Lillian Jones is the Labour Party MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Jones gained the Kilmarnock and Loudoun seat for Labour, defeating the incumbent Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Alan Brown. Jones received 19,055 votes (44.9%), Brown received 13,936 votes (32.8%), and the Conservative candidate, Jordan Cowie, secured 3,527 votes (8.3%). Jones was duly elected with a majority of 5,119 votes.

The Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency is located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It was considered a Labour stronghold from 1983 until 2015 when it was won by the SNP.

Political Career

Jones is a member of the House of Commons Scottish affairs select committee (since October 2024) – the committee responsible for scrutinising the expenditure, administration and policies of the Scotland Office and its associated bodies. The committee also examines the wider UK government, assessing policies and legislation that are relevant to Scotland.

Jones is also a member of the House of Commons finance committee (since November 2024). The finance committee is an internal body of the House of Commons responsible for overseeing the financial management of the House itself. Unlike a select committee, it does not scrutinise government departments. Instead, its remit is purely administrative and focused on the House’s own budget and expenditure.

In January 2026, Jones was listed as a supporter of an amendment to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, often referred to as the “Hillsborough Law”, that would extend the proposed criminal offence of misleading the public to include MPs and peers. Luke Myer, the Labour MP behind the proposal, argued that his amendment would mean “no-one in parliament would be above the law”, adding: “If politicians deliberately lie to the public, there should be consequences.”

Myer stated: “This amendment is a proportionate, carefully safeguarded response to a real democratic risk. It is not about stifling debate or political disagreement, it is about ensuring that those who seek or hold public office cannot deliberately and knowingly mislead the public without consequence.

“The polling shows that voters across the political spectrum expect parliament to act.”

Myer’s amendment won the support of 30 cross-party MPs.

Jones is a patron of LGBT+ Labour – a socialist society formally affiliated with the Labour Party.

Jones is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for the wood panel industry (chair).

Jones delivered her maiden speech on 22 October 2024.

In it, she said: “In 1945, Clarice Shaw was the first woman elected to this place to represent the people of Kilmarnock on a platform of jobs for all, industry in the service of the nation, public ownership, a welfare state from cradle to grave and a new national health service.

“Clarice was a tireless campaigner for equality, an unwavering agitator for peace and a dedicated socialist member of parliament. Her legacy serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all of us who believe in the power of collective action and social justice.”

She added: “I am shaped by the people who have loved, mentored, taken a chance on and believed in me. I stand before the House today as a proud public servant with a combined 34 years of public service.

“Being in the service of people is when I am at my best. This is who I am.”

Before entering parliament, Jones was elected as a Labour councillor on East Ayrshire Council in May 2012. She stood down from this post in September 2024.

Political views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Jones was one of 117 Labour MPs who nominated Lucy Powell for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Powell, the former leader of the House of Commons, was seen as a candidate representing the party’s “soft left”; she was supported by leading soft left figures including Ed Miliband and Andy Burnham. She secured 117 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), above the 80 required, and went on to win the election – defeating Bridget Phillipson with 54.3% of the vote.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Jones was one of the over 120 Labour MPs to sign the reasoned amendment to the government’s flagship welfare bill which aimed to reject the proposed legislation.

The amendment, in the name of senior Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, objected to the fact that the bill had not been subject to a “formal consultation with disabled people” and that “250,000 people will be pushed into poverty” as a result of it, according to a government impact assessment.

The motion also called on the government to wait for the publication of the review into the Personal Independence Payment (Pip), helmed by minister Sir Stephen Timms, and the independent review, conducted by Sir Charlie Mayfield, into how the employment of disabled people could be boosted.

Welfare vote (July 2025): Jones voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Jones voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

In a statement issued shortly after the bill’s third reading, Jones said: “We live in an age of extraordinary innovation, from advanced medical treatments to AI transforming healthcare, and even space exploration. Our capacity to solve complex problems is limitless.

“I believe we should channel that same drive into improving palliative care. Investing in facilities, staff, training, and innovation. We must find better ways to ensure everyone can die safely, pain free and surrounded by loved ones.

“To me, assisted dying risks becoming a substitute for this vital work.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Jones voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Jones was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Jones worked for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Personal Life

Jones lives in her Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

In her 2024 maiden speech, Jones told the House: “I moved to Kilmarnock after meeting my partner Nettie, and we have been together ever since. She is my best friend and my anchor – I just don’t know what I would do without her.”

Trivia

Jones has sat as a member of the House of Commons Scottish affairs and finance committees.