Jo Johnson

Joseph Edmund Johnson (born 23 December 1971) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Orpington from 2010 to 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from July to September 2019, as well as previously from 2015 to 2018. His older brother, Boris Johnson, has been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2019.

The Right Honourable Jo Johnson
Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
In office 24 July 2019 – 5 September 2019
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Chris Skidmore
Succeeded by	Chris Skidmore
In office 11 May 2015 – 9 January 2018
Prime Minister	David Cameron Theresa May
Preceded by	Greg Clark
Succeeded by	Sam Gyimah
Minister for London
In office 9 January 2018 – 9 November 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Greg Hands
Succeeded by	Nick Hurd
Minister of State for Transport
In office 9 January 2018 – 9 November 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	John Hayes
Succeeded by	Jesse Norman
Minister of State at the Cabinet Office
In office 15 July 2014 – 11 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Greg Clark
Succeeded by	Chris Skidmore
Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit
In office 25 April 2013 – 21 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Nick Pearce
Succeeded by	Camilla Cavendish
Member of Parliament for Orpington
In office 6 May 2010 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	John Horam
Succeeded by	Gareth Bacon
Personal details
Born	Joseph Edmund Johnson (1971-12-23) 23 December 1971 London, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Amelia Gentleman ( m. 2005)
Children	2
Parents	Stanley Johnson (father) Charlotte Johnson Wahl (mother)
Relatives	Boris Johnson (brother) Rachel Johnson (sister) Ali Kemal (great grandfather)
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford Université libre de Bruxelles INSEAD
Website	Official website

Since retiring from politics, Johnson has become Non-Executive Chairman at Tes. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and President's Professorial Fellow at King's College London. He has since returned to his work as a journalist at outlets including the Financial Times.[1]

Johnson was appointed Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit in 2013 by Prime Minister David Cameron. He became Minister of State for the Cabinet Office in 2014 and Universities Minister in 2015. Following the January 2018 cabinet reshuffle, Johnson served as Minister of State for Transport and Minister for London; he resigned in November the same year, citing the failure of the Brexit negotiations to achieve what had been promised by the Vote Leave campaign and his wish to campaign for a referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement. In July 2019, he became part of his brother's Cabinet, again as Minister of State for Universities. In September 2019, he resigned from the Cabinet and announced that he would stand down as an MP at the next United Kingdom general election.[2]

Early life

Family

Johnson was born in London. He is the youngest of four children of former Conservative MEP Stanley Johnson and artist Charlotte Johnson Wahl (née Fawcett), the daughter of Sir James Fawcett, a barrister and president of the European Commission of Human Rights from 1972 to 1981. Johnson is the brother of Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip; Rachel, a journalist; and Leo, an entrepreneur and filmmaker.[3][4][5]

Education

Johnson first attended the European School in Uccle, before attending The Hall School in Hampstead, London, Ashdown House School in East Sussex, and then Eton College. In 1991, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, to read Modern History. He was a Scholar at Balliol, edited Isis, the Oxford University student magazine, and was awarded a First Class degree in both Honour Moderations (June 1992) and Finals (Honour School, June 1994).

While at Oxford, he was a member of the Bullingdon Club together with Harry Mount, Nat Rothschild and George Osborne, with whom he remains a close friend.[6][7]

Career in journalism

After graduating from the Université libre de Bruxelles, in 1995 Johnson joined Deutsche Bank as an investment banker.

In 1997, he switched career paths and joined the Financial Times. After a sabbatical in 1999/2000 during which he gained an MBA from INSEAD, he returned to become Paris correspondent (2001–05), and then as South Asia bureau chief based in New Delhi (2005–08). On return to London he became an associate editor of the Financial Times and head of the Lex Column, one of the most influential positions in British financial journalism.[8][9]

Previous 'Heads of Lex' include Nigel Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Martin Taylor, former chief executive of Barclays Bank, and Richard Lambert, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry. Johnson left the Lex column in April 2010. He received awards for his journalism from a range of organisations, including the Foreign Press Association, the Society of Publishers in Asia and The Indian Express's Excellence in Journalism Awards.

Johnson's books include the co-authored The Man Who Tried To Buy the World (Penguin, 2003),[10] about the French businessman Jean-Marie Messier. This was serialised in The Guardian and published in France as Une faillite française by Albin Michel in 2002. He co-edited, with Dr Rajiv Kumar (Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) Reconnecting Britain and India: Ideas for an Enhanced Partnership (Academic Foundation 2011).[11]

He commentated on radio and television,[12][13] and spoke in public on the rise of India, as well as on the UK political economy and financial affairs.

Parliamentary career

In 2009, he was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the safe seat of Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley from a shortlist of six contenders.[14] At the 2010 general election, he retained the seat for the Conservatives, tripling the majority of his predecessor John Horam to over 17,000. His majority increased again in the general election of 2015, to 19,979.[15]

He increased the Conservative share of the vote in the constituency by 5.5% points to 62.9% at the general election in June 2017, although his majority declined to 19,453.[16]

Head of the 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 headed the Policy Unit in the Prime Minister's Office,[17] and also chaired a newly created Conservative Parliamentary advisory board, known as the Prime Minister's Policy Board, consisting of Conservative MPs.

Johnson's appointment to head up the Downing Street policy unit was viewed as surprising by The Guardian as he was perceived as being more pro-European and left-leaning than most Conservatives.[18]

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).[19][20] Writing about Johnson's appointment for Times Higher Education, John Morgan said: "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 funding each year."[21]

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.[22] The Act also created a new single national strategic research body, UK Research and Innovation, bringing together the UK's fragmented research funding bodies.[23]

Minister of Transport

On 9 January 2018, Johnson left his role as Minister for Universities and accepted a new position as Minister of Transport and Minister for London.[24]

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 Two and claimed that what was on offer was not "anything like what was promised".[25][26]

Brexit

Johnson called on his Conservative Party MPs to vote down Theresa May's Brexit deal on 11 December 2018, stating that it was 'half baked' and the 'worst of both worlds'.[27] Johnson resigned as a minister in December 2018 because he wanted to be free to endorse a proposed referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement.[28][29][26]

Minister in Boris Johnson's Cabinet

On 24 July 2019, it was announced that Jo Johnson was appointed Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation – this position would mean he would be attending the meetings of the cabinet.[30][31] He was appointed to the privy council the next day.[32] On 5 September, Johnson resigned as a Minister and announced he would stand down as MP, describing his position as "torn between family and national interest".[33][34][35] He stood down at the next general election rather than resigning, therefore minimising any potential political embarrassment for his brother, the prime minister. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister would like to thank Jo Johnson for his service... The constituents of Orpington could not have asked for a better representative."

House of Lords

On 31 July 2020, the announcement was made of Johnson's elevation to the House of Lords.[36]

Personal life

Johnson lives in London with his wife, Amelia Gentleman, a journalist for The Guardian,[37] the daughter of artist and designer David Gentleman. The couple have two children, William and Rose. [38]

References

1. Johnson, Jo (26 January 2020). "Narendra Modi's culture war storms India's elite universities". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020.
2. Elgot, Jessica; Walker, Peter (5 September 2019). "Jo Johnson quits as MP and minister, citing 'national interest'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
3. "Family of influence behind Boris Johnson". The Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
4. "Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP". The Houses of Parliament. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
5. "Election 2010: Orpington". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
6. Elwes, Jay. "Good news for the chancellor". Prospect Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
7. "Jo Johnson is his own man who is very different to Boris". ITV News. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
8. "Johnson returns to roots as FT Lex column editor – Press Gazette". Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
9. "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com.
10. Daniel Gross "J'Accuse!" Archived 23 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Slate, 6 August 2003
11. "Johnson's Passage to India". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
12. "Johnson reviewed the Sunday papers on Sky". Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
13. "Johnson appeared on Charlie Rose in a discussion on India". Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
14. "Jo Johnson selected for Orpington after six ballots including a tie". ConservativeHome. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
15. "VOTE 2010: Jo Johnson wins Orpington". News Shopper. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
16. "Orpington". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
17. "Jo Johnson to head Downing Street Policy Unit – GOV.UK". www.number10.gov.uk.
18. Watt, Nicholas (25 April 2013). "Jo Johnson: a left-field choice to be David Cameron's policy chief". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
19. "Election 2015: Who's Who in David Cameron's new cabinet". BBC News. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
20. "Minister of State for Universities, Science: Jo Johnson". Gov.uk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
21. Morgan, John (11 May 2015). "Jo Johnson is new minister covering higher education". Times Higher Education. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
22. "Higher Education and Research Bill passed by UK parliament". 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
23. "Science Minister announces new Chief Finance Officer of UK Research and Innovation – UK Research and Innovation". www.ukri.org. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
24. Amesbury, Mike (12 January 2018). "Jo Johnson's new jobs show northern transport again taking backseat". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
25. "Minister Jo Johnson quits over Brexit". BBC News. 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
26. Merrick, Rob (10 November 2018). "Jo Johnson resigns: Minister quits in protest and demands new Brexit referendum". The Independent. Front page. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018. Image via Twitter. Archived 11 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine
27. "Jo Johnson tells Tories to vote down Theresa May's 'worst of all worlds' Brexit". London Evening Standard. 29 November 2018. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
28. Senior Tories urge free vote on second referendum Archived 16 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Observer. 15 December 2018
29. Walker, Peter (12 November 2018). "Ministers will not scrap 'reasonable grounds' stop and search rule". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
30. UK Prime Minister on Twitter: "Jo Johnson @JoJohnsonUK has been appointed Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy @beisgovuk, and the Department for Education @educationgovuk. He will also attend Cabinet.‌ https://t.co/aENMat1NNM" Archived 29 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 5 September 2019.
31. The Rt Hon Jo Johnson MP Archived 22 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. GOV.UK. Retrieved on 5 September 2019.
32. "ORDERS APPROVED AND BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT THE PRIVY COUNCIL HELD BY THE QUEEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON 25TH JULY 2019" (PDF). Privy Council Office. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
33. Jo Johnson, Boris Johnson's Brother, Resigns From Parliament. HuffPost UK (5 September 2019).
34. PM's brother quits as Tory MP and minister Archived 5 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News (5 September 2019).
35. Jo Johnson [@JoJohnsonUK] (5 September 2019). "It's been an honour to represent Orpington for 9 years & to serve as a minister under three PMs. In recent weeks I've been torn between family loyalty and the national interest – it's an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister. #overandout" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
36. Murphy, Simon; Waterson, Jim (31 July 2020). "Evgeny Lebedev, Jo Johnson and Ian Botham among 36 peerage nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
37. "Profile: Amelia Gentleman". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
38. ft.com/jojohnsonmp

External links

• Jo Johnson MP official constituency website
• Jo Johnson MP Conservative Party profile
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile and column archives at the Financial Times
• Jo Johnson | Politics | The Guardian
• Jo Johnson | The Telegraph

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Horam	Member of Parliament for Orpington 2010–2019	Succeeded by Gareth Bacon
Political offices
Preceded by Greg Clark	Minister of State at the Cabinet Office 2014–2015	Succeeded by Chris Skidmore
Preceded by Greg Clark	Minister of State for Universities 2015–2018	Succeeded by Sam Gyimah
Preceded by Greg Hands	Minister for London 2018	Succeeded by Nick Hurd
Preceded by John Hayes	Minister of State for Transport 2018	Succeeded by Michael Ellis
Preceded by Greg Hands	Minister for London 2018	Succeeded by Nick Hurd
Preceded by Chris Skidmore	Minister of State for Universities 2019	Succeeded by Chris Skidmore