Jonathan was born in Northallerton in February 1982 to Gareth and Angela Roberts, who both worked for North Yorkshire County Council.  Moving to Thirsk two years later, Jonathan was educated in Thirsk at All Saints Primary on Green Lane East, and Thirsk Secondary School on Topcliffe Road.

His main passions at school were playing virtually every sport Thirsk had to offer, and embarrassing himself annually in the school musical.  His 'Nathan Detroit' in the 2000 production of 'Guys and Dolls' remains immortalised on VHS.

After a stint training at the prestigious Central School of Speech & Drama in London, Jonathan moved to Loughborough University in 2001 to read English Literature.  Here he sampled his first taste of democracy, being elected to numerous positions in the student body, including Vice President of the Student Union, one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Jonathan served on Thirsk Town Council from 2005/7, and proved to be a passionate advocate of local causes, including the Thirsk Clock youth centre.

Jonathan now divides his time between the constituency and London, where he works in the private sector for the Chamber of Shipping, running the Maritime UK coalition of maritime business organisations.

He was selected by the Thirsk and Malton Labour Party in a unanimous vote in December 2007.  The Thirsk & Malton constituency includes Easingwold, Helmsley, Kirkymoorside, Pickering, Norton and Filey.