A lifetime of public service - Dan Jarvis MP

Campaigning with the local Labour team in Brierley.

Before serving in Parliament, Dan served for 14 years as an officer in the British Army, commissioning from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into The Parachute Regiment.

Dan deployed to Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, and – on numerous occasions – to Iraq and Afghanistan. After being promoted to the rank of Major, he worked at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood and the Army’s Headquarters in Salisbury.

In recognition of his military service, Dan was awarded an MBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours. The award recognised his work developing training to help British troops identify improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan – work credited with helping to save lives.

In 2011, Dan became the first person since the Second World War to resign his commission to contest a Parliamentary by-election. He won the by-election and has been proud to have served continuously as the Labour Member of Parliament for the Barnsley North (formerly Barnsley Central).

A very active constituency MP, Dan holds regular advice surgeries for his constituents and hosts public meetings on a range of important local issues, such as SEND provision and mineworkers’ pensions.

He is also very closely involved in community life across the borough. Shortly after being elected, he launched the ‘Proud of Barnsley’ campaign and continues to host the Proud of Barnsley Awards each year. He also serves as a patron for Barnsley Hospice and Barnsley Youth Choir.

Offering advice to residents in Lundwood.

After embarking on a 30km walk to raise money for Barnsley Hospice.

From 2018 to 2022, Dan served as the first Mayor of South Yorkshire. He is proud to have secured the powers, funding, and structures needed to establish a fully functioning Mayoral Combined Authority for the people of South Yorkshire.

Over his four-year term as Mayor, Dan led our region through the COVID-19 pandemic and severe flooding, while securing £1.92 billion in new funding from central government to invest in South Yorkshire’s economy, transport, and communities.

Speaking at South Yorkshire's first Economic Summit.

After securing £12 million for transport and travel in South Yorkshire.

After the Labour Party won the 2024 General Election and formed the government, Dan was appointed as Security Minister. He was subsequently appointed as a Privy Councillor in 2026, becoming The Rt Hon Dan Jarvis MBE MP.

In June 2026, Dan was appointed as Secretary of State for Defence, before returning to serve as Security Minister in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government.

As Security Minister, Dan works alongside the intelligence and security services, Counter Terror Police, the National Crime Agency, and colleagues in government, leading work on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, serious organised crime, and economic crime.

You can find out about his work as Security Minister here.

Co-chairing the Ukraine Defence Contact Group with President Zelensky.

In his very limited spare time, Dan enjoys reading, running over the hills, and supporting Barnsley FC – all of which can be hard work at times! He has run the London marathon numerous times to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Dan is also the author of Long Way Home, which won Best Biography, Memoir or Autobiography at the Parliamentary Book Awards in 2020.

He lives in Barnsley with his wife, three children, and their very friendly Springer Spaniel.

You can keep up with Dan’s work by signing up to his monthly newsletter.