John Charles Baron is a British Conservative Party politician who represented Billericay and later Basildon and Billericay in Parliament from 2001 to 2024. Born on 21 June 1959, Baron established a reputation as an independent-minded backbencher who frequently rebelled against his party on matters of principle. He was particularly noted for his opposition to military interventions in Iraq, Libya and Syria, and for calling for a referendum on European Union membership before the 2015 election.

A strong critic of the EU, Baron became a vocal supporter of Brexit during the 2016 referendum campaign and subsequently backed the Leave Means Leave campaign. Despite being reselected by his local Conservative association, he chose to step down at the 2024 general election after serving 23 years as an MP. Baron now writes commentary for Comment Central, bringing his extensive parliamentary experience and expertise in foreign policy and European affairs to the publication's readership.