Sir Jonathan Guy Jones (born 21 May 1962) is a British lawyer, appointed in March 2014 and serving until his resignation on 8 September 2020 as HM Procurator General,
Treasury Solicitor
The Government Legal Department (previously called the Treasury Solicitor's Department) is the largest in-house legal organisation in the United Kingdom's Government Legal Service.
The department is headed by the Treasury Solicitor. This office go ...
Government Legal Department
The Government Legal Department (previously called the Treasury Solicitor's Department) is the largest in-house legal organisation in the United Kingdom's Government Legal Service.
The department is headed by the Treasury Solicitor. This office g ...
(until April 2015, named the Treasury Solicitor's Department).
Career
Jones attended
Llandovery College
, image = Llandovery College (geograph 5927072).jpg
, image_size =
, motto = Gwell Dysg Na Golud( here areno riches better than learning)
, established =
, closed =
, type = Independent day and bo ...
in Carmarthenshire before attending
St Chad's College
, motto_English = Not what you have, but who you are
, scarf =
, established = 1904
, principal = Margaret Masson
, senior_tutor = Eleanor Spencer-Regan
, undergraduates = 409
, postgraduates = 150
, website =
, coordinates =
, location_map ...
at Durham University where he read a BA in law, graduating in 1984 with a 2:2. He then was called to the Bar in 1985 and served as a legal advisor to the Motor Agents Association for three years before joining the government in the Office of Fair Trading in 1989. In 1993 Jones transferred to the Treasury Solicitor's Department, briefly into the division working with the Department for Transport, then as Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers from 1994 until 1998. In 1998 Jones became deputy legal advisor to
HM Treasury
His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ...
.
In 2002, Jones was promoted to be a director, initially serving as the Legal Director of the Department for Education and Skills, and two years later promoted again to be the Director-General of the Attorney General's Office. In 2009 Jones became the Deputy Treasury Solicitor, and after three years moved to the Home Office as their Director-General for Legal Affairs from 2012 until 2014.
On 1 March 2014, Jones was appointed the
Treasury Solicitor
The Government Legal Department (previously called the Treasury Solicitor's Department) is the largest in-house legal organisation in the United Kingdom's Government Legal Service.
The department is headed by the Treasury Solicitor. This office go ...
, replacing Sir Paul Jenkins on his retirement. In April 2015, the Treasury Solicitor's Department was renamed to be the Government Legal Department, and with it, parts of Jones's job title. As of 2015, Jones was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.
In January 2019, Queen Elizabeth II approved Jones's appointment as one of six new Honorary
Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...
.
Jones was appointed
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...
(KCB) in the 2020 New Year Honours for public service.
Shortly before 8 September 2020 Jones resigned in protest against the government's plans to breach the special Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, through the UK Internal Market Bill, in contravention of international law. A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office confirmed the resignation but refused to comment.
After observing a 3-month pause in accordance with advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, Jones took up a position as a senior consultant with the international law firm
Linklaters
Linklaters LLP is a multinational law firm, headquartered in London, England. Founded in 1838, it is a member of the " Magic Circle" of elite London-headquartered law firms. It currently employs over 5,000 lawyers across 31 offices in 21 coun ...
from 15 March 2021.
Jones is also an Honorary Professor at Durham Law School.