Jo Johnson

Joseph Edmund Johnson, Baron Johnson of Marylebone, was born on 23 December 1971 in London, England. He is a British politician and peer who has held various governmental and parliamentary roles. He currently sits in the House of Lords.

Family and Early Life:

Johnson is the youngest of four children of Stanley Johnson, a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and author, and Charlotte Johnson Wahl (née Fawcett), an artist. His maternal grandfather was Sir James Fawcett, a barrister and former president of the European Commission of Human Rights, serving from 1972 to 1981. He has an older brother, Boris Johnson, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022. His siblings also include Rachel, a journalist, and Leo, an entrepreneur and filmmaker. Johnson was born in London and attended multiple schools, starting with the European School in Uccle, followed by The Hall School in Hampstead, Ashdown House School in East Sussex, and Eton College.

Education:

In 1991, Johnson matriculated to Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied Modern History. He was a Scholar at Balliol College and earned First Class degrees in Honour Moderations in June 1992 and the Final Honour School in June 1994. During his time at Oxford, he edited the student publication Isis and was a member of the Bullingdon Club, alongside future notable figures such as George Osborne and Nathaniel Rothschild.

Career in Journalism:

After graduating from the Université libre de Bruxelles, Johnson began his professional career with Deutsche Bank as an investment banker in 1995. In 1997, he transitioned to journalism, joining the Financial Times. He took a sabbatical in 1999/2000 to earn an MBA from INSEAD. Upon returning, he served as the Paris correspondent (2001–2005) and then as South Asia bureau chief based in New Delhi (2005–2008). Later, Johnson became an associate editor at the Financial Times and head of the Lex Column, a prominent financial commentary section, a position he held until April 2010. He has received awards from various journalistic organizations, including the Foreign Press Association and the Society of Publishers in Asia.

He has authored and co-authored books, notably "The Man Who Tried To Buy the World" (2003), about Jean-Marie Messier, and co-edited "Reconnecting Britain and India" (2011). Johnson also engaged in radio and television commentary on topics including India’s rise and UK economic affairs.

Parliamentary Career:

In 2009, Johnson was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley. He was elected as MP for Orpington in the 2010 general election, securing over 17,000 votes more than his predecessor. He increased his majority in subsequent elections, including the 2015 and 2017 general elections.

Government Roles:

Johnson was appointed head of the Number 10 Policy Unit in April 2013 by Prime Minister David Cameron to assist in developing the 2015 Conservative manifesto. In May 2015, he was appointed Minister for Universities and Science at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. While in office, he introduced the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, a significant reform legislation for English higher education funding and regulation.

In January 2018, he became Minister of Transport and Minister for London. He resigned from this position in November 2018, expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s Brexit negotiations. In July 2019, Johnson returned to the role of Minister of State for Universities under his brother Boris Johnson’s government, serving from July to September 2019. He resigned as a minister and MP in September 2019, ahead of the 2019 UK general election.

Peerage and Later Work:

In July 2020, Johnson was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Johnson of Marylebone in the 2019 Dissolution Honours. He serves as Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on Education for 11-16-year-olds. Since leaving government, he has focused on the role of technology in education access and has held non-executive roles, including chairman at Tes (appointed December 2019), Access Creative College, and FutureLearn. Johnson also served briefly as a director at Elara Capital PLC, resigning in February 2023 due to the role’s demands exceeding his expertise in financial regulation.

Academic and Other Roles:

Johnson is a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and holds the position of President’s Professorial Fellow at King's College London. He has also returned to journalism, contributing to outlets such as the Financial Times.