Carwyn Jones

For the Welsh rugby union player, see Carwyn Jones (rugby union).

The Right Honourable Carwyn Jones
Official portrait, 2016
First Minister of Wales
In office 10 December 2009 –12 December 2018

Carwyn Howell Jones (born 21 March 1967) is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Bridgend from 1999 to 2021.

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. ^[1] Following the 2007 election, he was appointed Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language, and thereafter Counsel General for Wales and Leader of the House following the One Wales coalition agreement with Plaid Cymru.

Jones succeeded Rhodri Morgan as Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister on 1 December 2009, after Jones was elected with over 50% of the vote. ^{[2] [3]} The third politician to lead the Welsh Government, Jones was nominated as First Minister by the National Assembly on 9 December 2009, and was sworn into office the following day. ^[2]

On 21 April 2018 he announced he would step down as First Minister that autumn, and in December 2018 Mark Drakeford (the Finance Secretary in Jones' cabinet) was elected as his replacement. ^[4]

Early life

Born in Swansea, he was raised in Bridgend in a Welsh-speaking family, and is a fluent speaker of Welsh. ^[5] He was a pupil at Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, and then graduated at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth with a LLB degree in 1988, ^{[6] [7]} where he joined the Labour Party during the miners' strike of 1984–1985. ^[5]

Professional career

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. ^[7] He 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. ^[8] He left practice to become a tutor at Cardiff University for two years on the Bar Vocational Course. ^{[7] [9]}

Jones unsuccessfully sought the Labour nomination for the UK parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in 1997; ^[10] he later said in a BBC interview ^[11] 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.

Political career

Jones was a County Borough Councillor for Bridgend for five years, where he eventually chaired the Labour group. ^[7]

He became a Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Bridgend in 1999 ^[7] and was appointed Deputy Secretary in the National Assembly for Wales on 23 February 2000. ^[12] On 23 July 2000, he was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Welsh Government, ^[1] before the title was changed to Minister in October 2000. His responsibilities in this role included the environment, countryside issues, town and country planning, sustainable development, agriculture and rural development. In June 2002, his brief was expanded when he was appointed Minister for Open Government in addition to his other duties. During this time, he was responsible for the Welsh response to the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. ^[5]

After the 2007 election, he was appointed Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language, responsible for the Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills and the culture, Welsh language and sport portfolios. After his party entered into coalition with Plaid Cymru, Jones was appointed as Counsel General for Wales and Leader of the House.

Following the announcement by the Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister Rhodri Morgan in September 2009 that he would be resigning both posts in December 2009, Jones entered the subsequent election to become his successor, where his opponents were Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis. On 1 December 2009, Jones was elected the new Leader with over 50% of the vote. ^{[2] [3]}

First Minister of Wales

1. "Page 25" (PDF). Assembly.wales. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
2. "Jones is new Welsh Labour leader". BBC Wales. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
3. "Carwyn Jones clinches leadership in Wales". Wales Online. 1 December 2009. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
4. "Carwyn Jones to quit as first minister". BBC News. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
5. "Profile: Carwyn Jones". BBC Wales. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
6. "Alumni at the Senedd". Aberystwyth University . Retrieved 14 May 2020.
7. "Profile of Carwyn Jones". Wales Online. December 2009. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
8. "5mins with Carwyn Jones". BBC Wales. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
9. Carwyn Jones, Aberystwyth UniversityArchived 5 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
10. "National Assembly for Wales, pages 13, 14 and 20" (PDF). Assembly.wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
11. "Five minutes with... Carwyn Jones". BBC News. 11 November 2009.
12. "First Assembly". National Assembly for Wales. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
13. "Jones sworn in as first minister". 10 December 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
14. "Privy Council appointments, 9 June 2010". Privy Council. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
15. "Nick Clegg attacks Carwyn Jones' 'blame London culture'". Wales Online. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
16. Law, Peter (19 March 2012). "Cardiff-New York air route worth £200m a year to Wales, report reveals". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
17. "First Minister Carwyn Jones under fire for attack on Cardiff Airport". Wales Online. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
18. "Carwyn Jones renews attack on 'not good enough' Cardiff Airport". Wales Online. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
19. Blake, Aled (29 May 2012). "Cardiff Airport to be targeted by task force, says Carwyn Jones". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
20. "Cardiff airport task force meeting 27th June 2012", Welsh Government Archived 26 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
21. "Llywodraeth Cymru | Welsh Government". Welsh Government. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
22. "BBC News – Carwyn Jones argues case against Scottish independence". BBC Online . 20 November 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
23. Adrian Masters (10 May 2016). "Carwyn Jones holds post-election talks with opponents". ITV Cymru. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
24. "@NeilUKIP says that UKIP was approached by Plaid on Monday to back Leanne Wood in the FM vote". Twitter. 11 May 2016.
25. Martin Shipton (26 December 2016). "The untold story of the Senedd's most dramatic moment in 2016". WalesOnline.
26. Frances Perraudin (11 May 2016). "Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood tied in battle to become Welsh first minister". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
27. "Carwyn Jones reappointed first minister after Labour-Plaid deal". BBC News. BBC. 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
28. "Welsh Government includes Lib Dem Williams at education". BBC News. BBC. 19 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
29. Russell Jackson (9 November 2017). "Carwyn Jones 'should resign' over ex-Minister's death". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
30. "Carl Sargeant death: Criticism over sacking process". BBC News. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017.
31. "Jones 'told truth' over bullying claims". BBC News. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
32. "Carwyn Jones to quit as first minister after the 'darkest of times'". BBC News. BBC. 21 April 2018.
33. "Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones to leave assembly in 2021". BBC News. 11 May 2018.
34. "Drakeford set to be Wales' first minister". BBC News. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
35. "Carwyn Jones to leave assembly in 2021". BBC News. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
36. "Former first minister denies lying in AM's inquest". BBC News. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
37. "Sargeant inquest challenge rejected". BBC News. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
38. "Wales 'not too poor to be independent'". BBC News. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
39. Morgan, Tomos (18 June 2019). "Independent Wales not as easy as some think, says Carwyn Jones". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
40. "Carwyn Jones Joins Business News Wales in Senior Role". Business News Wales. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
41. "Carwyn Meets: Business News Wales Podcast Series". Business News Wales. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
42. "Former First Minister to join Aberystwyth University". 15 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
    - "Carwyn Jones appointed Aberystwyth University professor". 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
43. Rodgers, Sienna (13 November 2020). "Labour NEC election results boost support for Starmer on ruling body". LabourList. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
44. Chappell, Elliot (27 October 2020). "Exclusive: Interview with Labour NEC Welsh rep candidate Carwyn Jones". LabourList. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
45. "Carwyn Jones unveiled as new Chair of Trustees – Size of Wales".
46. Mosalski, Ruth (2 May 2018). "Carwyn Jones' wife Lisa on her serious illness and her 'romantic' husband". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
47. "Former First Minister of Wales receives Honorary Fellowship of Aberystwyth University". Wales247. 22 July 2019.

External links

• Carwyn Jones AM website
• Blog of Carwyn Jones AM
• Biography at the Welsh Assembly Government
• Carwyn Jones profile at Wales Online
• 5minutes with Carwyn Jones

Premiership of Carwyn Jones 10 December 2009 –12 December 2018
Premier	Carwyn Jones

Senedd
New constituency	Member of the Senedd for Bridgend 1999–2021	Succeeded by Sarah Murphy
Political offices
New post	Deputy Minister for Agriculture and the Rural Economy 1999	Post re-organised
New post	Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development 2000–2003	Post re-organised
New post	Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs 2003–2005	Post re-organised
New post	Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside 2005–2007	Succeeded by Jane Davidson
Preceded by Jane Davidson	Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language 2007	Post re-organised
Preceded by Rhodri Morgan	First Minister of Wales 2009–2018	Succeeded by Mark Drakeford
Legal offices
New office	Counsel General for Wales 2007–2009	Succeeded by John Griffiths
Party political offices
Preceded by Rhodri Morgan	Leader of the Welsh Labour Party 2009–2018	Succeeded by Mark Drakeford