Jonathan Davies entered Parliament in July 2024 after Labour gained Mid Derbyshire with 17,346 votes and a majority of 1,878.

He built his parliamentary position through backbench institutions rather than ministerial patronage. He joined the Backbench Business Committee in March 2025, giving him a say in which subjects receive time for debate, and the Environmental Audit Committee in November 2025.

These appointments increased his access to parliamentary time and environmental scrutiny, but did not give him executive authority or control over public spending.

What he stands for

Davies’s most distinctive interest has been protecting cultural infrastructure. He secured a debate on the future of public libraries in May 2025, arguing that libraries support literacy, digital inclusion, employment searches and people experiencing isolation.

He later obtained parliamentary time for a debate marking UNESCO’s 80th anniversary. MPs identified him as chair of the parliamentary group for UNESCO world heritage sites, whose work included promoting British sites and the organisations that support them.

His environmental position has been supportive of Labour’s climate policy. As an Environmental Audit Committee member, he took part in scrutiny of the seventh carbon budget, which sets the emissions limit for 2038 to 2042. Committee membership gave him a role in questioning the Climate Change Committee, but the carbon budget was not his policy.

What he actually delivered

Davies’s clearest local result concerned the historic Belper Mills complex, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. A redevelopment planning application was approved in February 2026 after he had held meetings with residents, public authorities, the site’s owners and the government, and had spoken to the planning committee.

That was a tangible planning outcome, but responsibility was shared. The local planning authority made the decision and the owners remained responsible for completing the redevelopment. Approval was not restoration, construction or a secured economic return.

His campaigns on libraries and UNESCO produced debates and political attention rather than new statutory duties or a national funding settlement. There is no measurable result showing that library closures were prevented or that UNESCO sites received additional funding because of his interventions.

He also pressed the government to complete electrification of the Midland Main Line, arguing that the East Midlands had received the lowest transport spending per head of any UK region or nation. The Secretary of State said the proposal remained under review.

The railway was not electrified as a result of that exchange. The intervention established a demand, not delivery.

Political character and capability

Davies has operated as a loyal, culturally focused backbencher. His method is to secure debates, work through committees and convene institutions around local heritage concerns rather than challenge the Labour leadership publicly.

No rectification or adverse standards finding is displayed in his parliamentary register of interests. The register records two overseas visits funded through the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme Trust.

Davies has proved that he can obtain parliamentary time and bring local authorities, owners and ministers into discussions about a difficult heritage site. His contribution to the Belper Mills planning decision is the strongest practical evidence of capability.

His wider record is thinner. Debates on libraries, UNESCO and regional transport raised legitimate problems but did not produce national reforms or measurable improvements. The evidence supports him as a diligent backbench advocate with some convening ability. It does not establish significant legislative or executive achievement.