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. He is a member of the Labour Party. Since 2015, he has been the MP for Norwich South. An MP is a person elected to represent a specific area in the UK Parliament.
Before becoming an MP, Clive Lewis was a TV reporter for BBC News. He also served as an officer in the Army Reserve, which is part of the British Army. In 2009, he spent three months serving in Afghanistan.
Lewis has held important roles in the Labour Party's "Shadow Cabinet." This is a group of opposition MPs who shadow (or watch over) government ministers. He was the shadow defence secretary and later the shadow business secretary. He also ran to be the leader of the Labour Party in 2020.
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Early Life and Education
Clive Lewis was born in London on 11 September 1971. He grew up in Northampton. 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 student union president. Later, he was elected vice-president of the National Union of Students (NUS). In 1995, he supported getting rid of student loans. In 1996, he ran for president of the NUS, wanting free education for all.
Early Career and Military Service
After university, Clive Lewis became a journalist. He worked for local newspapers in Northampton and Milton Keynes. He then joined the BBC as a broadcast journalist. He reported for the BBC's Politics Show East.
In 2006, Lewis joined the Army Reserve. He trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He became an infantry officer with The Rifles. In 2009, he served in Afghanistan for three months. After returning, he experienced depression. He received help from the Ministry of Defence and recovered.
Becoming an MP
Clive Lewis was chosen to be the Labour Party's candidate for Norwich South in 2011. This area had been won by the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 election.
In 2015, Lewis apologised for a comment he made in an interview. He said he was sorry if anyone was offended. He also disagreed with the Labour Party's stance on immigration. Locally, he supported keeping Hewett School as a comprehensive school, not an academy.
First Term in Parliament (2015–2017)
In the 2015 general election, Clive Lewis was elected as the MP for Norwich South. He won with 39.3% of the votes. In his first speech as an MP, he spoke about the government's plan to allow people to buy Housing Association homes. He said this policy would "further segregate" Norwich.
In June 2015, Lewis became the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. He also became a patron of the Anti-Academies Alliance. In December 2015, he voted against airstrikes in Syria.
Lewis supported Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour leadership election. Corbyn became the leader, and Lewis was appointed as a shadow minister for Energy and Climate Change.
After some resignations in Corbyn's team, Lewis became shadow defence secretary in June 2016. At the Labour Party's 2016 Conference, a part of his speech about nuclear weapons was changed by Corbyn's advisor. A month later, Lewis was moved from defence to become shadow business secretary.
On 8 February 2017, Lewis resigned from the Shadow Cabinet. He did this because the Labour Party told its MPs to vote to trigger Article 50. This was the formal step to start Brexit negotiations for the UK to leave the European Union. In April 2017, Lewis was one of thirteen MPs who voted against having an early general election.
Second Term in Parliament (2017–2019)
In the 2017 general election, Lewis was re-elected as MP for Norwich South. He won with an even larger share of the votes.
At the 2017 Labour Conference, a video showed Lewis making a comment to an actor that caused controversy. He later apologised, saying his behaviour was "offensive and unacceptable." At the same conference, he was accused of inappropriate touching. He denied the accusation "completely" and "categorically." In December 2017, Labour's National Executive Committee cleared him of the accusation.
In January 2018, Lewis rejoined Labour's frontbench. He became a shadow Treasury minister, focusing on sustainable economics.
Lewis supported Labour activist Marc Wadsworth, who was expelled from the party. Wadsworth had accused a Jewish Labour MP of working with the media. Lewis had provided a character reference for Wadsworth. Jewish students in Lewis's area and the Union of Jewish Students criticised his stance.
At the 2019 Labour conference, Lewis published a paper. It said the party had "moral failure" on migrants' rights. He called for an open border immigration policy with the European Union.
Third Term in Parliament (2019-2024)
In the 2019 general election, Lewis was re-elected again as MP for Norwich South. His vote share was slightly lower, but he still had a strong majority.
In December 2019, he announced he would run for the 2020 Labour Party leadership election. However, he did not get enough nominations from other Labour MPs and withdrew from the contest.
In September 2019, Lewis, along with Caroline Lucas MP, introduced the Green New Deal Bill. This bill aimed to change how the government manages the economy. The goal was to invest in a "Green New Deal" to tackle the climate crisis.
In February 2022, Lewis joined the Environmental Audit Committee. This committee checks how government policies help protect the environment and promote sustainable development.
In September 2022, Lewis spoke about the cost-of-living crisis. He suggested solutions like a windfall tax on energy companies and nationalising them. He also mentioned universal basic income and universal basic services.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Lewis wrote an article. He criticised the monarchy and called for democratic reform. He said he was a republican. Before the coronation of King Charles III, Lewis stated that the monarchy had been exempt from many laws. He also highlighted the King's wealth compared to children living in poverty.
In March 2023, Lewis led a debate in Parliament. He urged the government to discuss reparations for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade with Caribbean governments.
Fourth Term in Parliament (2024–Present)
In the 2024 general election, Lewis was re-elected for Norwich South. He won with 47.6% of the vote.
When taking his oath in Parliament, Lewis first stated that he took it "under protest." He said he hoped citizens would one day choose to live in a republic. He had to retake his oath because he left out some words. He then said he was elected to represent his constituents and defend democracy and human rights.
Lewis voted against an amendment to the King's Speech. This amendment aimed to remove the two-child limit on Universal Credit. Seven Labour MPs were suspended for voting for it.
In response to the 2024 United Kingdom riots, Lewis spoke at two 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.
