Jonathan Ashworth
Jonathan Michael Graham Ashworth (born 14 October 1978) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Paymaster General since September 2023. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester South since 2011.
The Right Honourable Jonathan Ashworth MP | |||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Leicester South | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 5 May 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Peter Soulsby | ||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 22,675 (45.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Jonathan Michael Graham Ashworth 14 October 1978 Salford, Greater Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour Co-op | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Emilie Oldknow (m. 2010) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Durham University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||||||||||||
Prior to his election to Parliament, Ashworth worked as an adviser to Gordon Brown and head of party relations for Ed Miliband. He was first elected at a by-election in 2011, following the resignation of his predecessor Peter Soulsby.
In October 2016, Ashworth was appointed Shadow Health Secretary by party leader Jeremy Corbyn, shadowing Jeremy Hunt and later Matt Hancock alongside the Shadow Minister for Social Care Barbara Keeley. In April 2020, Ashworth was reappointed to the position by new leader Keir Starmer, gaining the additional shadow portfolio of social care in England, he was succeeded in the role by Wes Streeting in 2021. Ashworth was Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2021 to September 2023, when he was appointed as the Shadow Paymaster General.