graham Ashworth was born on 14 October 1978 and is a British former Labour and Co-op politician who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester South from 2011 to 2024.
33 Facts About Jonathan Ashworth
1. 2.
Jonathan Ashworth had served as Shadow Paymaster General from September 2023.
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Jonathan Ashworth was first elected at a by-election in 2011, following the resignation of his predecessor Peter Soulsby.
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In October 2016, Jonathan Ashworth was appointed Shadow Health Secretary by party leader Jeremy Corbyn, shadowing Jeremy Hunt and later Matt Hancock alongside the Shadow Minister for Social Care Barbara Keeley.
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Jonathan Ashworth was Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2021 to September 2023, when he was appointed as the Shadow Paymaster General.
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Jonathan Ashworth was born on 14 October 1978 in Salford, was brought up in north Manchester and educated at Philips High School in Whitefield and Bury College.
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Jonathan Ashworth read politics and philosophy at the University of Durham.
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Jonathan Ashworth began working for the Labour Party as a Political Research Officer in 2001, and was the Economics and Welfare Policy Officer from 2002 to 2004.
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When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007, Jonathan Ashworth was appointed deputy Political Secretary with the role of linking the Government to the trade unions.
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Jonathan Ashworth spent most of the Crewe and Nantwich by-election campaign in the constituency.
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Jonathan Ashworth did not publicly support any candidate in the subsequent leadership election because of his role working for Harriet Harman but he was described as a "key member" of Ed Miliband's team on the day after Miliband won the Labour leadership election.
12.
When Miliband was elected as Leader of the Labour Party, he asked Jonathan Ashworth to join his office as Head of Party Relations.
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Jonathan Ashworth was linked with a possible candidature in Mansfield should the sitting Member of Parliament Alan Meale decide to stand down, but Meale decided to seek re-election despite widespread speculation he was to retire from Parliament.
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Jonathan Ashworth was then identified as a potential candidate for Nottingham East when the sitting MP John Heppell retired, but the selection went to former MP Chris Leslie when the Labour National Executive Committee chose to impose Leslie at the last minute.
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Jonathan Ashworth sought selection in Leicester South in 2011 when the sitting MP Peter Soulsby decided to resign to seek election as Mayor of Leicester.
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Jonathan Ashworth was endorsed by the Co-operative Party and, once elected, became a Co-operative Party MP.
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Jonathan Ashworth served as an Opposition Whip from October 2011 to October 2013 and Shadow Minister of State for the Cabinet Office from October 2013 to September 2015.
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On 11 July 2013, Jonathan Ashworth replaced Tom Watson as Deputy Chairman of the National Executive Committee.
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In December 2015, Jonathan Ashworth voted against the resolution to authorise RAF bombing of ISIL in Syria.
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Jonathan Ashworth was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health in October 2016.
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Jonathan Ashworth held "years of Tory cutbacks" responsible for understaffing and for increasing pressures, which he said put patients at risk.
22.
On 10 December 2019, it emerged that Jonathan Ashworth had told a friend that he did not believe Labour would win the 2019 general election due to be held two days later.
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Jonathan Ashworth said that this was largely due to the unpopularity of Jeremy Corbyn and voters outside the cities blaming Labour for not delivering Brexit.
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Jonathan Ashworth's friend, who was a Conservative activist, leaked a recording of the conversation to right-wing website Guido Fawkes.
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Jonathan Ashworth later claimed that he was joking and just "joshing around".
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Jonathan Ashworth was appointed to the Privy Council on 10 March 2021, and sworn on 26 May 2021.
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Jonathan Ashworth remained in the position until the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, which saw him appointed to the position of Shadow Paymaster General.
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Jonathan Ashworth is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.
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On 4 July 2024, Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat to pro-Palestine independent candidate Shockat Adam.
30.
Jonathan Ashworth then became chief executive of the think tank Labour Together.
31.
On 9 July 2024, Jonathan Ashworth was appointed chief executive of the Labour Together think tank.
32.
In July 2024, Jonathan Ashworth was one of five politicians to cover for James O'Brien's radio show on LBC, as part of the station's "Guest Week".
33.
In 2008, Jonathan Ashworth became engaged to Emilie Oldknow, who later was a failed Labour candidate for Sherwood at the 2010 general election.