Editing Ruth Aylett (section)

==Family and politics==
Aylett was born in [[London]].<ref>[https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/personal.html Personal stuff] by Aylett, accessed 15 November 2020</ref> She is the mother of writer and activist [[Owen Jones]].<ref name=ack>See the "[https://books.google.com/books?id=gwzQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT318 Acknowledgements]" section of {{cite book|title=This Land: The Story of a Movement|first=Owen|last=Jones|publisher=Penguin|year=2020|isbn=9780141994406}}</ref> She met her husband, union organiser Robert Jones, through their membership in the [[Militant tendency]], a [[Trotskyist]] group within the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Phelim Brady|url=http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/5556|title=Interview: Owen Jones|publisher=Varsity.co.uk|date=8 February 2013|accessdate=26 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928192233/http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/5556|archive-date=28 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> He developed [[prostate cancer]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health/cancer-patients-miss-out-vital-6106939|work=Daily Record|title=Cancer patients miss out on vital drug due to shortage of nurses at Edinburgh hospital|first=Vivienne|last=Aitken|date=21 July 2015}}</ref> and died in 2018.<ref name=ack/>

As a political activist, Aylett has advocated for the Labour Party,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/why-im-voting-labour-ruth-aylett-poet-professor-activist|newspaper=[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Morning Star]]|title=Election 2019: Why I'm voting Labour: Ruth Aylett, poet, professor, activist|date=3 December 2019}}</ref> for improved labour security for university staff,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/22/we-refuse-to-act-as-external-examiners-until-universities-deal-with-staffing-issues|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 January 2020|department=Letters|title=We refuse to act as external examiners until universities deal with staffing issues}}</ref> for permanent residency for [[European Union]] citizens already in the UK at the time of [[Brexit]],<ref name=stay>{{cite news|newspaper=LabourList|title=Labour activists urge Starmer to back 'right to stay' for EU citizens campaign|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/09/labour-activists-urge-starmer-to-back-right-to-stay-for-eu-citizens-campaign/|date=8 September 2020}}</ref> for [[academic freedom]] for faculty and students in the face of the 'Counter-terrorism and security bill' legislation by signing a letter claiming the bill ran counter to universities mission to foster free speech as well as being 'unenforceable' and 'unlawful',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/02/counter-terrorism-security-bill-threat-freedom-of-speech-universities|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Counter-terrorism and security bill is a threat to freedom of speech at universities|date=2 February 2015}}</ref> as well as support for [[transgender rights]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/17472564.not-speak-us-feminists-hit-back-trans-exclusionary-activists-open-letter/|newspaper=The National|title=They do not speak for us: Feminists hit back at trans-exclusionary activists in open letter|date=3 March 2019}}</ref> She has served as one of the leaders of the Labour Party in [[Edinburgh Southern (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh Southern]].<ref name=stay/>