Andrew Jones has been handed responsibility for charity tax policy as the Treasury has undergone a reshuffle.
Mel Stride was initially given the department’s charity portfolio when he was appointed financial secretary to the treasury last month following the general election.
However, the department has now shifted the “charities, the voluntary sector and gift aid” portfolio to exchequer secretary to the treasury Jones, who also joined the department last month.
The brief has traditionally been held by the exchequer secretary but was moved to the financial secretary in last government when no-one held the exchequer role at the Treasury.
Jones is the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and was parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Department for Transport in the previous government. He has also been a parliamentary private secretary in the health and business departments.
Jones worked in business for 25 years before becoming an MP, latterly in sales and marketing for Yorkshire tea company Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate.
In his maiden speech in 2010, Jones spoke about the role of voluntary organisations in his constituency.
“One of the reasons for the high quality of life in Harrogate and Knaresborough is the quantity and range of community groups and social enterprises.
“I have been particularly impressed on my visits to social enterprises such as Paperworks, Claro Enterprises, Horticap and the Little Red Bus.
“Numerous voluntary groups do so much to add to the quality of life in our area, and there are 400 charities registered. I have seen the difference that volunteering and social enterprises make, and I welcome the Government's support for the third sector.”
And in 2014, Jones called for a debate on what more could be done “to better recognise and celebrate the work of the voluntary sector bodies and charities”.
In his brief term as charities tax minister, Stride answered questions in the House of Commons about independent schools’ charitable status.
He replaced Jane Ellison, who had been financial secretary to the treasury for just under a year but lost her Battersea seat to the Labour candidate and disability rights campaigner Marsha de Cordova at the general election.
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