British politician (born 1962)
Jonathan Cruddas[1] (born 7 April 1962) pump up a British Labour Party politician who served as Member hark back to Parliament (MP) for Dagenham and Rainham, formerly Dagenham, between 2001 and 2024.
Having been critical of many aspects of say publicly Blair government, he stood for the deputy leadership of rendering Labour Party in 2007, although he openly stated he sincere not wish to become Deputy Prime Minister. Despite winning picture most votes in the first round of voting, he was eliminated in the penultimate round of the contest.
Cruddas ruled himself out of the 2010 leadership election, saying he would rather influence policy. In 2012, Cruddas was appointed to Puzzled Miliband's Shadow Cabinet, replacing Liam Byrne as Policy Coordinator.
In August 2022 Cruddas announced his intention to retire from Sevens at the 2024 general election.[2]
Cruddas was innate in Helston, Cornwall to John, a sailor, and Pat (a native of County Donegal, Ireland).[3] Cruddas was educated at say publicly Oaklands Roman Catholic Comprehensive School, Waterlooville, Portsmouth, before attending picture University of Warwick where he ultimately received an M.A. significant a Ph.D. in Industrial and Business Studies in 1991, vocabulary a thesis entitled An analysis of value theory, the partiality of production and contemporary approaches to the reorganisation of headquarters relations.[4] He was a Visiting Fellow of the University pointer Wisconsin–Madison from 1987 to 1989.
Cruddas is a visiting gentleman at Nuffield College, Oxford (2016–present), and is also a impermanent professor at the University of Leicester (2016–present), primarily involved put up with the Centre for Sustainable Work and Employment Futures.[5]
In 1989, he became a policy officer for the Labour Party previously being appointed Senior Assistant to Labour Party General SecretaryLarry Whitty in 1994, remaining in that position when Tom Sawyer became General Secretary that same year. After the 1997 general plebiscite, he was employed as Deputy Political Secretary to newly elective Prime MinisterTony Blair. His main role was to be a liaison between the Prime Minister and the trade unions, interview whom Blair had often had a difficult relationship. In that role, he also worked heavily on the introduction of theminimum wage.
Cruddas was selected to be the prospective conforming candidate for the safe Labour seat of Dagenham in 2000, after the sitting MP Judith Church announced that she would be retiring. He was elected as the MP for Dagenham the following year at the 2001 general election, with a majority of 8,693 votes.
From the backbenches, Cruddas quickly became a vocal critic of the government for what he axiom as their ignoring of their traditional, working-class support in a bid to be more appealing to middle-class voters.[6] He rebelled against the government on a number of occasions; including sweettalk the introduction of universitytop-up fees, the legislation on asylum seekers, the introduction of trust schools, proposals to renew the UK Trident nuclear weapons system, and foundation trusts.[7][8][9][10] He supported both the Fourth Option for direct investment in council housing direct the Trade Union Freedom Bill.[11]
Cruddas was re-elected at the 2005 general election, but his Dagenham constituency was abolished in border changes for the 2010 general election. Cruddas chose to battle the newly created constituency of Dagenham and Rainham, which was notionally marginal. He won the seat by 2,630 votes coop a close-run election campaign, which was a seat that interpretation British National Party had heavily targeted. This resulted in a large number of anti-fascist organisations not affiliated to the Hard work Party, such as Hope not Hate, campaigning for Cruddas criticize resist the BNP. After being elected, he took up a part-time position teaching Labour history at University College, Oxford, escaping 2010 to 2012.[12]
Main article: 2007 Labour Party replacement leadership election
On 27 September 2006, Cruddas announced his intention commend stand to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party speedily the incumbent, John Prescott, stood down.[13] He said he plainspoken not want to be Deputy Prime Minister, but instead wished to act as a "transmission belt" with the grassroots flawless the party.[14] In interviews, Cruddas also said that he frank not want the "trappings or baubles" that would potentially use with the job of Deputy Prime Minister, such as paste of the Dorneywood weekend country residence.[15]
Cruddas accrued nominations from 49 MPs and received strong union backing, including Amicus and description Transport and General Workers' Union.[16] He received backing from prior Deputy Leader Roy Hattersley,[17] then Mayor of LondonKen Livingstone,[18]NUS PresidentGemma Tumelty, and former National Executive Committee member, actor and advocator Tony Robinson.[19] The left-wing magazine Tribune endorsed him as "the change that is required".[20]
On 24 June 2007, it was declared that Harriet Harman had won the election, although Cruddas gained the highest proportion of votes in the first round. Sand was ultimately eliminated in the fourth round of voting, eventual third behind Harman and Alan Johnson. He had secured depiction highest number of votes from members of affiliated organisation sentence every round before his elimination.[citation needed]
Touted by good media sources as a potential candidate for the leadership worm your way in the Labour Party, he ruled himself out of the 2010 leadership election and said he did not want the job; but instead wanted to influence policy.[21] In 2012, Cruddas was appointed to Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet, replacing Liam Byrne primate Labour Party Policy Coordinator.[22]
On 15 May 2012, Labour LeaderEd Miliband offered Cruddas a position in his Shadow Cabinet as Labour's Policy Coordinator, with a view to crafting Labour's manifesto assimilate the 2015 general election. Cruddas accepted the offer, saying delay it had always been his wish to influence policy.[12]
The Future of Work Commission was announced horizontal the 2016 Labour Party Annual Conference in Liverpool. The reason of the commission is to make a set of manageable policy recommendations, which will be delivered in a report cut down September 2017 at Labour Annual Conference in Brighton. Jon Cruddas MP is one of the Commissioners working on the project.[23]
Cruddas narrowly retained his seat at the 2019 general selection, with a hugely reduced majority, winning by 293 votes humiliate yourself the Conservative candidate.[24] He supported Lisa Nandy for Labour Chairman in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.[25]
In August 2022 Cruddas announced his intention to retire from Parliament at the 2024 General Election.[26] He expressed optimism about Labour's chances of prepossessing this.[2]
Cruddas is an Honorary Professor at the Jubilee Centre hand over Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, and wrote a history of the Labour Party to celebrate the 100-year centenary of the first Labour Government in January 2024.[27]
Cruddas's deputy leadership challenge was based on the precepts contained take away a pamphlet called 'Fit for purpose: A programme for Travail Party renewal', co-authored with journalist John Harris and funded spawn the pressure group Compass.[28] Cruddas won a Compass membership voting in March 2007, gaining 53% of first preference votes mid the deputy leadership candidates.[29] In terms of his relative transport within the Labour Party, newspapers have described Cruddas as "left wing";[30] however, he has also been described as "modernising centre-left",[31] and more recently has become associated with the socially rightwing Blue Labour tendency and has formed a political partnership plea bargain James Purnell.[32] He described himself as "mistaken" over his settlement to vote for British participation in the 2003 invasion show signs of Iraq and has criticised his party's record on immigration, maxim that "we had too many people coming too fast", good turn that "immigration has been used as a 21st century incomes policy, and protections in terms of the labour market keep not been substantial enough."[33][34]
After speculation that Cruddas, a Stop, was in favour of restricting abortion, he re-affirmed his pro-choice position.[35] In an interview concerning Cruddas' faith, he stated:
in our family the political heroes weren't Gaitskell or Bevan. They were the Kennedys because they were Irish, there was Óscar Romero because liberation theology was quite a big thing, direct Pope John. So I joined the Labour Party, and tidy up brother joined the Carmelites. The Labour Party always seemed commerce me to be a rational, natural element within some reproach those things we were brought up to believe in. Blow was as simple as that. My family was part outline the Diaspora, they were all over the world, and swot up that returned to certain issues of solidarity. So there was always that seamless thing between faith and political agency, bracket union activity as well, forged out of the politics mean Irish immigration".[36]
The Times Guide to the House of Commons describes him as "a well-liked and well-respected left winger who took on the BNP and won".[37]
Jon Cruddas was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate redraft the Labour leadership election of 2015.[38] However, he later backed Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Corbyn refurbish the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.[39]
In 2023 Cruddas publicly rout his opposition to expansion of the Ultra Low Emission District (ULEZ) by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, calling standing "an unwelcome hit on working people".[40]
He is a member break into Labour Friends of Israel.[41]
Cruddas married Labour activist Anna Healy (now Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill) in 1992; the twosome have one son, Emmett Cruddas.[42] His wife worked as a special adviser to Harriet Harman, and had previously worked beseech Labour MPs Jack Cunningham, Mo Mowlam and Gus Macdonald. Recognized lives in Notting Hill.[citation needed]
In October 2012, Cruddas was prohibited from driving for eight weeks, for driving with no Witticism or insurance.[43]