Kwasi Kwarteng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Kwasi Kwarteng
Official portrait, 2022
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 6 September 2022 – 14 October 2022
Prime Minister	Liz Truss
Preceded by	Nadhim Zahawi
Succeeded by	Jeremy Hunt
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
In office 8 January 2021 – 6 September 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Alok Sharma
Succeeded by	Jacob Rees-Mogg
Junior ministerial offices 2018–2021 Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth In office 24 July 2019 – 8 January 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson Preceded by Claire Perry Succeeded by Anne-Marie Trevelyan Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union In office 16 November 2018 – 24 July 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May Preceded by Suella Braverman Succeeded by Office abolished
Member of Parliament for Spelthorne
In office 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	David Wilshire
Succeeded by	Lincoln Jopp
Personal details
Born	Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng (1975-05-26) 26 May 1975 (age 50) London, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Harriet Edwards ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (BA, PhD)
Signature
Scientific career
Thesis	The political thought of the recoinage crisis of 1695–7 (2000)

Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng (born 26 May 1975) is a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Spelthorne from 2010 to 2024. He belongs to the Conservative Party.

Kwarteng held important government roles. He was the Chancellor of the Exchequer (in charge of the country's money) from September to October 2022. Before that, he was the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2021 to 2022. He was the first black Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Early life and education

Kwasi Kwarteng was born in London, England, on 26 May 1975. His parents came from Ghana in the 1960s. His mother was a lawyer, and his father was an economist.

He first went to a state primary school. Then, he attended private schools, including Colet Court and Eton College. At Eton, he was a very good student and won awards.

Kwarteng later studied at the University of Cambridge. He focused on classics (ancient Greek and Roman studies) and history. He earned top grades and was part of the team that won the TV quiz show University Challenge in 1995. He also studied at Harvard University for a year. In 2000, he earned a PhD in economic history from Cambridge.

Early career and political start

Before becoming an MP, Kwarteng worked as a writer for The Daily Telegraph newspaper. He also worked as a financial analyst for big companies like JPMorgan Chase. A financial analyst studies money markets and helps people make investment decisions.

He wrote several books, including Ghosts of Empire (2011), which looked at the history of the British Empire. He also co-authored Gridlock Nation (2011) about traffic problems in Britain.

Kwarteng first tried to become an MP in 2005 but did not win. He was seen as a promising young politician in the Conservative Party.

Parliamentary career

Becoming an MP in 2010

Kwarteng at a Policy Exchange event in 2012

In 2010, Kwasi Kwarteng was chosen as the Conservative candidate for the area of Spelthorne. He won the election with a large number of votes, becoming a Member of Parliament.

As an MP, he continued to write books. In 2014, he published War and Gold, a history of money and how it can affect societies. In 2015, he wrote Thatcher's Trial, about former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

He was re-elected as an MP in 2015 and again in 2017. In the 2016 vote on whether the UK should leave the European Union, Kwarteng supported leaving.

Early government roles (2017–2019)

In 2018, Kwarteng became a minister in the government department that was dealing with the UK leaving the European Union. This was called the Department for Exiting the EU.

In 2019, he supported Boris Johnson to become the new leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister. When Johnson became Prime Minister, he appointed Kwarteng as a Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This role involved working on business, energy, and climate change issues.

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (2021–2022)

Kwarteng as Business Secretary, on 11 January 2021

In January 2021, Kwarteng was promoted to Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This meant he was in charge of the whole department. He focused on reducing global carbon emissions to fight climate change.

In 2021, the UK faced a gas crisis. This caused some energy companies to close. There were also problems with fuel supply for cars. Kwarteng said that the country would not run out of energy and that homes would stay warm.

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022)

Kwarteng's official Cabinet portrait, September 2022

After Boris Johnson resigned in 2022, Kwarteng supported Liz Truss to become the new Prime Minister. When Truss won, she appointed Kwarteng as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This is one of the most powerful jobs in the government, responsible for the country's finances. He was the first black person to hold this position.

On 23 September 2022, Kwarteng announced new economic plans. These plans included cutting some taxes, such as income tax, and stopping a planned increase in National Insurance. He also froze energy bills to help people with rising costs.

However, these plans caused problems in the economy. The value of the pound sterling (UK money) fell very low against the US dollar. This made things more expensive for the UK. Many people, including economists, criticized the plans.

Dismissal

Kwarteng's official chancellorship portrait

Because of the economic problems, Kwasi Kwarteng was removed from his job as Chancellor on 14 October 2022. He had been in the role for only 38 days, making him the second shortest-serving Chancellor in history. Jeremy Hunt took over from him.

After being dismissed, Kwarteng said that he had warned Liz Truss that her economic plans were "going too fast." He also said he told her it was "mad" to fire him. In February 2024, Kwarteng announced that he would not stand for re-election as an MP.

Political views

Kwasi Kwarteng is considered to be on the right side of the Conservative Party. He is part of a group called the Free Enterprise Group.

Views on history and race

Kwarteng believes that people should look at history, including the British Empire, with more understanding of the past. He has said that removing statues of historical figures, like slave trader Edward Colston, is "vandalism." He thinks that some critics of British history have a "cartoon-like view" and don't understand its complexities.

In September 2022, a Labour MP, Rupa Huq, made a comment about Kwarteng's background. She was suspended by her party because of her remarks.

Economic views

In 2012, Kwarteng co-authored a book called Britannia Unchained with other Conservative MPs, including Liz Truss. This book suggested that the government should reduce the size of the welfare state. The welfare state provides services like healthcare and benefits to citizens. The book argued that benefits should be more closely linked to people's contributions, like taxes.

Personal life

Kwasi Kwarteng is known for being a private person. He married Harriet Edwards, a lawyer, in December 2019. They had a daughter in 2021. He lives in Greenwich, London.

Images for kids

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  Kwarteng in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Kwasi Kwarteng para niños