Shadow Cabinet portfolios

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In office 4 September 2023 – 5 July 2024
Leader	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Peter Kyle
Succeeded by	Alex Burghart
Shadow Foreign Secretary
Acting 11 May 2015 – 26 June 2016
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting) Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	Douglas Alexander
Succeeded by	Emily Thornberry
Shadow First Secretary of State
In office 11 May 2015 – 13 September 2015
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting)
Preceded by	Harriet Harman (Shadow Deputy Prime Minister)
Succeeded by	Angela Eagle
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office 7 October 2011 – 11 May 2015
Leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Caroline Flint
Succeeded by	Emma Reynolds
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office 8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011
Leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Rosie Winterton
Succeeded by	Angela Eagle
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office 11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting) Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Nick Herbert
Succeeded by	Mary Creagh

Junior ministerial offices

Minister of State for International Development
In office 13 May 2003 – 6 October 2003
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Sally Keeble
Succeeded by	Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Probations
In office 29 May 2002 – 13 May 2003
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Keith Bradley
Succeeded by	Fiona Mactaggart
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development
In office 11 June 2001 – 28 May 2002
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Chris Mullin
Succeeded by	Sally Keeble

Member of Parliament
for Leeds South
Leeds Central (1999–2024)

Incumbent

Assumed office
10 June 1999

Preceded by

Derek Fatchett

Majority

11,279 (35.6%)

Personal details

Born

Hilary James Wedgwood Benn

26 November 1953 (age 71)
Hammersmith, London, England

Political party

Labour

Spouses

Rosalind Retey

(m. 1973; died 1979)
Sally Clark

(m. 1982)

Children

Parents

Tony Benn
Caroline DeCamp

Relatives

Stephen Benn, 3rd Viscount Stansgate (brother)
Melissa Benn (sister)
Emily Benn (niece)

Alma mater

University of Sussex

Signature

Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British politician. He has been the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since July 2024. He is a member of the Labour Party.

Hilary Benn has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1999. He first represented Leeds Central and now represents Leeds South. Before his current role, he held several important jobs in the government. He was a minister under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown from 2001 to 2010.

Early Life and Education
Early Political Career
Parliamentary Career
Personal Life
Awards and Recognition
See also

Early Life and Education

Hilary Benn was born in Hammersmith, London, on 26 November 1953. His father was Tony Benn, a well-known Labour Cabinet Minister. A Cabinet Minister is a senior minister chosen by the Prime Minister to lead a government department. His mother was Caroline Benn, an educationalist from America.

Hilary Benn comes from a family of politicians. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfathers were all Members of Parliament. Most of them were part of the Liberal Party.

He went to several schools, including Norland Place School and Holland Park School. He then studied Russian and Eastern European Studies at the University of Sussex. Hilary has an older brother, Stephen, and two younger siblings, Melissa and Joshua. He remembers growing up in a home where politics was always discussed.

Early Political Career

After finishing university, Hilary Benn worked as a researcher for trade unions. Trade unions are groups that protect workers' rights. In 1975, he worked on the team that wanted the UK to leave the European Economic Community.

In 1979, he was elected as a councillor for Ealing Borough Council. A councillor is a person elected to represent a local area in local government. He was the Deputy Leader of the Council from 1986 to 1990.

He tried to become an MP for Ealing North in the 1983 and 1987 general elections. However, he lost to the Conservative candidate, Harry Greenway. He later became a special adviser to David Blunkett, who was the Education Secretary. A special adviser helps a government minister with their work.

Parliamentary Career

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 1999, Hilary Benn was chosen to run in a special election for the Leeds Central area. This election happened after the death of the previous MP, Derek Fatchett. Hilary Benn won the election on 10 June 1999. He became the MP for Leeds Central.

Early Government Roles (2001–2003)

Hilary Benn was re-elected as an MP in 2001. After this, he was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development. This is a junior minister role, helping with international aid.

In 2002, he became the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Probation at the Home Office. In May 2003, he moved back to the Department for International Development as a Minister of State. This is a slightly more senior minister role.

Leading International Development (2003–2007)

Official portrait, 2004

In October 2003, Hilary Benn was promoted to a very important job. He became the Secretary of State for International Development. This meant he was in charge of the UK's efforts to help other countries. His family was very happy about this news.

One of his big challenges was helping with the rebuilding of Iraq. He also led the UK's response to major natural disasters. These included the 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. He also helped after earthquakes in Kashmir and Nias–Simeulue in 2005.

Hilary Benn also worked to end the Darfur War in Sudan. He set out five steps to bring peace and help to the people affected. He also pushed for changes at the United Nations to make aid efforts better. He helped create the Central Emergency Response Fund.

Running for Deputy Leader (2007)

In 2006, Hilary Benn announced he would run to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Many people thought he had a good chance to win. However, in the election held in June 2007, Harriet Harman won the position.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2007–2010)

In 2007, Hilary Benn became the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This job involved looking after the environment, farming, and food in the UK. He helped create the UK's Climate Change Act 2008. This law set targets for reducing harmful gases that cause climate change.

He also had to deal with the issue of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. This disease can affect cows.

During a time when MPs' expenses were being checked, Hilary Benn was noted for having very low expenses. This meant he was careful with taxpayer money.

Shadow Cabinet Roles (2010–2015)

After the 2010 general election, the Labour Party was no longer in government. Hilary Benn took on roles in the "Shadow Cabinet." These are jobs where he would challenge the government's policies. He was the Shadow Environment Secretary for a short time.

Under Labour leader Ed Miliband, he became the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons from 2010 to 2011. Then, from 2011 to 2015, he was the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Shadow Foreign Secretary (2015–2016)

In 2015, Hilary Benn was re-elected as an MP. He then became the Shadow Foreign Secretary. This role meant he was the Labour Party's main spokesperson on international affairs.

He supported the idea that Labour should campaign for the UK to stay in the European Union. In December 2015, he gave a powerful speech in Parliament about airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria. His speech was praised by many MPs, even from other parties.

However, he disagreed with his party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, on this issue. Because of this disagreement, Jeremy Corbyn removed Hilary Benn from his role as Shadow Foreign Secretary in June 2016.

Leading a Parliamentary Committee (2016–2021)

In September 2016, Hilary Benn became the chairman of a new committee. This was the Exiting the European Union Select Committee. This committee looked at how Britain would leave the European Union. His job was to make sure Britain got the best deal.

He supported a law known as the Benn Act in 2019. This law made sure the Prime Minister had to ask for more time for Brexit if no agreement was reached.

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (2023–2024)

In September 2023, Hilary Benn rejoined the Labour Party's frontbench team. He was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This meant he was the Labour Party's main spokesperson on Northern Ireland issues.

His appointment was welcomed by other political leaders in Northern Ireland. They saw it as a sign that the Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, cared a lot about Northern Ireland.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (2024–Present)

In the July 2024 general election, Hilary Benn was elected as the MP for Leeds South. The Labour Party won the election by a large amount. Hilary Benn was then appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. This is his current role.

In September 2024, he announced that the government would not fund a major stadium redevelopment project in Northern Ireland for the Euro 2028 football tournament. He also defended the government's decision to change winter fuel payments for pensioners in Northern Ireland. He said that being in government means making difficult choices.

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Personal Life

Hilary Benn married Rosalind Caroline Retey in 1973. She sadly passed away in 1979. He then married Sally Christina Clark in 1982. They have four children together.