Jonathan Neil Reynolds (born 28 August 1980) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and President of the Board of Trade since 2026, having previously held the positions from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde since 2010.
Born in Houghton-le-Spring, Reynolds attended Houghton Kepier Comprehensive School and Sunderland City College. He studied politics at University of Manchester and then attended BPP Law School. He worked as a trainee solicitor for Addleshaw Goddard though never completed his solicitor training. Reynolds was on Labour's National Executive Committee from 2003 to 2005 and a political assistant for four years to James Purnell, and served on Tameside Council from 2007 to 2011. Reynolds was elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde at the 2010 general election, and subsequently joined the frontbench under Ed Miliband.
Reynolds was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Miliband and shadow energy minister from 2013 to 2015. Following Jeremy Corbyn's election as party leader in September 2015, Reynolds became a shadow transport minister before returning to the backbenches in January 2016. He returned to the frontbench in October of the same year, serving until 2020. Under Keir Stamer, Reynolds was promoted to the shadow cabinet as shadow work and pensions secretary in 2020. In a 2021 shadow cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed shadow business secretary.
Following Labour's victory in the 2024 general election, Reynolds was appointed to government as Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade by Starmer in his ministry. In the 2025 cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. After Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in 2026, Reynolds returned to his previous role as business secretary, with additional responsibilities of science and innovation.
Jonathan Reynolds was born on 28 August 1980 in Houghton-le-Spring in Tyne and Wear to Keith and Judith Reynolds. He was educated at Houghton Kepier Comprehensive School and Sunderland City College. He moved to Manchester in 1998, studying politics and modern history at the University of Manchester, and then studying at BPP Law School. After leaving university Reynolds worked as a trainee solicitor in the Manchester branch of the law firm Addleshaw Goddard, though never completed his solicitor training (despite his claims to the contrary).
Before becoming an MP, Reynolds served on Labour's National Executive Committee from 2003 to 2005. In 2007, he was elected to Tameside Council as the councillor for the Longdendale ward.
Reynolds worked for four years as a political assistant for the Stalybridge and Hyde MP James Purnell and was selected to replace Purnell after a controversial selection process. Reynolds is a member of the Co-operative Party and Unite the Union.
At the 2010 general election, Reynolds was elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde with 39.6% of the vote and a majority of 2,744. In 2011 Reynolds stood down as a councillor. Once elected as an MP he did not claim Councillor Allowances. In July 2013, Reynolds publicly called for the resignation of Tameside Hospital's Chief Executive, Christine Green.
During his campaign, Reynolds focused on local issues such as the redevelopment of town centres, particularly Stalybridge, the Mottram-Tintwistle Bypass, the need for more primary school places in Hyde, and improved rail links in his constituency. His commitment to addressing these local concerns resonated with voters and helped him secure the seat. He also supported improvements Northern Hub rail and also opposed policing cuts in his constituency.
Under Ed Miliband, Reynolds was appointed Shadow Justice and Constitutional Affairs Whip. He was later appointed Miliband's Parliamentary Private Secretary and Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change. As Shadow Energy Minister, he focused on fuel poverty, energy efficiency, and solar energy. At the 2015 general election, Reynolds was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde with an increased vote share of 45% and an increased majority of 6,686.
After Jeremy Corbyn was elected to the leadership of the Labour Party in September 2015, Reynolds was made a Shadow Minister for Transport with responsibility for rail. He resigned the position following Jeremy Corbyn's January 2016 reshuffle, saying he felt he could "best serve the party as a backbencher" and expressing his support for the sacked Pat McFadden. He supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership election. Following the re-election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, he was re-appointed to the shadow front bench as Shadow City Minister.
In December 2015, Reynolds introduced a Private Member's Bill which would have changed UK general elections from first-past-the-post to the additional-member system. Reynolds was appointed a member of the BIS Select Committee in 2016. He questioned Mike Ashley during the committee's inquiry into working practices at Sports Direct. In June 2016, Reynolds argued the Labour Party had not developed a credible "alternative economic model". He has argued in favour of an industrial policy and reforms to UK equity markets.
In his time as Shadow City Minister Reynolds spoke in support of a Brexit deal which is favourable to financial services. City A.M. Editor Christian May described him in November 2016 as "popular in the Square Mile and at home in the brief". At the snap 2017 general election, Reynolds was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 57.2% and an increased majority of 8,084. Reynolds is Chair of Christians on the Left, and also a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel. Reynolds has identified as a Christian socialist.
At the 2019 general election, Reynolds was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 44.7% and a decreased majority of 2,946.
Following the 2020 Labour Party leadership election, Keir Starmer appointed Reynolds as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Reynolds addressed the failings of the Universal Credit system, which he argued did not adequately support vulnerable people while calling for reforming legacy benefits and improving the overall welfare system to ensure fair and dignified support for all recipients. He frequently called for an emergency budget to tackle the immediate economic impacts of the pandemic and focusing on the need for long-term planning in pensions and social security.
In September 2023, after a shadow cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Reynolds advocated for a balanced approach to the UK-EU relationship since the Brexit referendum. He said that Labour would not seek to rejoin the EU's single market or customs union, focusing instead on achieving a more favourable trade deal with the EU without reopening Brexit debates. He also said that he believed that political stability and good-faith negotiations were crucial for enhancing the trading relationship with the EU, aiming for practical improvements such as mutual recognition of professional qualifications and easier inter-company transfers.