John McDonnell
John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington since 1997.
The Right Honourable John McDonnell MP | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 13 September 2015 – 5 April 2020 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Chris Leslie |
| Succeeded by | Anneliese Dodds |
| Deputy Leader of the Greater London Council | |
| In office 7 May 1984 – 7 May 1985 | |
| Leader | Ken Livingstone |
| Preceded by | Illtyd Harrington |
| Succeeded by | Michael Ward |
| Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington | |
| Assumed office 1 May 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Terry Dicks |
| Majority | 9,261 (21.1%) |
| Member of the Greater London Council for Hayes and Harlington | |
| In office 7 May 1981 – 31 March 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur H. S. Hull |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Martin McDonnell 8 September 1951 Liverpool, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Campaign Group |
| Spouses | Marilyn Jean Cooper
(m. 1971; div. 1987)Cynthia Marie Pinto (m. 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Great Yarmouth Grammar School St Joseph's College, Ipswich Burnley Technical College |
| Alma mater | Brunel University Birkbeck, University of London |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
McDonnell served as chair of the Socialist Campaign Group in Parliament and Labour Representation Committee; he also chaired the Public Services Not Private Profit Group. He is also parliamentary convenor of the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group of eight left-wing trade unions representing over half a million workers. McDonnell attempted to stand for the position of Labour Party leader following Tony Blair's resignation in 2007, but failed to get enough nominations. He was a candidate for the party leadership again in 2010 following Gordon Brown's resignation after Labour's electoral defeat, but withdrew in favour of Diane Abbott, feeling that he would be unable to secure enough nominations.
Alongside Jeremy Corbyn, McDonnell has been seen as a key figure on the left-wing of the party. After being elected Labour leader in 2015, Corbyn appointed McDonnell to his Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. As Shadow Chancellor, McDonnell pledged to increase spending on infrastructure and research, describing his vision for the economy as "socialism with an iPad".