Joanna Meriel Stevens[1] (born 6 September 1966)[2] is a Welsh politician serving asSecretary of State for Wales since 2024. A member of theLabour Party, she has been aMember of Parliament (MP) since 2015, representingCardiff East since 2024, having previously representedCardiff Central.[3][4]
Stevens previously served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales from 2016 to 2017, and again from 2021 to 2024, and wasShadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2020 to 2021.
Stevens was born inSwansea,West Glamorgan,Wales and grew up inMynydd Isa,Flintshire, where she attendedArgoed High School andElfed High School.[5]
She studiedlaw atManchester University and completed the Solicitors' Professional Examination atManchester Polytechnic in 1989.[6]
Before becoming an MP, Stevens was People and Organisation Director ofThompsons Solicitors.[5]
Stevens was elected as MP forCardiff Central on 7 May 2015 with a majority of 4,981, defeating incumbent Liberal Democrat MPJenny Willott.[3]
In 2014 she accused her then Liberal Democrat opponent Jenny Willott of having "neglected her constituency" by taking a ministerial role.[7] In a 2015 interview Stevens said that, if elected, she would be "happy as a backbench MP" adding she was "not a professional politician."[8] Stevens later went on to serve in the shadow cabinets of Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer.
InJeremy Corbyn's January 2016 reshuffle, she was appointed shadowsolicitor general and shadowjustice minister. She supportedOwen Smith in the2016 Labour leadership election. In the October 2016 reshuffle, after Corbyn's re-election as party leader, Stevens becameShadow Secretary of State for Wales.[9] An opponent ofBrexit, she resigned as a shadow minister on 27 January 2017 in order to vote against triggeringArticle 50 of the Treaty on European Union, in defiance of athree-line whip that obliged Labour MPs to vote in favour.[10] In March 2019, Stevens voted against the Labour Party whip and in favour of an amendment tabled by members ofThe Independent Group for a second public vote on Brexit.[11]
Stevens chairs theGMB parliamentary group, which ensures that issues of importance to members of the GMB trade union are raised in the House of Commons.
Stevens supportedKeir Starmer in the2020 Labour leadership election.[12][13] He subsequently appointed herShadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, shadowingOliver Dowden. On 29 November 2021, she was reshuffled back to the position ofShadow Secretary of State for Wales by Keir Starmer.[14]
In 2023, Stevens' office was defaced by protestors after she abstained on a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. She described the incident as 'intimidating'.[15]
In the2024 general election, she was selected to contest the newCardiff East constituency, afterCardiff Central was abolished.[16] She won the seat, with a majority of 9,097 votes.[4] Stevens was appointedSecretary of State for Wales in thefirst cabinet of Keir Starmer following the 2024 election.[17]
Stevens was sworn of thePrivy Council on 10 July 2024, entitling her to be styled "The Right Honourable" for life.[18]
Lee Waters accused Stevens as being the "mostanti-devolution Labour Welsh secretary" in half a century.[19]
Stevens is aunionist.[20] She has opposeddevolution of policing and justice,[21] oflegal gender recognition,[22] and full devolution of the post-BrexitShared Prosperity Fund to theSenedd.[23]Lee Waters described her as the "most anti-devolution Labour Welsh secretary we've had sinceGeorge Thomas."[24]
She opposedBrexit, describing herself as a "passionate European" in 2017.[25] She has called for the introduction of legislation penalising social media companies that fail to tackle disinformation.[26] She has supported introducingautomatic voter registration upon receiving anational insurance number and lowering of thevoting age to 16.[27]
In January 2021, Stevens was treated in hospital forCOVID-19.[28]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCardiff Central 2015–2024 | Succeeded by Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by New constituency | Member of Parliament forCardiff East 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Wales 2016–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Wales 2021–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Wales 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Cabinet members | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Also attending meetings | ||
| 1964–1970 | | |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1974 | ||
| 1974–1979 | ||
| 1979–1997 | ||
| 1997–2010 | ||
| 2010–2024 | ||
| 2024–present | ||
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