Former Brecon MP pens emotional column after losing seat in Tory wipeout
Emily Price
A former MP has penned a heart rending yet hilarious opinion column in which she describes sobbing into her wine after losing her seat in the Welsh Tory wipeout.
Former Minister for Wales and Brecon and Radnorshire MP, Fay Jones, lost her seat to the Liberal Democrats after holding it for over four years.
Writing for The Evening Standard she described the “gruesome” count on July 4 when her hope faded and the mood shifted until all she could see was “crusty knitted jumpers backslapping gleefully”.
In the end, Ms Jones lost her Brecon seat by 1,400 votes – Reform UK took 6,500.
Describing herself as one of the “251 Conservative victims” of the general election, she recounted how one of the farmers in her rural constituency had told her: “If your campaign was an animal, I’d have shot it.”
Wipeout
The Cardiff born politician joins Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies and former Conservative Welsh Secretaries Stephen Crabb, Simon Hart and Alun Cairns and Rishi Sunak’s former parliamentary aide Craig Williams in losing their seats.
In her op ed, Ms Jones recounted the moment she was out campaigning and was faced with a man shouting from his doorstep: “you’re a f****ing c***”.
She wrote: “I realise I can now, without fear of penalty, go back up there and do exactly the same to him.”
Following several jobs working for MPs, Ms Jones moved to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to join the UK negotiating team in the 2011 Common Agricultural Policy reform.
She then joined the National Farmers Union, spending almost five years working on behalf of UK farmers, including a 3 year posting in the NFU’s Brussels office.
She came home to Wales in 2017 and became involved in Conservative Party politics, eventually standing in the 2019 general election for the first time when she gained her Brecon seat.
Describing the positives of no longer being an elected Member of Parliament, Ms Jones explained how she was sometimes forced to balance her parliamentary credit card out of her own pocket when her aide lost receipts.
Another upside to losing her seat, she wrote, was “no more Liz Truss”.
Ms Jones explained how her next steps included making seven of her staff redundant and disposing of an “enormous number” of Tory campaign leaflets – after that, nothing.
Contemplating what the future could hold, the former Brecon MP said “it’s hard to know where to start.”
Writing for the Standard she said: “What am I qualified for? With 250 other victims furiously emailing recruitment firms, what does the former Minister for Wales have to offer the world?”
Signing off her opinion column she reveals a “very, very tempting” role her husband had found advertised — chief executive of the Falkland Islands government, based 8,000 miles away.
Sharing her opinion column on social media, Ms Jones said: “Very odd to be finding a new role for myself after the best job on earth – but writing for The Evening Standard was an honour. A cathartic one, at that.”
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Just another lightweight politician flushed away by the shifting tide of politics. No doubt there are plenty more like her newly installed in seats up and down the country. Sadly, only a small %age of them will do any good at all
Supporting people like Johnson, Truss and Sunak and braverman and patel and being in the worst UK government in history and its policies has consequences.
Who knew.
I hope Faye Jones does what she threatens to,I bet the guy would be shoched.
Doesn’t she seems such bubbly fun? Just remember, she was part of a regime that drove many to despair.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose – just in the nature of things, because it’s the ‘name of the political game’.
I know, because I’ve been there – though only at the local council level, nothing as exalted as parliament. You just have to roll with the blow to your aspiration!
I am glad to see that Wales is Tory FREE and we have got rid of Davies the Gormless Tory Welsh sec whose Job it was to stick up for the Wales but did sod all except put us down Tories gave Scotland and Northern Ireland a couple of Billion each for England having BILLIONS FOR H S 2 Wales Nothing Tories deemed it England and Wales nearest track 50 miles from Wales at its nearest point Now a change of government Labour in new Welsh Sec money for Wales for H S 2 NO SHE THE WELSH SEC we… Read more »
Reform are now the new Tories of Wales. Their voters need reminding how appalling and disrespectful they are being to Wales by supporting them.
Victim?!!!
Give me a break! Her Tory government victimised NHS patients, Covid rule followers, elderly people needing social care, disadvantaged children, the homeless, the hungry, people seeking refuge from war….the list is endless.
If you’re party to that litany then karma will get you.
Proper reflection would not involve feeling sorry for herself. She should be reflecting upon the damage she caused by being part of the worst government ever.
Andon the Tory watch thousands died because of covid and the incompetence of Boris and Sunak who was then chancellor opening up early to eat with his gimmick caused another wave and dont forget thousands have died needlessly with the tories cutting the budget of the N H S people died waiting for operations and getting treatment and waiting years for appointments they have no souls black hearted B THEY ARE SCUM
I would encourage her to apply for the Falkland Islands job and take the rest of ex Tory MP’s with her
Mrs Jones was part of the group that partied while Wales was held captive at home. Mrs Jones was part of the group that continued to allow the cown estate to steal from Wales Mrs Jones was part of the group that wanted to remove Wales right to self govern. Mrs Jones was part of the group that voted against a nurses pay rise after they suffered through covid. It’s amazing news that she’s on the political scrapheap with the rest of the crooks. “Crying into her wine” will never undo the pure evilness and cruelty carried out by her… Read more »