Jon Wheale

https://www.labour.org.uk/burton-jon-wheale

Burton and Uttoxeter, Jon Wheale


Jon was brought up in Burton and is a former regular British Army officer who has retrained as a barrister and is currently employed in the Westminster office of a shadow Justice Minister.

Jon volunteered for the regular Army aged 18 and completed a degree in International Politics and Strategic Studies at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He passed out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and led soldiers on military operations in Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, as well as being selected for Arabic language training and serving with the Jordanian Armed Forces.

It was his experience of human rights abuses during his military service which prompted him to leave the regular army in order to study law and human rights. Subsequently Jon served as an arms monitor with the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). In 2011, he was asked by Jim Murphy, then Secretary of State for Defence, to help found Labour Friends of the Forces, of which he remains a leading member.

Since leaving the Army Jon has held senior management roles in several market-leading British based companies. He also volunteers as a magistrate in the adult and family proceedings court and as the chair of trustees for East Staffordshire Family Support, Harvey Girls, Dads 4 Dads and the British Ceramics Biennial.

Apart from his keen interest in Defence and Foreign Affairs, Jon is focused on seeking ways to promote and sustain: local business and good quality jobs; cultural and economic regeneration; and a successful future for people who live, learn, work and retire in Burton, Uttoxeter and the villages.