Jonathan Michael Graham Ashworth (born 14 October 1978) is a British former Labour and Co-op politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester South from 2011 to 2024.

[1] Prior to his election to Parliament, Ashworth worked as an adviser to Gordon Brown and head of party relations for Ed Miliband.

[3][4] In April 2020, Ashworth was reappointed to the position by new leader Keir Starmer, gaining the additional shadow portfolio of social care in England, he was succeeded in the role by Wes Streeting in 2021.

[5] Jonathan Ashworth was born on 14 October 1978 in Salford, was brought up in north Manchester and educated at Philips High School in Whitefield and Bury College.

His main job was liaising with the Labour movement and an Evening Standard profile said "his contact book was "stuffed with constituency officers and union organisers"; there was newspaper speculation that he would be Political Secretary at 10 Downing Street in a potential future Brown government.

[12] When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007, Ashworth was appointed deputy Political Secretary with the role of linking the Government to the trade unions.

[9] There was speculation later that year that Ashworth might be selected to replace John Prescott as the official Labour candidate for Kingston upon Hull East,[13] although it came to nothing.

[29] In December 2019, it was reported 4,668 patient deaths during the year were linked to safety incidents at hospital, mental health and ambulance trusts.

Ashworth held "years of Tory cutbacks" responsible for understaffing and for increasing pressures, which he said put patients at risk.

[30] On 10 December 2019, it emerged that Ashworth had told a friend that he did not believe Labour would win the 2019 general election due to be held two days later.

[1] Later that month, Ashworth was one of five politicians to cover for James O'Brien's radio show on LBC, as part of the station's "Guest Week"[39] In August 2024, Ashworth led a team of senior Labour figures to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, where he advised the Harris campaign on electoral strategy for the 2024 US Presidential Election.

[41] Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah attended the couple's wedding on 3 July 2010,[42][full citation needed] at St Michael's Church, Holbrook in Derbyshire.