The Rt Hon Jo Johnson
Biography
Jo Johnson was Minister of State attending Cabinet at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Education from 24 July to 5 September 2019.
Jo was Minister of State at the Department for Transport and Minister for London from 9 January 2018 to 9 November 2018. He was elected Conservative MP for Orpington in May 2010, re-elected in May 2015 and July 2017.
Education
Jo began his schooling in Brussels, at the European School in Uccle, before attending Ashdown House School in East Sussex, and then Eton College. In 1991, he went to Balliol College, Oxford to study Modern History.
A French speaker, Jo did his postgraduate studies in Europe and has degrees from 2 further European universities.
Political career
Jo was Minister of State for Universities and Science from May 2015, then Minister of State for Universities, Research and Innovation from July 2016 to January 2018. He was head of the Downing Street Policy Unit and served as Minister of State at the Cabinet Office from July 2014 until May 2015. He served as an Assistant Government Whip from September 2012 until July 2014. He also served as Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office from April 2013 until July 2014.
Career outside politics
Jo joined the Financial Times in 1997, after working as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank. He had 2 foreign postings with them: firstly as Paris correspondent (2001 to 2005), and then as South Asia Bureau Chief based in New Delhi (2005 to 2008). In 2008 he became an Associate Editor of the Financial Times and Head of the Lex Column.