Owen Jones

Last updated

Owen Jones
Owen Jones April 2024.jpg
Jones in 2024
Born (1984-08-08) 8 August 1984 (age 41)
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Education University College, Oxford (BA, MSt)
Occupations
  • Columnist
  • author
Political party Labour Party (1999–2024)
Mother Ruth Aylett
Writing career
Subjects
Notable works
Owen Jones's voice
Recorded June 2014

Owen Jones (born 8 August 1984) [2] is a left-wing British newspaper columnist, commentator, journalist, author and political activist. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

He writes a column for The Guardian and contributes to the New Statesman , Tribune , and The National [7] and was previously a columnist for The Independent . He has two weekly web series, The Owen Jones Show and The Owen Jones Podcast.

Early life and education

Jones was born in Sheffield and raised in Stockport, where he attended Bramhall High School and Ridge Danyers Sixth Form College. [8] He read History at University College, Oxford, and graduated in 2005. [9] His mother is British computer scientist Ruth Aylett [10] and his father, Robert Jones, was a union organiser. They met through their membership in the Militant tendency, a Trotskyist group within the Labour Party. [11] Robert Jones developed prostate cancer, [12] and died in 2018. [10]

Before entering journalism, he worked as a trade union lobbyist and a parliamentary researcher for the Labour Party MP John McDonnell. [13] [14] At one point he was also hired by the historian Eric Hobsbawm to index and archive his papers. [15]

Career

Jones is a weekly columnist for The Guardian [16] after switching from The Independent in March 2014. His work has appeared in the New Statesman , the Sunday Mirror , Le Monde diplomatique and several publications with lower circulations. He writes from a left-wing perspective. [17] [18]

Jones published his first book in 2011, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class , dissecting cultural stereotypes of the British working-class as boorish and anti-social "chavs". The book was selected by critic Dwight Garner of The New York Times as one of his top 10 non-fiction books of 2011, and reviewed by MP Jon Cruddas. [19] He was awarded Journalist of the Year in 2012 at the Stonewall Awards, along with The Times journalist Hugo Rifkind. [20] Jones' second book, The Establishment: And How They Get Away With It , was published in September 2014. [21]

He was awarded the Young Writer of the Year prize in February 2013 at the Political Book Award and donated half the £3,000 prize money to support the campaign of Lisa Forbes, a Labour parliamentary candidate, and the other half to Disabled People Against Cuts. [22]

Jones in 2016 Owen Jones, 2016 Labour Party Conference.jpg
Jones in 2016

He delivered the Royal Television Society's Huw Wheldon Memorial Lecture in November 2013, Totally Shameless: How TV Portrays the Working Class. [23]

While discussing the Pulse nightclub shooting during a Sky News live television newspaper review on 12 June 2016, he walked out when host Mark Longhurst maintained that the shooting was carried out against "human beings trying to enjoy themselves, whatever their sexuality". Jones insisted that the attack was a homophobic hate crime. [24]

Jones published This Land: The Struggle for the Left on 24 September 2020. [25] Jones was interviewed by Huck about the book. [26] The book received a negative review from British trade unionist Len McCluskey, [27] and was praised by Melissa Benn in the New Statesman : "Owen Jones has managed to produce a whodunnit political page-turner and a surprisingly fair account (given that Jones was a player in the Corbyn circles)". [28]

Jones has a YouTube channel which, as of July 2025, had 776,000 subscribers. [29]

Political activism

Jones spoke at a press conference to launch the People's Assembly Against Austerity on 26 March 2013, and regional public meetings in the lead-up to a national meeting at Central Hall Westminster on 22 June 2013. [30]

He was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of the University (DUniv) by Staffordshire University in 2015 in recognition of his campaigning on social inequality. [31] Jones supports abolishing the monarchy of the United Kingdom. [32] He has spoken out about transphobia and LGBTQ rights. [33] [34] In August 2019, Jones and some friends were attacked outside a North London pub. [35] [36] All the perpetrators were convicted, [37] with the judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court ruling that the attack was carried out because of Jones's sexuality and political views. [38]

He is a former member of the Labour Party, having held membership of the party since the age of 15 and cancelling his membership in March 2024. [39] In his reasoning for leaving the party, Jones stated that it had become "a hostile environment" for those that support the policies that party leader Keir Starmer won his leadership on, which Starmer has since rejected, such as scrapping university tuition fees and support of public ownership. [40] Jones also criticised the Labour Party's rejection of a cap on bankers' bonuses and its opposition to a wealth tax, among other issues. [40]

He supported We Deserve Better, a group which campaigned against Labour in favour of Green and independent candidates in the 2024 United Kingdom general election. [41] [39]

The New Statesman named Jones 45th in The Left Power List 2024, the magazine's "guide to the 50 most influential people in progressive politics", noting that his "future influence will hinge on the electoral performance of the non-Labour left". [42]

He endorsed Zack Polanski during his run in the 2025 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election. [43]

Personal life

Jones registered a civil partnership in September 2024 with a Brazilian doctor. [44]

Books

References

  1. ↑ "An evening of Socialism with Owen Jones". Canterbury Labour Party. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021. Jones describes himself as a democratic socialist, indeed, socialism used to be a term the Labour Party was more than happy to champion.
  2. ↑ "Owen Jones (@OwenJones84)". Archived from the original on 30 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ "Owen Jones urges Labour voters to back other parties". BBC . 21 March 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Green, Daniel; Belger, Tom (21 March 2024). "What is We Deserve Better, the group Owen Jones has left Labour for?". LabourList . Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  5. ↑ Jones, Simon Joseph (21 March 2013). "Owen Jones". High Profiles. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Owen Jones – Change Maker Chat". ChangeMakers. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  7. ↑ Webster, Laura (4 January 2024). "Owen Jones joins The National as a new regular contributor". The National. Glasgow. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Owen Jones". Mirror. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Owen Jones Graphic novels and Illustration Non-Fiction". British Council. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  10. 1 2 See the "Acknowledgements" section of Jones, Owen (2020). This Land: The Story of a Movement. Penguin. ISBN   9780141994406.
  11. ↑ Brady, Phelim (8 February 2013). "Interview: Owen Jones". Varsity.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  12. ↑ Aitken, Vivienne (21 July 2015). "Cancer patients miss out on vital drug due to shortage of nurses at Edinburgh hospital". Daily Record.
  13. ↑ "Time to abolish Oxbridge?". The Oxford Student . 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  14. ↑ Meltzer, Hannah (3 March 2013). "John McDonnell interview: how Labour is moving to the left" . New Statesman . Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Evans, Richard J. (2019). Eric Hobsbawm: A Life in History. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 642. ISBN   978-0-19-045964-2.
  16. ↑ "Owen Jones". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  17. ↑ Neather, Andrew (23 April 2011). "The Marx effect". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  18. ↑ Tattersall, Amanda; ChangeMakers; Jones, Owen (2020). "Changemaker Chat with Owen Jones: The story behind one of the United Kingdom's most high profile left wing figure". Commons Social Change Library. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  19. ↑ Cruddas, Jon (3 June 2011). "Book of the week: Chavs: the demonization of the working class by Owen Jones". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  20. ↑ "Media" (Press release). Stonewall. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Owen Jones". David Higham. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  22. ↑ Crampton, Caroline (7 February 2013). "Watch: Lord Ashcroft tries to pwn Owen Jones, fails" . New Statesman. London. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "The Royal Television Society Lecture 2013 – 'Totally Shameless: How TV Portrays the Working Class'". BBC. 24 November 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  24. ↑ "Owen Jones stormed off Sky News as presenters 'deflected' homophobia of Orlando shooting". The Independent. London. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  25. ↑ This Land: The Story of a Movement. Penguin Books. 2020. ISBN   978-0-241-47094-7.
  26. ↑ Daisy, Schofield (7 October 2020). "Owen Jones: I never wanted a Platform". Huck Magazine. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  27. ↑ McCluskey, Len (14 October 2020). "I had high hopes for Owen Jones's book on Corbynism. But I was disappointed". New Statesman. London. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  28. ↑ Benn, Melissa (11 November 2020). "Books of the year - 2020". New Statesman. London. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  29. ↑ "Owen Jones - YouTube" . Retrieved 17 July 2025– via YouTube.
  30. ↑ Wotherspoon, Jenny (23 May 2013). "People's Assembly: Writer Owen Jones Helps Build Nationwide Anti-Cuts Movement In The North East". Sky. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  31. ↑ "Owen Jones". Staffordshire University.[ permanent dead link ]
  32. ↑ Morrison, Hamish (8 September 2022). "BBC's Nicholas Witchell slammed over 'tasteless' speculation on Queen's health". The National. Glasgow. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  33. ↑ Stroude, Will (14 October 2019). "Owen Jones: 'Whenever the far-right is strong, LGBTQ people are at risk'". Attitude Magazine. No. 3. Stream Publishing. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  34. ↑ Billson, Chantelle (19 October 2022). "Owen Jones explains how right-wing media is fuelling a transphobic 'cult'". Pink News. London. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  35. ↑ Parson, Vic (20 July 2020). "Gay journalist Owen Jones says the vicious attack on him is proof the UK isn't fighting far-right extremism properly". Pink News. London. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  36. ↑ Lees, Paris (23 April 2015). "We won't fix society for trans people without strong allies". Attitude Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  37. ↑ "Man jailed for attacking journalist Owen Jones". BBC News. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  38. ↑ "Owen Jones: Journalist attacked because of sexuality and political views". BBC News. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  39. 1 2 Jones, Owen (21 March 2024). "The Labour party is in my blood. Here's why I've just cancelled my membership". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  40. 1 2 "Owen Jones urges Labour voters to back other parties". BBC News. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  41. ↑ "New political initiative aims to pose 'serious challenge' to Labour in England". The National. Glasgow. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  42. ↑ "The Left Power List 2024". New Statesman. London. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  43. ↑ Jones, Owen (7 May 2025). "If the Greens really are to become the Reform-style populists of the left, Zack Polanski could be their man". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  44. ↑ Jones, Owen [@owenjonesjourno] (16 September 2024). "So anyway, I got civil partnered to @knopjv5 this weekend. Very blessed to have this beautiful Brazilian doctor in my life ❤️" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 31 December 2024 – via Twitter.
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