Jo Johnson

Lord Johnson of Marylebone      (politician)
Born	Joseph Edmund Johnson 1971-12-23 London, England
Alma mater	Oxford University/Balliol College, INSEAD, Université Libre de Bruxelles
Religion	Anglicanism
Parents	• Stanley Johnson • (father) • Charlotte Johnson Wahl • (mother)
Children	2
Spouse	Amelia Gentleman
Member of	Bullingdon Club, Ditchley/Governors, Ditchley/UK, European Council on Foreign Relations, Franco-British Colloque, Königswinter
Party	Conservative
Minister of State for Universities Science Research and Innovation In office 24 July 2019 - 5 September 2019  Minister of State for Transport In office 9 January 2018 - 9 November 2018  Minister for London In office 9 January 2018 - 9 November 2018  Minister of State for Universities Science Research and Innovation In office 11 May 2015 - 9 January 2018  Minister of State for the Cabinet Office In office 15 July 2014 - 11 May 2015  Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit In office 25 April 2013 - 21 May 2015  Member of Parliament for Orpington In office 6 May 2010 - 6 November 2019

Joseph Edmund Johnson, Baron Johnson of Marylebone (born 23 December 1971) is a British Conservative Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Orpington from 2010 to 2019

The younger brother of Boris Johnson, Jo Johnson resigned from Theresa May's government on 9 November 2018, citing the failure of the Brexit negotiations to achieve what had been promised during the EU Referendum and his wish to campaign for a new People's Vote.

On 24 July 2019, Boris Johnson appointed Jo Johnson Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation meaning he would be attending the meetings of the cabinet, and was appointed to the privy council the next day. On 5 September 2019, Jo Johnson resigned from the government and announced he would stand down as MP, describing his position as "torn between family and national interest". He stood down at the UK/2019 General Election rather than resigning, therefore minimising any potential political embarrassment for his brother, the prime minister.

On 31 July 2020, the announcement was made of Johnson's elevation to the House of Lords as part of the 2019 Dissolution Honours and he was created Baron Johnson of Marylebone in the City of Westminster on 12 October 2020.

Connections

Jo Johnson attended Balliol College, Oxford where he was a member of the Bullingdon Club together with Harry Mount, Nat Rothschild and George Osborne, with whom he remains a close friend.

Parliamentary career

In 2010, Jo Johnson was selected as the Conservative Party parliamentary candidate for the safe seat of Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley from a shortlist of six contenders. He retained the seat, tripling the Conservative majority of his predecessor John Horam to over 17,000 at the 2010 General Election. His majority increased again in the 2015 General Election to 19,979.

Against the national trend, he increased the Conservative share of the vote in the constituency by 5.5% points to 62.9% at the 2017 General Election, although his majority declined to 19,453. By numerical vote share, Johnson's seat of Orpington is the safest Conservative seat in London.

Downing Street Policy Unit

On 25 April 2013, he was appointed Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit by David Cameron to help develop the 2015 Conservative manifesto.

As a junior Cabinet Office minister, he chaired a newly created Conservative Parliamentary advisory board, known as the Prime Minister's Policy Board, consisting of Tory MPs.

Minister for Universities and Science

On 11 May 2015, it was announced that Johnson had been appointed Minister for Universities and Science at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Writing about Johnson’s appointment for Times Higher Education, John Morgan noted:

"Mr Johnson’s reputation as a pro-European is likely to please vice-chancellors, many of whom are concerned by the Tories’ pledge to hold an in-out referendum on EU membership by 2017. Universities UK pointed out that British higher education institutions benefit from around £1.2 billion in European Research Council funding each year."

In this role, Johnson introduced the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, which the Times Higher Education described as the most significant legislation in 25 years. This overhauled the regulatory framework for English universities, replaced the Higher Education Funding Council for England with a new regulator, the Office for Students, and established mechanisms to hold universities more accountable for the quality of teaching and student outcomes. The Act also created a new single national strategic research body, UK Research and Innovation, bringing together the UK's fragmented research funding bodies.

Minister of Transport

On 9 January 2018, Jo Johnson left his role as Minister for Universities and accepted a new position as Minister of State for Transport and Minister for London.

On 9 November 2018, Johnson resigned his position, citing disillusionment with the government’s Brexit strategy and called for a fresh vote on Brexit with an option to remain. Johnson argued that Britain was "on the brink of the greatest crisis" since World War II and claimed that what was on offer was not "anything like what was promised".

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References

This page imported content from Wikipedia on 10 November 2018.
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