Clive Lewis (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clive Lewis
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Shadow Minister for Sustainable Economics | |
| In office 12 January 2018 – 9 April 2020 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | |
| In office 6 October 2016 – 8 February 2017 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Jon Trickett |
| Succeeded by | Rebecca Long-Bailey |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 27 June 2016 – 6 October 2016 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Emily Thornberry |
| Succeeded by | Nia Griffith |
| Member of Parliament for Norwich South |
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| Assumed office 7 May 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Simon Wright |
| Majority | 13,239 (29.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Clive Anthony Lewis
11 September 1971 London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations |
Socialist Campaign Group |
| Spouse |
Katy Steel
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army (Territorial Army) |
| Years of service | 2006–2009 |
| Rank | Captain, (Territorial Army) |
| Unit | 7th Battalion, The Rifles |
| Battles/wars | Operation Herrick |
Clive Anthony Lewis (born 11 September 1971) is a British politician from the Labour Party. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South since 2015. An MP represents a specific area in the UK Parliament.
Before becoming an MP, Clive Lewis was a reporter for BBC News. He also served in the Army Reserve, which is a part-time military force. In 2009, he spent three months serving in Afghanistan.
Clive Lewis has held important roles in the Labour Party. He was a "shadow minister," which means he was part of the opposition team that would take over if Labour won the election. He has spoken a lot about important issues like the climate crisis, fairness, and how democracy works.
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Early Life and Education
Clive Lewis was born in London on 11 September 1971. He grew up in Northampton on a council estate, which is a type of public housing. His father was from Grenada and his mother was from England.
He was the first person in his family to go to university. He studied economics at the University of Bradford. While there, he became the president of the student union. Later, he was the vice-president of the National Union of Students (NUS). In 1995, he supported the idea of getting rid of student loans.
In 1996, he was temporarily suspended from his NUS role. This happened because he spoke out against tuition fees, which are payments for university education.
Early Career and Military Service
After university, Clive Lewis studied journalism. He worked for local newspapers in Northampton and Milton Keynes. Then, he joined the BBC as a broadcast journalist. He reported for BBC News in different cities and became a main reporter for the Politics Show East.
In 2006, Lewis joined the Army Reserve. He trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to become an infantry officer. In 2009, he served for three months in Afghanistan. He later shared that he felt depressed after returning from his service. He received help from the Ministry of Defence and recovered.
Parliamentary Career
Becoming an MP
In 2011, Clive Lewis was chosen to be the Labour Party's candidate for Norwich South. This area had been won by the Liberal Democrats in the previous election.
He supported local campaigns, like trying to stop the Hewett School in Norwich from becoming an academy.
First Term (2015–2017)
In the 2015 general election, Clive Lewis was elected as the MP for Norwich South. He won with a large number of votes. In his first speech as an MP, he talked about the government's plans for housing. He said these plans would make it harder for people in Norwich to find affordable homes.
In June 2015, he became the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. He also became a supporter of the Anti-Academies Alliance, which opposes schools becoming academies. In December 2015, he voted against military airstrikes in Syria.
Lewis supported Jeremy Corbyn to become the leader of the Labour Party in 2015. After Corbyn became leader, Lewis was appointed as a shadow minister for Energy and Climate Change.
In June 2016, Lewis became the shadow defence secretary. This is a very important role in the opposition. Later that year, he became the shadow business secretary.
In February 2017, Lewis resigned from the shadow cabinet. He did this because he disagreed with the Labour Party's decision to vote to start the Brexit process.
Second Term (2017–2019)
In the 2017 general election, Clive Lewis was re-elected as MP for Norwich South. He won with even more votes than before.
In January 2018, he rejoined Labour's frontbench team. He became a shadow Treasury minister, focusing on sustainable economics. This means looking at how the economy can grow without harming the environment.
At the 2019 Labour conference, Lewis shared his ideas about immigration. He suggested that the party should support a policy that allows more freedom for people to move between the UK and the European Union.
Third Term (2019-2024)
In the 2019 general election, Lewis was re-elected for Norwich South again.
In December 2019, he announced he would try to become the leader of the Labour Party. However, he did not get enough support from other MPs and withdrew from the contest.
In September 2019, Lewis worked with another MP, Caroline Lucas, to propose a new law called the Green New Deal Bill. This bill aimed to change how the government manages the economy. The goal was to invest more in projects that help the environment and fight climate change.
In February 2022, Lewis joined the Environmental Audit Committee. This committee checks how government policies help protect the environment and support sustainable development.
In September 2022, Lewis spoke about the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. He suggested ways the government could help, such as taxing large energy companies more.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Lewis wrote an article. He shared his views on the monarchy and called for changes to the UK's system of government. He believes the UK should become a republic, where the head of state is elected, not born into the role.
In March 2023, Lewis led a discussion in Parliament about the UK's role in the Caribbean. He urged the government to talk about reparations for Britain's part in the historic transatlantic slave trade.
Fourth Term (2024–)
In the 2024 general election, Clive Lewis was re-elected as MP for Norwich South.
When he took his parliamentary oath, he stated that he took it "under protest." He explained that he hopes one day the UK will become a republic. He had to repeat his oath to make sure it was correct.
Lewis voted against a proposal to remove a limit on benefits for families with more than two children. He later spoke at anti-racism protests in Norwich.
Personal Life
Clive Lewis married Katy Steel, a school teacher and actress, in May 2017. Their daughter, Zana, was born in 2018.
