| Donna Jones | |
| Office: | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Term Start: | 13 May 2021 |
| Predecessor: | Michael Lane |
| Office1: | Leader of the Portsmouth City Council |
| Term Start1: | 4 June 2014 |
| Term End1: | 12 June 2018 |
| Predecessor1: | Gerald Vernon-Jackson (LD) |
| Successor1: | Gerald Vernon-Jackson (LD) |
| Office2: | Member of Portsmouth City Council for Hilsea Ward |
| Term Start2: | 1 May 2008 |
| Term End2: | 6 May 2021 |
| Predecessor2: | Jeremy Baler (Con) |
| Successor2: | Daniel Wemyss (Con) |
| Party: | Conservative |
| Citizenship: | British |
Donna Jones is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner since 2021.[1] She was the youngest member of the judiciary in England and Wales when appointed to be a magistrate in 2005.[2]
Jones was born in May 1977[3] in Portsmouth.[4] She was educated in Portsmouth, attending Havant College[4] and a local further education college, where she passed three A levels.[4] She was offered a place to study at Cardiff University.[4]
Jones was a councillor for Hilsea on Portsmouth City Council from 1 May 2008 to 6 May 2021. From June 2014 to June 2018, she was Leader of the council, taking over from Gerald Vernon-Jackson, a Liberal Democrat, when there was a change of political control. He returned to the job in 2018.
While she was leader of the Conservative administration at Portsmouth council, Jones advised Portsmouth F.C. as strategic stadium development consultant.[5] The council also launched an energy company, Victory Energy, which entered into a £100,000 sponsorship deal with Portsmouth F.C.[6] In 2020 Victory Energy was wound up with losses of £3.5 million,[6] following attempts by the council to sell the company.[7]
In the 2019 general election, while still serving as a councillor, Jones was the unsuccessful Conservative candidate in Portsmouth South. During the campaign, she received criticism from political opponents for flying in a plane over the constituency, with a banner attached stating "Vote Donna Jones - Get Brexit Done", instead of attending a candidates' hustings on climate change.[8]
Jones remained as a councillor and as leader of the Conservative group in Portsmouth until the 2021 Portsmouth City Council election on 6 May, when she stood down. However, in the 2021 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections on the same day, Jones was elected as Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.[9] Jones was re-elected in the 2024 election.[10]
On 3 August 2024, in response to riots in some UK cities, she issued a media release which the Independent reported "appears to justify far-right riots", in which she said: "I've spoken to people from both sides of the spectrum and the only way to stem the tide of violent disorder is to acknowledge what is causing it", continuing, "Arresting people, or creating violent disorder units, is treating the symptom and not the cause".[11] She also linked the disturbances to what she said is "mass uncontrolled immigration", and said that the rioters were seeking to "uphold British values".[12] [13] This media release was subsequently removed from the Police and Crime Commission's website, having generated widespread criticism, including calls for Jones to resign.[14]
[15] [16] [17] Donna Jones won every counting area in Hampshire,[17] [18] with the closest being the traditionally-Labour City of Southampton, where she won by 877 votes.