John Mills is an economist, author and political campaigner. He is also the Founder, Chairman and majority shareholder of JML, the global consumer goods company which exports to over 85 countries around the world.
A committed and well-respected advocate for growth and enterprise, John Mills is an accomplished writer and has published over 12 books during the last 40 years.
Having appeared on all major UK broadcasters including Radio 4 The Today Programme and BBC’s Question Time, John remains a go-to commentator and analyst on issues relating to the UK economy, exchange rate policy and Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
John started his career selling household goods door-to-door as a student in 1959. After two years' of national service in the Royal Navy, a six-month spell at Unilever and a series of other business ventures, John founded John Mills Limited (JML) from his basement in Camden in 1986.
Under his stewardship, JML has become a global multi-channel retailer selling over 15 million products a year. Today, JML is one of Britain’s most successful exporting businesses employing just under 250 people. The success of the company has helped put a JML product in more than 7 out of 10 homes in the UK.
John has been a Labour Party member, supporter and donor for over 50 years. He served as a Labour Councillor on Camden Borough Council almost continuously from 1971 to 2006. John has also been a parliamentary candidate twice – once in 1974 and again for the European Parliamentary elections in 1979. Having been the national agent for the ‘No’ campaign during the 1975 ECC referendum, John is a lifelong Eurosceptic and chaired Labour’s ‘leave’ campaign during the 2016 EU referendum.