Junior ministerial offices

Minister of State for Europe and North America
In office 8 February 2022 – 7 July 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Chris Heaton-Harris
Succeeded by	Graham Stuart
Minister of State for Middle East, North Africa and North America
In office 13 February 2020 – 8 February 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Andrew Murrison
Succeeded by	Amanda Milling
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
In office 4 April 2019 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Chris Heaton-Harris
Succeeded by	Office abolished

Party political offices

Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020 Serving with Ben Elliot
Leader	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Sir Brandon Lewis
Succeeded by	Amanda Milling
Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 8 January 2018 – 4 April 2019
Leader	Theresa May
Preceded by	Amanda Sater
Succeeded by	Helen Whately

Member of Parliament
for Braintree

Incumbent

Assumed office
7 May 2015

Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

Preceded by

Brooks Newmark

Majority

3,670 (7.5%)

London Assembly offices

Leader of the Conservative Party in the London Assembly
In office 2011–2012
Preceded by	Roger Evans
Succeeded by	Andrew Boff
Member of the London Assembly for Bexley and Bromley
In office 4 May 2008 – 5 May 2016
Preceded by	Bob Neill
Succeeded by	Gareth Bacon

Personal details

Born

James Spencer Cleverly

4 September 1969 (age 55)
Lewisham, London, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Susannah Sparks

(m. 2000)

Children

Residence

Blackheath, London

Alma mater

Ealing College of Higher Education

Occupation

Politician
Army Reserve officer

Signature

Military service

Allegiance

United Kingdom

Branch/service

British Army (Reserve)

Years of service

1989–present

Rank

Lieutenant Colonel

Unit

Royal Artillery

Sir James Spencer Cleverly (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician and an officer in the Army Reserve. He has been the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government since July 2025. Before this, he held important roles like Home Secretary (November 2023 to July 2024) and Foreign Secretary (2022 to 2023).

A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Braintree since 2015. He also served as Education Secretary for a short time in 2022. He was also a leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2020.

Born in Lewisham, James Cleverly studied hospitality management. He then joined the Army Reserve in 1991. He was elected to the London Assembly in 2008 and later became the Conservative Party's leader there. In 2015, he was elected to the House of Commons for Braintree. He supported the UK leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum.

He has held several government positions, including Minister without Portfolio and various junior ministerial roles. As Foreign Secretary, he worked on international relations and supported Ukraine. As Home Secretary, he focused on immigration policies. After the 2024 general election, he became Shadow Home Secretary and later ran for leader of the Conservative Party. He is currently the Shadow Housing Secretary.

Early Life and Education
Military Service
London Assembly Career (2008–2016)
Parliamentary Career (2015–Present)
Personal Life
Honours and Decorations
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

James Cleverly was born on 4 September 1969 in Lewisham Hospital, London. His father was English and worked as a surveyor. His mother was from Sierra Leone and worked as a midwife. He spent some of his childhood in Chelmsford.

He attended private schools, Riverston School and Colfe's School in Lee. He then studied hospitality management at Ealing College of Higher Education (now University of West London), finishing his degree in 1991.

After university, Cleverly worked for publishing companies. He joined Informa in 2002 as an international sales manager. In 2004, he became an advertising manager at Crimson Publishing. He later co-founded a web publishing company called Point and Fire in 2007.

Military Service

James Cleverly began his military training at Sandhurst in 1989, but a leg injury cut it short. On 6 October 1991, he became an officer in the Army Reserve. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1993, captain in 1998, and major in 2003.

He was a Battery Commander for 266 (Para) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers) until 2005. On 1 March 2015, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He serves with the 100 (Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery, as a Staff Officer.

London Assembly Career (2008–2016)

In March 2007, James Cleverly was chosen as the Conservative Party candidate for the Bexley and Bromley area in the London Assembly. He won the election on 1 May 2008, receiving 105,162 votes.

In January 2009, he was appointed as the Mayor of London's youth ambassador. This new role focused on helping young people in London. In February 2010, Cleverly became the chairman of the London Waste and Recycling Board.

He was re-elected to the London Assembly in 2012. After this, he became the chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. He stepped down from the London Assembly in 2016 after becoming an MP.

Parliamentary Career (2015–Present)

Becoming an MP (2015)

In January 2015, James Cleverly was chosen to be the Conservative candidate for Braintree. He was elected as the MP for Braintree in the 2015 general election, winning with 53.8% of the votes.

Early Parliamentary Roles (2015–2019)

In November 2015, Cleverly faced criticism regarding the closure of 10 fire stations in London. He stated that it was too early to link the closures to specific incidents.

In January 2016, he voted against a proposal that would require private landlords to ensure their rented homes were fit for people to live in. Cleverly himself earned income from renting out property. In March 2016, a charity asked him to step down as their patron because he had voted to reduce benefits for disabled people.

Cleverly supported the UK leaving the European Union in the 2016 EU membership referendum. He was re-elected as MP for Braintree in the 2017 general election with an increased number of votes. In January 2018, he became a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. In April 2019, he became a junior minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union. He briefly ran for leader of the Conservative Party in May 2019 but withdrew in June.

Government Minister (2019–2022)

Cleverly as Minister of State for Middle East & North Africa in 2020.

After Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, James Cleverly was appointed as a Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party in July 2019. He was re-elected as MP for Braintree in the 2019 general election with an even larger majority.

In February 2020, he was moved from the Cabinet and became the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa. He later became Minister of State for Europe and North America in February 2022. In September 2020, he spoke about concerns regarding a potential famine in Yemen. He described the situation in Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world in March 2021.

In March 2022, he said that comparing Saudi Arabia to Russia was "distasteful." He described Saudi Arabia as an "influential country" and a "significant oil and gas producer." On 7 July 2022, Cleverly became Secretary of State for Education, a role he held for about two months.

Foreign Secretary (2022–2023)

Cleverly receiving a guard of honour as Foreign Secretary in Paris, 2023

On 6 September 2022, James Cleverly was promoted to Foreign Secretary by the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss. He attended a UN Security Council meeting on 22 September, urging countries to reject the annexation referendums in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. On 20 October 2022, he announced that the UK would sanction Iran for supplying drones to attack civilian targets in Ukraine.

Cleverly with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in December 2022

When Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in October 2022, Cleverly was re-appointed as Foreign Secretary. In October 2022, he suggested that British football fans visiting Qatar for the World Cup should show "a little bit of flex and compromise" regarding local cultural norms. This was in response to concerns about the safety of homosexual fans, as gay activity is illegal in Qatar. Labour criticized his advice as "tone-deaf." Sunak's spokesperson later said that fans should not have to "compromise who they are." Cleverly stated his actions were "about ensuring that the English and Welsh fans... were safe and happy."

Cleverly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 2023

In December 2022, Cleverly called Saudi Arabia a strategic partner, despite human rights concerns there. He also met his Norwegian counterpart to discuss military cooperation.

Cleverly in Washington DC with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2023

In January 2023, Cleverly met Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other issues, reaffirming the UK's special relationship with the US. Some Conservative MPs criticized him for not calling China a "threat" due to its foreign policy and human rights issues. He called China a potential "partner for good."

Cleverly with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, 2023

In August 2023, Cleverly made his first visit to China as a UK government minister since 2018. The trip aimed to promote trade and discuss climate change. On 13 September 2023, he met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, stating that Turkey is an "indispensable partner" to the UK. Cleverly expressed support for Israel during the Gaza war. He visited Israel on 11 October 2023 to show solidarity. He supported "humanitarian pauses" for aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Home Secretary (2023–2024)

Cleverly with Dutch Minister for Migration Eric van der Burg in March 2024

In November 2023, James Cleverly was appointed Home Secretary. On 22 November 2023, he was accused of using inappropriate language in the House of Commons. He denied the specific accusation but apologized for using "unparliamentary language."

In Opposition (2024–Present)

Logo used for Cleverly's 2024 leadership bid

In the 2024 general election, James Cleverly was re-elected as MP for Braintree, though with a smaller majority. After the Conservative Party lost the election, he was appointed Shadow Home Secretary in the new Shadow Cabinet.

On 23 July 2024, he announced he was running to become the new leader of the Conservative Party. He pledged to reform the party during his campaign. He performed well in early rounds of voting by MPs but was eliminated in the final round. Kemi Badenoch eventually won the leadership contest. Cleverly stated he would not take a frontbench role in the new Shadow Cabinet and returned to being a backbench MP.

In April 2025, Cleverly was knighted for his political and public service. He refused to rule out running for leader again in the future. In June 2025, he disagreed with some of his party's plans regarding climate change targets, stating that achieving climate goals and economic growth was possible together. He voted against the assisted dying bill in June 2025.

In July 2025, James Cleverly was appointed Shadow Housing Secretary by Kemi Badenoch.

Personal Life

James Cleverly married Susannah Sparks in 2000. They met nine years earlier at the University of West London. Susannah was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2021 and finished her treatment in April 2023. The couple has two sons and lives in Blackheath, south-east London.

Cleverly identifies as an atheist and a humanist. His cousin, Chris Cleverly, is a lawyer and businessman. He is a fan of the miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000 and used to have a private YouTube channel where he shared videos of himself painting the game's miniatures.

Honours and Decorations

James Cleverly has received several honours for his service. He was awarded the Efficiency Decoration (TD) in January 2012 for 12 years of commissioned service in the Territorial Army. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022), and the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2023).

He became a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom on 8 October 2019. This honour allows him to use the title "the Right Honourable" for life. In April 2025, Cleverly was made a Knight by Rishi Sunak for his political and public service.

Undress ribbons worn by Cleverly:

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Knight Bachelor	2025
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002 UK version of this medal
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 UK version of this medal
	Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal	2022 UK version of this medal
	King Charles III Coronation Medal	2023 UK version of this medal
	Efficiency Decoration (TD)	2012 12 Years Commissioned Service in the Territorial Army
	Volunteer Reserves Service Medal (VR)	10 years Commissioned Service in the Territorial Army/Army Reserves