James Murray (London politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Murray
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |||||||||||
| Assumed office 1 September 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Darren Jones | ||||||||||
| Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury | |||||||||||
| In office 9 July 2024 – 1 September 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Gareth Davies | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dan Tomlinson | ||||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Ealing North |
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| Assumed office 12 December 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen Pound | ||||||||||
| Majority | 12,489 (28.9%) | ||||||||||
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| Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development |
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| In office 14 April 2016 – 16 October 2019 |
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| Mayor | Sadiq Khan | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Rick Blakeway | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tom Copley | ||||||||||
| Member of Islington Council for Barnsbury |
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| In office 6 May 2006 – 26 May 2016 |
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| Succeeded by | Rowena Champion | ||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||
| Born |
James Stewart Murray
13 July 1983 Hammersmith, London, England |
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| Political party | Labour Co-op | ||||||||||
| Residences | West Ealing, London, England | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | Wadham College, Oxford (BA) | ||||||||||
James Stewart Murray (born on 13 July 1983) is a British politician. He is a member of the Labour Co-op party. Since 2019, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ealing North. An MP is someone elected to represent people in the UK Parliament. James Murray became the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 1 September 2025. Before that, he was the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from July 2024 to September 2025. He also served as the Deputy Mayor of London for Housing from 2016 to 2019, helping with homes in London.
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Early Life and School Days
James Murray was born in Hammersmith, London, on 13 July 1983. He grew up in West Ealing. His mother, Lynne, was also involved in local politics as a councillor. James went to a private school. Later, he studied a subject called Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Wadham College, Oxford. He earned a top degree in 2004.
Starting in Politics: Councillor and Deputy Mayor
James Murray began his political journey as a councillor in Islington from 2006 to 2016. A councillor helps manage local services and represents people in their area. From 2010 to 2016, he was in charge of housing and development for Islington. He was known for being good at getting things done.
Helping with Homes in London
Later, he helped Sadiq Khan become the Mayor of London. In 2016, Mayor Khan chose James Murray to be London's Deputy Mayor for Housing. This meant he was responsible for helping people find homes in London.
As Deputy Mayor, James Murray worked on making housing more affordable. He introduced a new plan to build more affordable homes faster. This plan encouraged builders to offer more affordable homes from the start. It helped speed up the building process and increased the number of affordable homes available.
He also managed a large program that invested £4.8 billion into building affordable homes. He started a special project called 'Building Council Homes for Londoners'. This project helped build more council homes than had been built in 34 years, making sure more families had a place to live.
Working in Parliament: An MP's Role
In the 2019 general election, James Murray was elected as the MP for Ealing North. This means people in Ealing North chose him to represent them in the UK Parliament. He gave his first speech in Parliament in January 2020. He also joined a committee that looks at health and social care.
Key Roles in Government and Opposition
From October 2020, he served as the Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury. In this role, he spoke for the opposition party on important money matters, like new laws about taxes.
James Murray was re-elected as MP for Ealing North in the 2024 general election. After this election, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made him the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in July 2024. This is an important job helping manage the country's money.
On 1 September 2025, he became the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This is a very senior role in the government, helping to decide how public money is spent.
About James Murray
James Murray lives in West Ealing. He has faced health challenges in the past. In the late 2000s, he was diagnosed with a condition called Myasthenia gravis. He received good medical care and is now healthy and symptom-free.
