Shadow Cabinet posts

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 8 July 2024 – 4 November 2024
Leader	Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	Rachel Reeves
Succeeded by	Mel Stride
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Hugo Swire
Succeeded by	Ben Bradshaw
Shadow Minister for the Olympics
In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Hugo Swire
Succeeded by	Tessa Jowell
Shadow Minister for Disabled People
In office 6 December 2005 – 2 July 2007
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Paul Goodman
Succeeded by	Mark Harper

Further offices held

Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee
In office 29 January 2020 – 14 October 2022
Preceded by	Sarah Wollaston
Succeeded by	Steve Brine

Member of Parliament
for Godalming and Ash
South West Surrey (2005–2024)

Incumbent

Assumed office
5 May 2005

Preceded by

Virginia Bottomley

Majority

891 (1.6%)

Personal details

Born

Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt

1 November 1966 (age 58)
London, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Lucia Guo

(m. 2009)

Children

Parent

Nicholas Hunt (father)

Relatives

Agnes Hunt (cousin)
Rowland Hunt (cousin)

Residences

Pimlico, London, England
Hambledon, Surrey, England

Education

Magdalen College, Oxford (BA)

Sir Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Godalming and Ash since 2005. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

Jeremy Hunt held several important roles in the UK government. He was the Chancellor of the Exchequer (in charge of the country's money) from 2022 to 2024. Before that, he was the Foreign Secretary (dealing with other countries) from 2018 to 2019. He also served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from 2012 to 2018. From 2010 to 2012, he was the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. After the 2024 general election, he became the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Early Life and Education
Early Career and Business Ventures
Political Career
Personal Life
Honours
See also

Early Life and Education

Hunt attended Charterhouse School, where he became head boy.

Jeremy Hunt was born in Kennington, London, on 1 November 1966. He grew up in Shere, Surrey. His father, Sir Nicholas Hunt, was an Admiral in the Royal Navy. His mother, Meriel Eve Hunt, was a nurse.

Hunt went to Charterhouse School, a private school, where he was the Head of School. He then studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Magdalen College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he became involved in Conservative politics. He was president of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1987.

Early Career and Business Ventures

After university, Hunt worked as a management consultant for two years. He then taught English in Japan. When he returned to Britain, he tried several business ideas.

In 1991, he started a public relations company called Profile PR. Later, he co-founded a company called Hotcourses in the 1990s. Hotcourses helped people find study courses abroad. Hunt stopped being a director of Hotcourses in 2009 when he entered politics. However, he still owned a large part of the company. Hotcourses was sold in 2017 for over £35 million. Hunt personally gained over £14 million from this sale. This made him one of the richest politicians in the UK government at the time.

Political Career

Becoming an MP (2005–2010)

In the 2005 general election, Jeremy Hunt was elected as the MP for South West Surrey. He won with more than 50% of the votes.

He supported David Cameron to become the leader of the Conservative Party. After Cameron won, Hunt was made a Shadow Minister in December 2005. He later became the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in 2007.

In 2009, there was an investigation into Hunt's expenses. The investigation found that he had made some errors in his claims. He repaid the money, and the issue was resolved.

Culture Secretary (2010–2012)

Hunt's portrait as Culture Secretary, c. 2010

In the 2010 general election, Hunt was re-elected as MP for South West Surrey. His share of the vote increased.

When the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed a government, Hunt was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. This role meant he was in charge of culture, media, and the 2012 London Olympics.

As Culture Secretary, Hunt worked to improve broadband internet speeds across Britain. He also supported the creation of local TV channels. He oversaw the 2012 London Olympics and 2012 London Paralympics. These Games were a huge success and received praise from around the world.

News Corporation and the Leveson Inquiry

Hunt was involved in a situation regarding a company called News Corporation. This company wanted to take over another company, BSkyB. Hunt had to decide if the deal could go ahead.

There were concerns about phone hacking scandals involving News Corporation. Emails showed that Hunt's special advisor had improper contact with News Corporation. This led to calls for Hunt to resign. His advisor resigned. Hunt asked for an inquiry, called the Leveson Inquiry, to investigate the accusations.

Lord Justice Leveson, who led the inquiry, later cleared Hunt of showing favouritism. He said that Hunt had tried to make the right decisions.

Health Secretary (2012–2018)

During a trip to the US, in 2013

With then–Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, John Major, Hugo Swire and Michael Howard, in 2013

In 2012, Hunt became the Secretary of State for Health. Later, his role was expanded to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He held this position for a long time, becoming the longest-serving Health Secretary in British history.

During his time, he focused on patient safety and improving NHS services. He increased spending on the NHS. However, he also faced criticism for some of his reforms.

Junior Doctors' Contracts and Strikes

One of the biggest challenges during his time as Health Secretary was a dispute with junior doctors. The government wanted to introduce a new contract for them. Doctors felt this contract would mean longer hours and less pay.

In 2015, the British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors, voted for strike action. There were several strikes in 2016. Hunt decided to introduce the new contract even without an agreement. This caused a lot of anger among doctors.

In 2016, Jeremy Hunt was voted the "most disliked" frontline British politician in a poll. He admitted there were lessons to learn from the dispute.

Foreign Secretary (2018–2019)

Hunt with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in September 2018

Hunt meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels, May 2019

In July 2018, Hunt was appointed Foreign Secretary. This meant he was responsible for the UK's relationships with other countries. He said his main job was to support the Prime Minister in getting a deal for the UK to leave the European Union.

He expressed concerns about the UK leaving the EU without a deal. He believed it would be "incredibly challenging economically."

As Foreign Secretary, Hunt visited China and discussed cooperation on global issues. He also spoke out against human rights issues in China. He was critical of Russia and Iran.

Conservative Party Leadership Campaigns

2019 leadership campaign logo

In May 2019, Jeremy Hunt announced he wanted to become the leader of the Conservative Party. This would also make him Prime Minister. He made it to the final two candidates but lost to Boris Johnson.

2022 leadership campaign logo

After Boris Johnson resigned in July 2022, Hunt ran for party leader again. He was eliminated in the first round of voting. He then supported Rishi Sunak.

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022–2024)

Hunt presenting his 2023 spring budget

On 14 October 2022, Jeremy Hunt was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by Prime Minister Liz Truss. This is a very important role, as the Chancellor is in charge of the country's money and economy. He kept this role when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister.

Many people saw him as a very powerful figure in the government. He presented two budgets in 2023 and 2024, and two autumn statements in 2022 and 2023. These are important announcements about the government's financial plans.

Hunt delivering his 2024 budget speech

In July 2023, Hunt announced changes to the pension system. The goal was to help people save more for retirement and encourage investment in British businesses.

In Opposition (2024–Present)

In the 2024 general election, Jeremy Hunt was re-elected as an MP for the new constituency of Godalming and Ash. After the Conservative Party lost the election, he was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. This means he leads the opposition's financial policy discussions.

In October 2024, Hunt announced he would step down from the Shadow Cabinet after a new Conservative leader was chosen. He said he would remain an MP but would move to the backbenches.

Personal Life

Hunt with his children and dog in 2024

Jeremy Hunt is married to Lucia Guo. They met in 2008 and married in July 2009. They have three children, a son and two daughters.

Hunt speaks Japanese. He learned the language while working as an English teacher in Japan in the 1990s. He is a member of the Church of England.

He has spoken about the importance of good mental health, including exercise and social connections. In 2023, he shared that members of his family, and he himself, had experienced cancer. His younger brother, Charlie, passed away in August 2023.

In April 2025, Jeremy Hunt was made a Knight Bachelor, which means he can use the title "Sir."

Honours

2010: Appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, allowing him to use the title "The Right Honourable".
2020: Knight Grand Officer of the Equestrian Order of St Agatha of San Marino.
2025: Knight Bachelor.

Jeremy Hunt facts for kids

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