James Cleverly
Lieutenant Colonel James Spencer Cleverly TD VR (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician and Army Reserve officer who has served as Home Secretary since November 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Braintree in Essex since 2015. He previously served as Foreign Secretary from 2022 to 2023, Education Secretary from July to September 2022, Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party alongside Ben Elliot from 2019 to 2020, and in other junior ministerial positions.
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable James Cleverly TD VR MP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home Secretary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 13 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Suella Braverman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 September 2022 – 13 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Cameron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 July 2022 – 6 September 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Michelle Donelan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kit Malthouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister without Portfolio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Brandon Lewis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Amanda Milling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament for Braintree | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Brooks Newmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 24,673 (48.9%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Spencer Cleverly 4 September 1969 Lewisham, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Susannah Sparks (m. 2000) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Blackheath, London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Ealing College of Higher Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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| Website | cleverly4braintree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | British Army (Reserve) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1989–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Royal Artillery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cleverly advocated a vote for Brexit in the 2016 EU membership referendum. In the second May ministry, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2018 to 2019 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from April to July 2019. When Boris Johnson was appointed prime minister in July 2019, Cleverly was promoted to the Cabinet as minister without portfolio, serving as Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party alongside Ben Elliot from 2019 to 2020. Cleverly was demoted from the Cabinet in the 2020 ministerial reshuffle and served as a junior Foreign Office minister from February 2020 until the July 2022 government crisis, when he was appointed to succeed Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State for Education.
In September 2022, he was appointed foreign secretary by then–Prime Minister Liz Truss, making him the first British foreign secretary of African heritage. Retained as foreign secretary when Rishi Sunak became prime minister in October 2022, Cleverly was then appointed home secretary in the November 2023 cabinet reshuffle. As Home Secretary, Cleverly has committed to maintaining the Rwanda asylum plan and has introduced a plan to substantially reduce legal migration to the UK by raising the threshold for family visas.