Jake Richards | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice | |
| Assumed office 7 September 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Member of Parliament forRother Valley | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Stafford |
| Majority | 998 (2.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jacob Ben Richards (1989-07-05)5 July 1989 (age 36) |
| Party | Labour |
| Parent | Steve Richards |
| Education | Highgate School (Senior School)Woodhouse College (Sixth Form) |
| Alma mater | Somerville College, Oxford City, University of London |
Jacob Ben Richards (born 5 July 1989)[1] is a BritishLabour Party politician who has served asMember of Parliament forRother Valley since2024.[2][3] He has been aparliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice since September 2025.
Jacob Ben Richards[4] was born on 5 July 1989, the son of journalist and broadcasterSteve Richards.[5] He was educated atHighgate School, a private fee-paying school in North London, and then attendedWoodhouse College. He read History atSomerville College, Oxford.[6]
Following his undergraduate studies, he completed theBar Professional Training Course (BPTC) atCity, University of London.[7] He wascalled to the bar in 2017.[8] He worked as a barrister at Deka Chambers in London;[9] his colleagueCatherine Atkinson was also elected as a Labour MP at the 2024 general election.[10]
Richards was selected as theLabour candidate forRother Valley after the previous candidate, Dominic Beck, stood down in December 2022 following concerns over his position onRotherham Council during theRotherham child sexual exploitation scandal.[11]
Richards is a co-sponsor ofKim Leadbeater'sTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill onassisted suicide.[12] He has served as a member of theHome Affairs Select Committee since October 2024.
In December 2025, as Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Richards refusedJeremy Corbyn's request during Justice Questions that he meet with the representatives ofPalestine Action hunger strikers being held on remand, to laughter from some MPs.[13][14]
Richards is married to the formerSky News political correspondent Liz Bates, with whom he has a daughter.[15] In September 2025, Bates was appointed as Special Advisor toSteve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.[16] Richards' sister was a Special Advisor (SpAd) to Home SecretaryYvette Cooper, and in 2025 was promoted to Political Director to the Prime Minister.[17]
Richards's brother-in-law isGregor Poynton, Labour MP for Livingston since 2024.[18]
Recent reports from November 2025 indicate that Labour Chief WhipJonathan Reynolds has told some MPs he is unhappy in his, role amid growing discontent over the appointment of close family members of senior No 10 figures to whip positions, a reshuffle that included Richards and Poynton to the Whip's Office.[19]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forRother Valley 2024–present | Incumbent |
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