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 is a member of the Labour Party. Since 2024, he has been the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This means he is a senior government minister responsible for Northern Ireland.

He has also been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1999. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the House of Commons, which is part of the UK Parliament. He represents the area of Leeds South, which used to be called Leeds Central. Before his current role, he held many important jobs in government and in the Labour Party.

Early Life and Education
Early Political Career
Parliamentary Career
Personal Life
Awards
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

In 1999, Hilary Benn was chosen to run in a special election, called a by-election, for the Leeds Central area. This election happened after the MP for that area, Derek Fatchett, sadly passed away. Hilary Benn won the by-election on 10 June 1999. He gave his first speech in the House of Commons on 23 June 1999.

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.

Secretary of State for International Development (2003–2007)

Official portrait, 2004

In October 2003, Hilary Benn was promoted to a very important job: Secretary of State for International Development. This meant he was in charge of the UK's efforts to help poorer countries around the world. His family was very happy about his new role.

One of his big challenges was helping to rebuild Iraq. He said that making Iraq safe was very important for its recovery. He also led the UK's help efforts after major natural disasters. These included the 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and earthquakes in Kashmir and Nias–Simeulue in 2005. People praised his quick and skilled response to these events.

In July 2004, he suggested five steps to end the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. These steps focused on getting help to people, improving security, and finding a political solution. He also pushed for changes in how the United Nations helps during emergencies. He is known for helping to create the Central Emergency Response Fund, which provides quick money for disaster relief.

He was re-elected as an MP in 2005. In 2006, he led the UK team in peace talks for Darfur. He also disagreed with some US policies on fighting AIDS in Africa. He believed in a "harm reduction" approach rather than just focusing on abstinence.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2007–2010)

In 2007, Hilary Benn became the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This job meant he was responsible for things like protecting the environment, farming, and food safety in the UK.

In this role, he helped create the UK's Climate Change Act 2008. This law set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He also had to deal with bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. This included considering a plan to cull badgers, which was a very debated topic.

During a scandal about MPs' expenses, Hilary Benn was noted by newspapers for having very low expenses. This showed he was careful with public money.

He was re-elected as an MP in 2010. After the election, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This meant he was the main spokesperson for the Labour Party on these issues while they were not in government. Later, he became the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and then Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary.

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.

Select Committee Chairman (2016–2023)

In September 2016, Hilary Benn became the chairman of the new Exiting the European Union Select Committee. This committee's job was to look closely at how the UK was leaving the European Union. He said his goal was to get the best deal for the British people.

He was re-elected as an MP in 2017 and 2019. In his role as chairman, he supported a law known as the Benn Act. This law required the Prime Minister to ask for more time to negotiate Brexit if no agreement was reached by a certain date.

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 2024 general election, Hilary Benn was elected as the MP for Leeds South. After the Labour Party won the election, he was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This is his current role in the government.

In September 2024, he announced that the government would not provide funding for the redevelopment of Casement Park in time for the Euro 2028 football tournament. He also defended the government's decision to reduce winter fuel payments for some pensioners in Northern Ireland. He stated that the government had to make "difficult choices" due to public finances.

Personal Life

In 1973, Hilary Benn married Rosalind Caroline Retey while they were at university. She sadly passed away from cancer in 1979. In 1982, he married Sally Christina Clark. They have four children together.

Like his father, Tony Benn, Hilary Benn is a vegetarian.

Awards

Hilary Benn has received several awards for his political work. In 2015, he was shortlisted for the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award. This was for his work on increasing aid at the Department for International Development.

He also won the Channel 4 Political Awards Politicians' Politician in 2006. In 2016, he was named Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year. He also won the Political Studies Association Parliamentarian of the Year award in 2019.

Hilary Benn facts for kids

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