This Morning spoke to Jon immediately after the ruling, as well as discussing what the case will mean for parents with travel expert Simon Calder.
Speaking via video link, Jon said: “The next step for me – this all goes back to the Magistrates Court where it initially began.
“The Supreme Court has said I have to face trial. Once you don’t pay the fine, proceedings begin and in this case it has gone all this way.
“I have no intention of pleading guilty to this offence in the Magistrates Court, and I don’t expect to be found guilty.”
Explaining what will happen if he is found guilty, he said: “I’ll be fined £1000 and get a criminal record. Of course I will pay the fine if I get found guilty, I’ve always followed the rule of the court in these matters.”
Phil asked Jon if the two years of stress had been worth it, and he said: “It’s not worth it, but I made one decision and here I am – but this is not a campaign on my part.”
Travel expert Simon Calder sat on the This Morning sofa with Holly and Phil to explain what the ruling means for other parents.
He said: “Choosing to pull your child out of school when you want to does not work. Everybody has to obey the rules.
“At the root of this is prices doubling during the school holidays and costing parents thousands more.
“If the court had ruled the other way, the travel industry would have been relieved as it would have made profits smoother throughout the year – but teachers and headteachers would not have been pleased.”
Phil also explained that the fines are at the discretion of each local authority, and shared the number of fines each LEA handed out.
He said: “Suffolk have given over 6000 fines, North Tyneside only 108. Richmond, on the other hand, have issued zero fines over 2015/2016.”
