About Jonathan Reynolds
Jonathan Neil Reynolds (born 28 August 1980) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and President of the Board of Trade since 2026, having previously held the positions from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde since 2010. Born in Houghton-le-Spring, Reynolds attended Houghton Kepier Comprehensive School and Sunderland City College. He studied politics at University of Manchester and then attended BPP Law School. He worked as a trainee solicitor for Addleshaw Goddard though never completed his solicitor training. Reynolds was on Labour's National Executive Committee from 2003 to 2005 and a political assistant for four years to James Purnell, and served on Tameside Council from 2007 to 2011. Reynolds was elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde at the 2010 general election, and subsequently joined the frontbench under Ed Miliband. Reynolds was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Miliband and shadow energy minister from 2013 to 2015. Following Jeremy Corbyn's election as party leader in September 2015, Reynolds became a shadow transport minister before returning to the backbenches in January 2016. He returned to the frontbench in October of the same year, serving until 2020. Under Keir Stamer, Reynolds was promoted to the shadow cabinet as shadow work and pensions secretary in 2020. In a 2021 shadow cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed shadow business secretary. Following Labour's victory in the 2024 general election, Reynolds was appointed to government as Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade by Starmer in his ministry. In the 2025 cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. After Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in 2026, Reynolds returned to his previous role as business secretary, with additional responsibilities of science and innovation. In one of his first statements as Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds ruled out moving to ID cards, seemingly contradicting a previous statement where he left the option open. In December 2015, Reynolds introduced a Private Member's Bill which would have changed UK general elections from first-past-the-post to the additional-member system. Following the controversial decision to scarp the winter fuel allowance from pensioners, Reynolds said that the government had "no choice" due to a £22 billion black hole in public finances and urged Labour MPs to back the issue.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.