Jack Sargeant (born 1994) is a Welsh Labour Party politician serving as Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership[a] since July 2024, and a Member of the Senedd (MS). He represents the Alyn and Deeside constituency, where he succeeded his father Carl Sargeant following the February 2018 by-election.[3]
Jack Sargeant | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership[a] | |
| Assumed office 17 July 2024[1] | |
| First Minister | Vaughan Gething Eluned Morgan |
| Preceded by | Sarah Murphy |
| Member of the Senedd for Alyn and Deeside | |
| Assumed office 7 February 2018[2] | |
| Preceded by | Carl Sargeant |
| Majority | 4,378 (16.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1994 (age 29–30) Rhuddlan, Flint, Wales |
| Political party | Welsh Labour |
| Relatives | Carl Sargeant (father) |
| Website | https://jacksargeant.wales/ |
Background
editSargeant was born in Rhuddlan[citation needed] in 1994 and attended Connah's Quay High School. He studied for an engineering apprenticeship at Deeside College before completing a degree course at Glyndŵr University in Wrexham, then working in DRB.[4]
He was elected as MS for Alyn and Deeside at a by-election held on 6 February 2018. He succeeded his father, the previous incumbent Carl Sargeant, after Carl died by suicide in November 2017.[5][6] At 23 years of age, Jack Sargeant became the youngest ever AM (now MS) when he was elected to the National Assembly (now the Senedd).[7]
Campaigns
editSargeant is an active campaigner in support of World Suicide Prevention Day, an occasion which is held on 10 September each year. He has launched an initiative called The 84, named after the 84 men who take their own lives each week in the UK.[8]
The initiative is backed by major sports clubs in Wales, including Cardiff City F.C., Swansea City A.F.C.,[9] Newport County A.F.C.,[10] Wrexham A.F.C. and Connah's Quay Nomads F.C., who all agreed to share suicide prevention messages with the hashtag #ItsOkNotToBeOk to support the campaign.[8] The clubs have also worked to include suicide prevention messages into fixtures, such as including Samaritans in their match day events on the weekend of 14 and 15 September, and holding bucket collections.[9]
Sargeant himself has spoken about the impact of suicide, stating he "sometimes finds it difficult to get up in the morning after losing his father Carl."[11]
He is also a supporter of Parkinson's UK.[12]
Ministerial Career
editSargeant was appointed Minister for Social Partnership in July 2024 by First Minister Vaughan Gething, following a cabinet reshuffle as a result of other cabinet resignations and Gething's announcement of resignation.[1][13] He retained the role under Eluned Morgan, Gething's successor as First Minister, although renamed in September 2024 as Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, in Morgan's cabinet reshuffle.[14]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Vaughan Gething reshuffles Welsh Labour top team after resignations". The Independent. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Jack Sargeant MS". senedd.wales. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Jack Sargeant MS". senedd.wales. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Shipton, Martin (10 December 2017). "Carl Sargeant's son bids to take his seat in the National Assembly". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ "Jack Sargeant wins Alyn and Deeside by-election". BBC News. BBC. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "Labour select Carl Sargeant's son for by-election fight". BBC News. BBC. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Shipton, Martin; Hodgson, Sarah (7 February 2018). "Jack Sargeant wins Alyn and Deeside by-election after his father's death". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ a b Rugg, Aaliyah (10 September 2019). "Assembly member hopes to use power of football to prevent suicides". Wrexham Leader. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Swansea City mark World Suicide Prevention Day | Swansea". www.swanseacity.com. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "CLUB NEWS | Exiles support AM Jack Sargeant's Campaign on World Suicide Prevention Day". www.newport-county.co.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Jack Sargeant speaks on impact of suicide". 20 February 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Rugg, Aaliyah (11 September 2019). "Jack Sargeant AM takes on the dizzying heights of Holyhead to raise funds for Parkinson's UK". Wrexham Leader. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Vaughan Gething: Jeremy Miles likely to bid to be Wales first minister". BBC News. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Welsh government reshuffle: Miles back as minister after ousting Gething". BBC News. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
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