Sir James Cleverly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 22 July 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Kevin Hollinrake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home Secretary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 13 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Suella Braverman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Yvette Cooper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign Secretary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 September 2022 – 13 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Cameron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 July 2022 – 6 September 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Michelle Donelan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kit Malthouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister without Portfolio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Sir Brandon Lewis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Amanda Milling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament forBraintree | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Brooks Newmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 3,670 (7.5%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Spencer Cleverly (1969-09-04)4 September 1969 (age 56) Lewisham, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Blackheath, London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Ealing College of Higher Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | cleverly4braintree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | British Army (Reserve) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1989–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Royal Artillery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cleverly outlines his foreign policy priorities as Foreign Secretary Recorded 15 December 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir James Spencer Cleverly (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician andArmy Reserveofficer who has served asShadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government since July 2025. He previously served asHome Secretary from November 2023 to July 2024 and asForeign Secretary from 2022 to 2023. A member of theConservative Party, he has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forBraintree since2015. He previously served asEducation Secretary from July to September 2022,Chairman of the Conservative Party alongsideBen Elliot from 2019 to 2020, and in other junior ministerial positions.
Born inLewisham, Cleverly attended Riverston School andColfe's School. He went on to studyhospitality management studies at theEaling College of Higher Education, before he pursued a military career after he was commissioned into theArmy Reserve in 1991. Cleverly was elected to theLondon Assembly forBexley and Bromley in the2008 election for the Conservative Party, and served as the party's leader in the assembly from 2011 to 2012. He was elected to theHouse of Commons for Braintree at the2015 general election, and later stood down from the London Assembly at the2016 election. He advocated a vote forBrexit in the2016 EU membership referendum, and was reelected to parliament in the2017 general election.
In thesecond May ministry, Cleverly served asDeputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2018 to 2019 andParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from April to July 2019. He was promoted to theCabinet asminister without portfolio in theFirst Johnson ministry, serving as Chairman of the Conservative Party alongside Ben Elliot from 2019 to 2020. Cleverly was demoted from the Cabinet in the2020 cabinet reshuffle; serving asMinister of State for Middle East, North Africa and North America from February 2020 to February 2022 and asMinister of State for Europe and North America from February to July 2022. During theJuly 2022 government crisis, Cleverly returned to Cabinet, succeedingMichelle Donelan as Secretary of State for Education.
In September 2022, he was appointed foreign secretary by Prime MinisterLiz Truss, whom he had directly served under while she was Foreign Secretary. Retained as foreign secretary whenRishi Sunak became prime ministerin October 2022, Cleverly was then appointed home secretary in theNovember 2023 cabinet reshuffle, being succeeded as foreign secretary by former prime ministerDavid Cameron. As Home Secretary, Cleverly committed to maintaining theRwanda asylum plan and introduced a plan to substantially reduce legal migration to the UK by raising the threshold for family visas. After Labour's victory in the2024 general election, Cleverly was appointedShadow Home Secretary inSunak's shadow cabinet, and later launched his bid to becomeLeader of the Conservative Party but was knocked out of the contest in the final round of MP voting. He spent eight months on the backbenches after the election ofKemi Badenoch as leader, receiving a knighthood in April 2025 for political and public service, before returning to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Housing Secretary in areshuffle in July 2025.
James Cleverly was born on 4 September 1969 inLewisham Hospital,Lewisham to James Philip and Evelyn Suna Cleverly. He spent part of his childhood inChelmsford.[1] His English father worked as asurveyor and hisSierra Leonean mother worked as amidwife.[2] He was privately educated at Riverston School andColfe's School inLee. He pursued hospitality management studies atEaling College of Higher Education (nowUniversity of West London) graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991.[3][4]
After graduation, Cleverly worked for publishing companyVerenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen, and joinedInforma as international sales manager in 2002. In 2004, he joined Crimson Publishing as an advertising manager. He became online commercial manager for Caspian Publishing in 2006. The following year, he co-founded web publishing company Point and Fire.[3]
Cleverly's initial training atSandhurst was curtailed by a leg injury sustained in 1989. On 6 October 1991, he wascommissioned into theArmy Reserve, as asecond lieutenant (acting).[5] In January 1993, his commission was confirmed and he was appointedsubstantive second lieutenant.[6] Cleverly was promoted tolieutenant on 6 October 1993,[7] tocaptain on 26 May 1998,[8] and tomajor on 1 November 2003.[9]
Until 2005, Cleverly wasBattery Commander of266 (Para) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers).[10] Cleverly was promoted tolieutenant colonel on 1 March 2015.[11] He was serving with100 (Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery, working as a Staff Officer in1st (UK) Division.[12]
In March 2007, Cleverly was selected as the Conservative Partycandidate for theBexley and Bromley constituency of theLondon Assembly. The London Assembly election was held on 1 May with the count and declaration on 2 May, where he received 105,162 votes (52.6% of the vote) and a majority of 75,237.[13]
In January 2009, Cleverly was appointed as theMayor of London'syouth ambassador, a newly created role which was seen as being a replacement post for the deputy mayor for young people, a post left vacant after the resignation ofRay Lewis. The creation of the role caused some controversy as it was not filled by a mayoral appointment but by a member of the Assembly whose formal role was to scrutinise the Mayor. The decision was defended because of the precedent set by the appointment ofKit Malthouse as Deputy Mayor for Policing.[14]
In February 2010, Cleverly was appointed as the chairman of the London Waste and Recycling Board, replacingBoris Johnson who had stood down.[15] In August 2010, Cleverly posted atweet saying: "We may be coalition partners but it doesn't stop me thinkingSimon Hughes is a dick." This was in response to a suggestion by Hughes, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, that backbench MPs should be able to vetoCoalition policies.[16] He later apologised.[17]
In November 2010, Cleverly was re-selected to be the Conservative candidate for Bexley and Bromley at the2012 London Assembly election, going on to win the seat with 88,482 votes (once again 52.6% of the votes) and a majority of 47,768.[18] After the defeat ofBrian Coleman at the election, Cleverly was appointed to the chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.[19]
In January 2015, Cleverly was selected to be the Conservativeparliamentary candidate forBraintree, after the sitting Conservative MPBrooks Newmark stood down following controversy over sending sexually suggestive messages to an undercover reporter.[20] His selection came after the initial selection process was quietly suspended byConservative Campaign Headquarters, after the local party chose someone not on the approved candidates list and was told to "think again".[21] At the2015 general election, Cleverly was elected to Parliament as MP for Braintree, winning 53.8% of the vote and a majority of 17,610.[22] Following the election, Cleverly did not defend his seat at the2016 London Assembly election.[23]
In November 2015, Cleverly was criticised for pushing through the closure of 10 fire stations in London after the death of an elderly man in Camden following delays in the arrival of fire crews. In response, Cleverly said: "It is impossible for them to say that with certainty. I think it would be much wiser for theFBU to wait for the details of that fire investigation to come out before they start making these opportunistic allegations."[24]
In January 2016, theLabour Party proposed an amendment to theHousing and Planning Bill 2016,[25] which would have required private landlords to make homes which they put up for rent fit for human habitation. According to Parliament's register of interests, Cleverly was one of 72 Conservative MPs who voted against the amendment and who personally derived an income from renting out property. The Conservative Government had responded to the amendment by saying that they believed homes should be fit for human habitation but did not want to pass the new law that would explicitly require it.[26] In March 2016, Cleverly was asked to step down as patron of Advocacy for All, a charity supporting disadvantaged people in South East England. The charity felt he was no longer a suitable person for the role, given that he had voted to cutEmployment and Support Allowance (the benefit paid to disabled people who are unable to work).[27][28]
Cleverly advocated voting forBrexit in the2016 EU membership referendum.[29] At the2017 general election, Cleverly was re-elected with an increased vote share of 62.8% and an increased majority of 18,422.[30] In January 2018 he was appointed as adeputy chairman of the Conservative Party[31] before becoming ajunior minister at theDepartment for Exiting the European Union in April 2019. In October 2018, Cleverly defended ConservativeLondon mayoral candidateShaun Bailey over potentiallyIslamophobic andanti-Hindu comments made in a pamphlet and suggested that black boys were drifting into crime as a result of learning more about faiths other than "their own Christian culture".[32] On 29 May 2019, Cleverly announced he was standing to replaceTheresa May in the2019 Conservative leadership election,[33] before withdrawing from the race on 4 June 2019.[34]
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Following the appointment ofBoris Johnson asPrime Minister, Cleverly was appointedChairman of the Conservative Party, serving alongside Ben Elliot. At the2019 general election, Cleverly was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 67.5% and an increased majority of 24,673.[35][36]
In the2020 cabinet reshuffle, Cleverly was removed from Johnson's cabinet and appointedMinister of State for the Middle East and North Africa. He became Minister of State for Middle East, North Africa and North America in December 2021, before being appointedMinister of State for Europe and North America in February 2022. In September 2020, he expressed concern about a "looming"famine in Yemen.[37]
In March 2021, Cleverly described the situation inYemen as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.[38] In March 2022, he said that attempts to compareSaudi Arabia toRussia were "ridiculously distasteful", describing Saudi Arabia as an "incredibly influential country in the region" and a "significant oil and gas producer."[39] On 7 July 2022, Cleverly succeededMichelle Donelan asSecretary of State for Education, a post that he held for almost two months.[40]
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Cleverly was promoted to the positionForeign Secretary by incoming Prime MinisterLiz Truss on 6 September 2022. Cleverly attended theUN Security Council meeting on 22 September, where he called on other countries to reject theannexation referendums due to take place inRussian-occupied areas in Eastern and SouthernUkraine.[41] On 20 October 2022, he announced that the United Kingdom would pursue sanctions againstIran for supplying drones to attack civilian targets in Ukraine. Cleverly stated that "Iran cannot be allowed to violate UN resolutions".[42]
Cleverly endorsed former Prime MinisterBoris Johnson ahead of theOctober 2022 Conservative Party leadership election. As Johnson ended up not standing, Cleverly then endorsedRishi Sunak.[43] Sunak re-appointed him tohis cabinet as Foreign Secretary on 25 October 2022. That same month, due to doubts raised that British homosexual football fans would be safe at the 2022Football World Cup taking place inQatar, Cleverly suggested that they should show "a little bit of flex and compromise",[44] adding that he thought it was "important when you're a visitor to a country that you respect the culture of your host nation." He described Qatar as "an Islamic country with a very different set of cultural norms to our own [those of Britain]".[45] Labour called his advice "shockingly tone-deaf",[46] due to the fact thatgay activity is illegal in Qatar and that Cleverly had known that if gay people expressed their homosexuality openly in Qatar they would be arrested. Earlier in 2022, LGBT organisations stated that "progress has been slow" in attempting to ensure the safety of LGBT football fans withFIFA in Qatar – and additionally that reassurances from Qatar had "not been adequate".[44] In Qatar, sex between men carries a penalty of up to 7 years in prison.[45]
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In May 2022, the country'semir,Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said that he believed criticism about Qatar being chosen to host the World Cup came from "people who cannot accept the idea that an Arab Muslim country would host a tournament like the World Cup".[45][47] Sunak's spokesperson distanced themselves from Cleverly's comments, saying that fans should not have to "compromise who they are", as well as that "Qatar's policies are not those of the UK Government and not ones we would endorse".[48] In November 2022, Cleverly stated that his actions were "about ensuring that the English and Welsh fans going over to enjoy the football were safe and happy and that they enjoyed themselves whilst watching the tournament."[49] In December 2022, despitehuman rights concerns inSaudi Arabia, Cleverly called Saudi Arabia a strategic partner.[50] In the same month, Cleverly met his Norwegian counterpart,Anniken Huitfeldt, to discuss continued military cooperation and attended the annual Christmas tree lighting.[51]
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In January 2023, Cleverly again metAntony Blinken, theUS Secretary of State, inWashington, DC, to discuss theRussian invasion of Ukraine, recent events inIran following theanti-regime protests occurring there among other issues, as well as to reaffirm the UK'sspecial relationship with the United States.[52] Cleverly was criticised by some Conservative MPs, includingLiz Truss, for refusing to reclassifyChina as a "threat" in response to the Chinese Government's aggressiveforeign policy and itshuman rights abuses of theUyghur Muslim community.[53] He called China a potential "partner for good".[54]
On 19 July 2023, Cleverly made a public statement following his being mooted as a possible successor to the departing Defence Secretary,Ben Wallace. Cleverly asked Prime Minister Sunak to leave him in his current position, because he said he really likes the job. He stated that if he was removed from his post, "you will see nail marks on the parquet floor in my office".[55] In August 2023, Cleverly made his first visit to China as the first UK Government minister to visit the country since 2018.[56] The trip was reportedly to promote bilateral trade and climate change policy and challengeChina's response to the Russo-Ukrainian War.[57][58]
On 13 September 2023, he met Turkish Foreign MinisterHakan Fidan in Ankara and stated thatTurkey is an "indispensable partner" to the UK and "has truly significant commitments to NATO."[59] Cleverly expressed support forIsrael during theGaza war. On 11 October 2023, he visited Israel "to show solidarity to Israeli people".[60] He rejected calls for a ceasefire but supported "humanitarian pauses" to provide aid to civilians in theGaza Strip.[61]
In Sunak'scabinet reshuffle on 13 November 2023, Cleverly was appointedHome Secretary, succeedingSuella Braverman.[62][63] On 22 November 2023, Cleverly was accused by Labour MPAlex Cunningham of calling Cunningham'sStockton North constituency a "shithole" in response to a question in theHouse of Commons; Cleverly denied the allegation, but apologised for using "unparliamentary language", which he said had instead been used to describe Cunningham himself.[64]
On 23 December 2023, Cleverly faced calls to resign for joking aboutspiking his wife's drink withRohypnol, adate rape drug to ensure that she would "never realise there are better men out there”.[65] A spokesperson said that Cleverly "apologise[d]" for what he had intended "to be an ironic joke".[66]
At the2024 general election, Cleverly was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 35.5% and a decreased majority of 3,670.[67] Following the Conservative Party's defeat at the general election and the subsequent formation of theStarmer ministry, Cleverly was appointed Shadow Home Secretary in Sunak'scaretaker Shadow Cabinet.[68]
On 23 July 2024, he announced he was running inthe leadership election to be the new Conservative Party leader.[69][70] As part of his campaign he pledged to reform the party includingConservative Campaign Headquarters.[71] In the first round of voting, Cleverly came third with 22 votes,[72] but fell down to 21 votes in the second round, coming joint third with Tom Tugendhat.[73] On the third round, however, Cleverly jumped to first place with 39 votes, after a strong performance at the2024 Party Conference where he argued that the Conservative Party should become "more normal".[74] However, Cleverly was eliminated in the final round of MP voting with 37 votes. This was widely considered a shock result after his strong performance in the third round.[75]The Independent has alleged that Robert Jenrick's campaign launched a whipping operation in order to poach Cleverly's supporters, convincing those who disliked Kemi Badenoch to support Jenrick in order to keep her out of the final round.[76] This loss of votes led Cleverly to be knocked out, allowing Badenoch and Jenrick to go to the Member's vote[77] which Kemi Badenoch won, leading her to become the Leader of the Conservative Party.[78] The day before the result was announced, Cleverly revealed that he would not take a frontbench role in either Badenoch or Jenrick's Shadow Cabinet, instead choosing to return to the backbenches.[79]
In April 2025, Cleverly refused to rule out running for leader again, and urged his party to stop “obsessing” over Reform UK.[80] Later in June, Cleverly criticized Badenoch’s plans to ditchnet zero targets, insisting that achieving climate goals and simultaneous economic growth was possible. His opinion differed from the official Conservative Party position.[81] Cleverly voted against theassisted dying bill in June 2025, citing the number of medical organizations that were neutral on the principle of assisted dying itself while simultaneously being opposed to specific measures in the bill.[82]
In July 2025, Cleverly was appointedShadow Housing Secretary in theshadow cabinet reshuffle byKemi Badenoch.[83]
Cleverly married Susannah Sparks in 2000, after meeting her at the University of West London nine years earlier.[84] Susannah was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer in December 2021, and following a single mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy she finished treatment in April 2023.[85] The couple have two sons and live inBlackheath, south-east London.[86]
Cleverly identifies as an atheist and ahumanist, remarking during theTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill debate that "I do not come at this from a religious point of view – I am an atheist; I am a humanist."[87] His cousinChris Cleverly is a lawyer and businessman.[88] He has been a fan of theminiature wargameWarhammer 40,000; in 2022 he had a privateYouTube channel dedicated topainting the game's miniatures.[89][90]
Cleverly was awarded theEfficiency Decoration (TD) for 12 years' commissioned service in the Territorial Army in January 2012,[91][92] as well as theQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, theQueen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, theQueen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 and theKing Charles III Coronation Medal in 2023. He was sworn of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom on 8 October 2019 atBuckingham Palace as part of his appointment asMinister without portfolio andConservative Party Chairman in theJohnson ministry. Membership of the Privy Council affords thehonorary prefix "the Right Honourable" for life.[93] In April 2025, Cleverly wasknighted in the2024 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours byRishi Sunak "for political and public service".[94]
He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 100 Regiment Royal Artillery Army Reserve, his old regiment, on 15 July 2025.[95]
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| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| Knight Bachelor |
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 | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
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| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
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 | Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal |
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| King Charles III Coronation Medal |
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| Efficiency Decoration (TD) |
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| Volunteer Reserves Service Medal (VR) |
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Mr Cunningham had asked: "Why are 34% of children in my constituency living in poverty?" ... Making a point of order in the Commons later that day, he said: "Before the prime minister answered, the home secretary chose to add in his pennyworth. He was seen and heard to say 'because it's a shithole'.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)It turns out the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, is a fan. His private YouTube channel is dedicated to following expert miniatures painters. In 2012, he tweeted out a video on how to paint Astorath the Grim, high chaplain of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter.
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