In March 2021 the Green Party of England and Wales’ (GPEW) very own Baroness Jenny Jones caused some controversy in the House of Lords (HoL), in the wake of Sarah Everard’s abduction, when she suggested:
“At the next opportunity for any Bill that is appropriate, I might put in an amendment to create a curfew for men on the streets after 6pm.”
“I feel this would make women a lot safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened.”
Jenny later clarified that the curfew was “not an entirely serious suggestion” but a reaction to the Metropolitan Police’s advice that women in south London should not go out alone but be casually handed informal curfews when dangerous men were on the loose.
Her remarks were in the same week as the UN Women UK survey showed that 97% of women aged 18-24 had been sexually harassed.
Jennifer Helen Jones, now Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, was born on December 23, 1949. Her father was a hospital cook and her mother a dinner lady. Like many working class children she began working at a young age, mucking out horse stables to get a free horse ride. At the local grammar school she had her local Brighton accent trained out of her. She then went on to work as a crafts teacher, a secretary, a book keeper, a shop assistant and an office manager. At age 45 she gained a BSc(Hons) in Archaeology and spent nearly 10 years working as an archaeologist.
Role in in GPEW
Jenny is a pioneering member of GPEW, joining in 1988. She became a prominent figure in the Party, renowned for her dedication to environmental causes, women’s rights, social justice, and civil liberties.
She played a vital role in establishing the Party’s presence on the London Assembly from 2000-16 and acting as Deputy Mayor of London under Ken Livingstone from 2003 to 2004.
Jenny has hit the headlines several times:
In 2004 she was named as one of 200 ‘women of achievement’ by Buckingham Palace.
She was arrested and then de-arrested at an Occupy London protest in 2014.
In 2016 it became public knowledge that Jenny along with other Party members including Caroline Lucas had been monitored by the Metropolitan Police as ‘Domestic Extremists’ despite never having committed any crimes. The file on Jenny and her political life was held whilst she was a London councillor and on the official committee tasked with scrutinising the Metropolitan police.
House of Lords
When GPEW was offered its first seat in the House of Lords in the summer of 2013 Jenny was at the top of the party’s selection list and was voted for by all party members. Jenny joined the House of Lords on November 5th 2013, and took her title Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb. A long way from the council estate where she grew up in Brighton.
She continues to champion environmental causes, social justice, and civil liberties and her speeches highlight the urgency of addressing climate change, promoting sustainable practices, and safeguarding human rights.
As Green Party Women we are extremely proud of Jenny and her unfailing support of women and children and it is our absolute pleasure to be celebrating her here today.
“It is entirely appropriate that she was introduced to the House of Lords on 5 November…the term “feisty” could have been coined for her. I have to warn your Lordships that she takes no hostages when she is set on getting something done.” – Baroness Hamwee
Image credit
Author Roger Harris. Licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution 3.0 Unported license.
Sources