John Howarth (born 31 October 1958) is a British Labour Party politician who served as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 2017 to 2020.
John Howarth | |
|---|---|
 Howarth in 2013 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for South East England | |
| In office 30 June 2017 – 31 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Anneliese Dodds |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 October 1958 Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Jane Coney |
| Children | Two from first marriage and a step daughter |
| Alma mater | University of Essex |
| Profession | Designer |
Early life and education
editJohn Howarth grew up in Gateshead and attended local schools, including Highfield Comprehensive (later Thomas Hepburn Community School). He studied Economics at the University of Essex and completed a master’s degree in the History of Art, focusing on Werner Herzog's work.
His father, also John Howarth, worked in the coal industry, and his mother, Freda Howarth (née Robinson), was an industrial conscript during World War II. Freda's father, Joe Robinson, a pit deputy and World War I veteran, significantly influenced Howarth’s early political thinking.
Political life
editJohn Howarth joined the Labour Party during the February 1974 General Election and later became National Secretary of Labour Students. After university, he worked as a Labour organiser and settled in Reading in 1988. He served as Chair of Reading Labour Party (1990–1994) and Press Officer for a decade, while also holding regional and national roles within the party.
Working life
editAfter leaving Labour in 1989, Howarth worked in IT marketing before founding Public Impact in 1995. He also worked as public affairs consultant for Instinctif Partners and wrote as a columnist.[1] [2]
Local government
editIn 1993 he won the Redlands Division seat on Berkshire County Council, he served until its dissolution in 1998. He held leadership roles and advocated for the Council's replacement with a unitary local government. [3]
Elected in 2001 to Reading Borough Council for Park Ward and re-elected in 2004, he held key roles in transport and strategic planning, secured funding for Reading railway station improvements, and served on regional committees. He stepped down in 2007.[4][5]
European Parliament
editIn the 1994 European elections, Howarth unsuccessfully contested the Thames Valley seat. He ran for South East England constituency in 1999 and 2014, narrowly missing election in 2014.[6] However, he took up a seat in the European Parliament in 2017 when Anneliese Dodds stepped down to take up the Oxford East seat in the UK parliament following the 2017 General Election. In the 2019 European elections, he was reelected Labour’s sole MEP for South East England.[7]
Howarth served on committees, including Budget (BUDG), Internal Market (IMCO), Regional Development (REGI), and Budgetary Control (CONT). He was Vice Chair of the South Asia Delegation and participated in delegations to CARIFORUM, North Macedonia, and Palestine. He contributed as Rapporteur for the EU’s 2019 Budget and on legislation for the 2021-27 Multiannual Financial Framework, covering the EU Space Programme, Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, and Erasmus+.[8][9][10]
After parliament
editHowarth is a Senior Advisor to Signum Global Advisors and Senior Counsel at Instinctif Partners. He co-founded Politics Without Borders with Seb Dance and writes the Golfing in the Red Wall column on Substack. Now based in Newcastle upon Tyne, he is a trustee for Northumberland CVA.[11][12][13]
Personal life
editJohn Howarth is married to Jane Coney, a designer.[14] He has two children from his first marriage and a step daughter. He is a season ticket holder at Newcastle United and follows Reading F.C. as his "second team".
References
edit- ^ "John Howarth's back - read his new column today". 23 May 2007.
- ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhowarth58/?originalSubdomain=uk [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Berkshire-County.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ https://democracy.reading.gov.uk/Data/Council/20010619/Agenda/$20010619%20-%20Minutes.doc.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ https://democracy.reading.gov.uk/Data/Council/20020516/Agenda/$20020516%20-%20Minutes.doc.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Labour announces European Election candidates - Labour List". 8 April 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "The UK's European elections 2019". BBC News.
- ^ "8th parliamentary term | John HOWARTH | MEPs | European Parliament".
- ^ "9th parliamentary term | John HOWARTH | MEPs | European Parliament".
- ^ "European Parliament MEP Profiles".
- ^ https://pwbpolicy.com/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://johnhowarth.substack.com/ [bare URL]
- ^ "Our Trustees – NCVA".
- ^ "Instagram".