Hunt served as Secretary of State for Health, later Health and Social Care, under thepremierships both of David Cameron andof Theresa May, and became the longest-serving health secretary in British political history. Duringhis tenure, Hunt oversaw the imposition ofa controversial new junior doctors' contract in England after a dispute in which junior doctors undertook multiple strikes, the first such industrial action for 40 years. Following the resignation ofBoris Johnson as foreign secretary over theChequers Agreement, Hunt was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in July 2018. He was a candidate for theleadership election in 2019, finishing second to Johnson. He served as Chair of theHealth and Social Care Select Committee from 2020 to 2022, a prominent role due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Following Johnson's resignation amid a government crisisin July 2022, Hunt launched a secondleadership bid, but was eliminated in the first ballot of Conservative MPs.
Following university, Hunt worked as amanagement consultant atOC&C Strategy Consultants for two years and then became an English language teacher in Japan.[12] On his return to Britain, he tried his hand at a number of different entrepreneurial business ventures, with three failed start-ups including an attempt to exportmarmalade toJapan.[13][14] In 1991, Hunt co-founded a public relations agency named Profile PR specialising inIT with Mike Elms, a childhood friend.[12] Hunt and Elms later sold their interest in Profile PR to concentrate on directory publishing.
Hunt had been interested in creating a 'guide to help people who want to study rather than just travel abroad'[15] and, together with Elms, founded a company known asHotcourses in the 1990s, a major client of which is theBritish Council.[16] Hunt stood down as director of the company in 2009; however, he still retained 48% of the shares in the company, which were held in ablind trust before Hotcourses was sold in January 2017 for over £35 million to Australian education organisationIDP Education. From 2009 onwards, Elms had guided and grown the company to this position after Hunt's segue into politics. Hunt personally gained over £14 million from the sale and in doing so became the richest member ofTheresa May's Cabinet.[16][17][18]
After supportingDavid Cameron's bid for leadership of theConservative Party, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Disabled People in December 2005. In the same year, he was a co-author of a policy pamphletDirect Democracy: An Agenda For A New Model Party which included statements supporting denationalising the NHS and suggested replacing it with "a new system of health provision in which people would pay money into personal health accounts, which they could then use to shop around for care from public and private providers. Those who could not afford to save enough would be funded by the state".[20] Hunt later denied that the policy pamphlet expresses his views.[21] In David Cameron's reshuffle of 2 July 2007, Hunt joined theShadow cabinet asShadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
In 2009, Hunt was investigated by theParliamentary Commissioner for Standards.[22][23] The commissioner found: "Mr Hunt was in breach of the rules in not reducing his claims on the Additional Costs Allowance in that period to take full account of his agent's living costs. As a result, public funds provided a benefit to the constituency agent ... Mr Hunt received no real financial benefit from the arrangement and that the error was caused by his misinterpretation of the rules."[23]
Hunt offered to repay half the money (£9,558.50), which was accepted.[23] Hunt repaid £1,996 for claiming the expenses of hisFarnham home while claiming the mortgage of hisHammersmith home.[23] The commissioner said: "Mr Hunt has readily accepted that he was in error, and in breach of the rules of the House, in making a claim for utilities and other services on his Farnham home in the period during which it was still his main home. He has repaid the sum claimed, £1,996, in full. It is clear that, as a new Member in May 2005, his office arrangements were at best disorganised."[23] TheLegg Report showed no other issues.[24]
At the2010 general election, Hunt was re-elected to Parliament as MP for South West Surrey with an increased vote share of 58.7% and an increased majority of 16,318.[25][26][27][28]
In June 2010, Hunt attracted controversy for suggestingfootball hooliganism played a part in the death of 96 football fans in theHillsborough disaster; this was despite the fact that it had been established that a lack of police control and the presence of terraces and perimeter fences were the causes of the tragedy. Hunt later apologised.[30]
In September 2010,The Observer reported that it "raised eyebrows" when Hunt's formerparliamentary assistant, Naomi Gummer, was given a job within theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport on a fixed-term civil service contract after Hunt had proposed departmental cuts of 35–50 per cent. The head of thePublic and Commercial Services Union questioned Hunt's motives, saying: "Political independence of the civil service is a fundamental part of our democracy and we would be deeply concerned if this was being put at risk by nepotism and privilege." Gummer is the daughter of a Conservativelife peer,Lord Chadlington, who was a director of Hotcourses between 2000 and 2004.[31]
As Culture Secretary, Hunt devised and championed a plan to give Britain the fastest broadband speeds in Europe. There was initial scepticism about his plans with concerns they could lead toBT regaining its monopoly.[32] He also spearheaded the drive for local TV and as a result of this policyOfcom awarded local television licences toBelfast,Birmingham,Brighton & Hove,Bristol,Cardiff,Edinburgh,Glasgow,Grimsby,Leeds,Liverpool,London,Manchester,Newcastle,Norwich,Nottingham,Oxford,Plymouth,Preston,Sheffield,Southampton, andSwansea.[33] In terms of culture policy, his main focus was to boost philanthropy given the spending cuts that the arts along with other sectors were experiencing. Changes were made to inheritance tax – including measures to encourage private gifts to the arts.[34]
During Hunt's tenure, competition and policy issues relating to media and telecommunications became the responsibility of the Culture Secretary; they were removed from the purview of the Business Secretary,Vince Cable, after Cable was recorded stating that he had "declared war" onRupert Murdoch.[35]
In April 2012,The Daily Telegraph disclosed that Hunt had reduced his tax bill by over £100,000 by receiving dividends from Hotcourses in the form of property which was promptly leased back to the company.[36] Thedividend in specie was paid just before a 10% rise in dividend tax and Hunt was not required to paystamp duty on the property.[36]
News Corporation attempted takeover of BSkyB and Leveson Inquiry
Hunt was given thequasi-judicial power to adjudicate over theNews Corporation takeover bid for BSkyB. Hunt chose not to refer the deal to theCompetition Commission, announcing on 3 March 2011 that he intended to accept a series of undertakings given byNews Corporation, paving the way for the deal to be approved.[37][38] Following a series of scandals concerningphone hacking, aHouse of Commons motion was planned that called on News Corporation to abandon the bid. The bid was eventually dropped.[39] Hunt was alleged to have had improper contact with News Corporation. Emails released to theLeveson Inquiry detailed contacts between Hunt's special advisor Adam Smith and Frédéric Michel,[40] News Corporation's director of public affairs and therefore a lobbyist forJames Murdoch. The revelations led to calls from theLabour opposition and others for Hunt's resignation.[41] Smith, Hunt'sspecial adviser, resigned on 25 April[42] shortly before Hunt made an emergency parliamentary statement in which he said that Smith's contact with Michel was "clearly not appropriate". Hunt saidLord Justice Leveson should be able to investigate and rule on the accusations and requested the earliest date possible to give evidence to the Inquiry to set out his side of the story.[43]
Hunt appeared before the Leveson Inquiry on 31 May 2012, when it emerged that Hunt had himself been in text and private email contact withJames Murdoch.[44][45] JournalistIain Martin claimed that at a 2010 event held atUCL, which Murdoch attended, he saw Hunt hide behind a tree to avoid being seen by journalists.[46] Hunt later told the Leveson Inquiry that "I thought, this is not the time to have an impromptu interview, so I moved to a different part of the quadrangle... there may or may not have been trees!"[47]
Lord Justice Leveson cleared Hunt of bias when the report was published, stating that "in some respects, there was much to commend in Mr Hunt's handling of the bid".[48] He concluded: "What was not evident from the close consideration of events which the Inquiry undertook was any credible evidence of actual bias on the part of Mr Hunt. Whatever he had said, both publicly and in private, about News Corporation or the Murdochs, as soon as he was given the responsibility for dealing with the bid the evidence demonstrates a real desire on his part to get it right. His actions as a decision maker were frequently adverse to News Corporation's interests. He showed a willingness to follow Ofcom's advice and to take action, to the extent recommended by the regulators, in response to the consultation."[48]
As Culture Secretary, Hunt was the government minister responsible for the2012 London Olympics and2012 London Paralympics. When it transpired that contractorsG4S could not provide enough security staff for the Games, Hunt announced that soldiers would be drafted in and that he had been forced to "think again" about the default use of private contractors.[49] Hunt took the decision to double the budget for the opening ceremony which received acclaim, and overall the Games were considered a huge success internationally.[50][51][52][53] According toDanny Boyle, the artistic director for the opening ceremony, the Government initially suggested removing the section of the opening ceremony about theNHS, although Hunt denied this.[54]
The Games received widespread acclaim for their organisation, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm praised particularly highly.[55][56][57] In the aftermath, Hunt set up the school games as an Olympic Legacy project. Although there was criticism at the time of cuts in the school sports budget,[58] 11,953 schools took part in the School Games in the first year.[59] Hunt also campaigned to increase the emphasis on the importance of the tourism industry, especially the potential of the Chinese tourist market.[60]
Hunt was appointedSecretary of State for Health in the2012 cabinet reshuffle, succeedingAndrew Lansley.[61] During his tenure Hunt pursued an ambitious agenda to address patient safety,[62] regional variations in premature deaths,[63] health tourism[64] and A&E waiting times.[65][18] He oversaw increased spending on the NHS but was criticised for controversial reforms,[66][67] manipulating figures[68] and increased privatisation.[69] In a major break from a policy previously favoured by Conservative and Labour governments, Hunt declared patient choice was not key to improving NHS performance.[70] He also defended the universal coverage provided by the NHS, including against US PresidentDonald Trump.[71] He has supported reducing the abortion limit from 24 weeks to 12 weeks[72] andhomoeopathy if recommended to patients by a doctor.[73][74][75]
In 2012, Hunt attempted to downgradecasualty and maternity units inLewisham.[76] Hunt stated the cuts were necessary because neighbouring South London Healthcare NHS Trust had been losing more than £1m every week.[77] A campaign led by GPLouise Irvine defeated Hunt in court in 2012 on this issue,[76] with the judge ruling that Hunt acted outside his powers when he announced casualty and maternity units atLewisham Hospital would be downgraded.[77]
In March 2014, Hunt announced that the Government would not give a recommended 1% pay rise to NHS non-medical staff receiving progression pay (around 55% of total non-medical staff).[78] Following apre-election report in April 2015 that hospital chiefs shared an average 6% pay rise totalling £35 million, Hunt promised to investigate if the Conservatives won the election.[79]
At the2015 general election, Hunt was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 59.9% and an increased majority of 28,556.[80]
In July 2015, Hunt became the subject of the first petition on a new UK Government website to reach the threshold of 100,000 signatures required for a petition to be considered for debate in Parliament. The petition called for a debate on a vote of "No Confidence" in Hunt as Health Secretary,[81][82] and ultimately recorded 222,991 signatures leading to a debate on the motion being scheduled in September 2015.[83] However, thePetitions Committee would not have had the power to initiate a vote of no confidence so instead debated the contracts and conditions of NHS staff.[84][85][86]
In December 2015, an undercoverDaily Telegraph investigation showed that in some cases locum agencies, Medicare and Team24 owned byCapita were charging some hospitals higher fees than others and giving false company details. The agencies were charging up to 49% of the fee. Hunt criticised those who sought "big profits" at the expense of the NHS and taxpayers and promised to "reduce the margins rip-off agencies are able to generate."[87]
Hunt supported Britain remaining in the European Union (EU) in the2016 referendum. After the result that supportedBrexit was announced, Hunt suggested a second referendum on the terms of any exit deal with him personally backing one in which the UK would stay in theSingle Market.[88][89]
Hunt became the longest-serving Health Secretary in British political history on 3 June 2018.[90]
In October 2016, Hunt called for a reduction in the number of foreign doctors working in the NHS afterthe UK left the EU.[91] At the Conservative Party Conference later in the month, Hunt pledged, by 2025, the NHS would be "self-sufficient in doctors". He announced an increase of up to 1,500 extra places at medical schools in the UK in 2018, partly funded by an increase in international medical student fees. Hunt also stated UK medical students would be forced to work in the NHS for at least four years or have to repay the cost of their training, around £220,000.[92][93]
At the snap2017 general election, Hunt was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 55.7% and a decreased majority of 21,590.[94]
In October 2017, Hunt stated he supported Brexit, citing the "arrogance of theEU Commission" in responding to the UK Government in the Brexit negotiations.[95]
In April 2018,The Daily Telegraph reported that Hunt breached anti-money laundering legislation by failing to declare his 50 per cent interest in a property firm toCompanies House within the required 28 days. Hunt also failed to disclose his interest in the property firm on theParliamentary Register of Members' interests within the required 28 days.[96] Hunt later rectified the error. A spokesman for Hunt said that Hunt's "accountant made an error in the Companies House filing, which was a genuine oversight". In response, a spokesman for Downing Street agreed with theCabinet Office that there was no breach of the ministerial code. The Labour Party referred Hunt to theparliamentary commissioner for standards.[97]
In July 2015, Hunt indicated he would be prepared to impose a new consultant contract on doctors in England which would remove the opt out for non-emergency work at weekends to prevent "about 6,000 avoidable deaths" resulting from "Monday to Friday culture" in the NHS and to reintroduce "a sense of vocation" in consultants.[98] The comments angered doctors who responded by sharing photographs of themselves working at weekends via social media using the hashtag #ImInWorkJeremy.[99][100][101] Hunt was criticised by statisticiansDavid Spiegelhalter and David Craven, BMA council chairMark Porter andShadow Health SecretaryHeidi Alexander for his claims not merely misrepresenting the facts but potentially causing patients to delay hospitals visits and put themselves at risk. His critics described theHunt Effect where patients who needed medical attention at a weekend had been deterred from doing so because they were persuaded it would be better to wait until a Monday.[102][103][104]
In October 2015, Hunt was accused by the editor ofThe BMJ,Fiona Godlee, of repeatedly misrepresenting a study published in the journal on theweekend effect. He had used the study as evidence when stating reduced staffing levels of doctors at weekends directly led to 11,000 excess deaths. Godlee asserted the study's authors did not specify that the excess deaths were avoidable or that staffing levels were the cause.[105][106][107] The lead author of the study, Nick Freemantle, stated they did not identify a cause for excess deaths or establish the extent to which they were avoidable.[108] NHS Medical DirectorBruce Keogh, a co-author of the study, said in response to Hunt's comments, "It is not possible to ascertain the extent to which these excess deaths may be preventable".[109]
In January 2016, Hunt was criticised by stroke doctors for using out-of-date data to show stroke patients were more likely to die if admitted at weekends. They wrote there had been significant improvements since the period between 2004 and 2012, from which Hunt's data came, and new data showed there was "no longer any excess of hospital deaths in patients with stroke admitted at the weekend."[110][111] Stroke specialist David Curtis said even the outdated statistics did not support Hunt's claims.[112] In February, a leaked internal report by theDepartment of Health stated the department was unable to prove a link between increased consultant presence, availability of diagnostic tests, and reducing weekend mortality and length of stay. It highlighted the seven-day NHS could cost an additional £900 million each year, required the recruitment of 11,000 more staff including 4,000 doctors and 3,000 nurses, and community and social services could struggle to handle more discharges at the weekend.[113]
In May 2016, another study also concluded there was no evidence people were more likely to die in hospitals at the weekend.[114][115][116] In August, internal Department of Health risk management documents were leaked. They described 13 major risks in delivering the "truly seven-day NHS" pledge promised by the Conservatives prior to the2015 United Kingdom general election. These included a lack of staff and funding for the policy. The documents also stated no advance impact assessments had been made to show how the policy would affect the delivery of NHS services.[117][118][119] Chief executive ofNHS Providers Chris Hopson described the seven-day NHS plan as "impossible to deliver" due to a lack of funding and staffing. He also highlighted pressures on the NHS, with 80% of acute hospitals in England in financial deficit compared to 5% in 2013 and an increase of missed A&E waiting time targets from 10% to 90% in the same time period.[120][121] In May 2016, a report by the House of Commons public accounts committee criticised Hunt's plan for a seven-day NHS, saying "no coherent attempt" had made to understand staffing needs, the plan was "completely uncosted", and contained "serious flaws".[122][123][124][125]
Under Hunt, the Department of Health announced a new junior doctors' contract in England which would increase doctors' basic pay but extend "normal hours" for which they would not be paid a premium.[126][127][128] In September 2015, theBritish Medical Association (BMA) said they would not re-enter negotiations unless Hunt dropped his threat to impose the contract and balloted their members for industrial action.[129] They argued the contract would include an increase in working hours with a relative pay cut of up to 40%.[126][130][131][132] Hunt tried reassuring the BMA by saying that no junior doctor would face a pay cut, before admitting those who worked longer than 56 hours a week would face a fall in pay but said working these long hours was unsafe.[133][134][135][136] In November 2015, he said he would offer a basic pay increase of 11%, but still remove compensation for longer hours.[137][138][139]
On 19 November 2015, the result of a BMA strike ballot was announced, with 98% voting for full strike action.[140][141] An agreement was not reached by the junior doctors committee's deadline, so the BMA announced a strike would go ahead.[142][143]
The first day of strike action was in January 2016 and involved junior doctors only providing emergency care.[144] A second day of strike action occurred in February 2016 where doctors again provided only emergency care.[145][146][147] Following these strikes, Hunt announced he would unilaterally impose the new contract without agreement or further negotiation, with NHS trusts instructed to introduce it in August.[148][149] In response, the BMA announced three 48-hour long strikes and issued a legal challenge over the contract.[150]
Further talks after the strikes resulted in an agreement to be put to a referendum.[151][152][153] In the July referendum, 58% of BMA members rejected the offer.[154] Following this, Hunt rejected holding any further talks with the BMA and announced the imposition of the new contract on junior doctors starting from October.[155]
In February 2016, Hunt was polled as the "most disliked" frontline British politician.[156] He acknowledged there would be "considerable dismay" and announced an urgent inquiry led byAcademy of Medical Royal Colleges chairSusan Bailey into junior doctors' morale and welfare.[157][158] The Academy Trainee Doctors' Group voted unanimously not to participate in the review under the offered terms.[159][160] He said he had lessons to learn but denied any personal responsibility for the dispute.[161]
Also, in 2016, bothStephen Hawking andRobert Winston called for an inquiry into claims made by Hunt regarding whether the NHS had sufficient funding, with Hawking saying Hunt had "cherry-picked research, causing a devastating breakdown of trust between Government and the medical profession".[162]
Hunt was appointedForeign Secretary in July 2018 following the resignation ofBoris Johnson.[163] Hunt said "My principal job at a time of massive importance for our country is to stand four square behind the Prime Minister so that we can get through an agreement with theEuropean Union based on what was agreed by the Cabinet last week atChequers."[164] After being appointed Foreign Secretary, Hunt expressed fears over the UK potentially leaving the EU without a deal. He said that it would be "incredibly challenging economically" and that "It would lead to a fissure in relations which would be highly damaging for that great partnership that we have had for so many years, which has been so important in sustaining the international order."[165]
Hunt supported the Saudi Arabian-ledmilitary intervention in Yemen and describedSaudi Arabia as a "very, very important military ally". In August 2018, he defended Britain's alliance with Saudi Arabia after abomb dropped on a school bus inYemen killed 51 people, including 40 children, although he said he was "deeply shocked" at the deaths.[166] Amid global outrage overthe murder of Saudi dissident journalistJamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate inIstanbul, Hunt rejected calls to end the UK's arms sales to Saudi Arabia, saying: "There are jobs in the UK ... at stake so when it comes to the issue of arms sales we have our procedures."[167] In February 2019, he urgedGermany to lift ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and warned that Germans are risking "a loss of confidence in Germany's credibility as a partner",[168] although he admitted: "Over 80,000 children [in Yemen] havedied of starvation, there are about a quarter of a million people starving at the moment, and around 20 million people don't have food security – they don't know whether they're going to be able to get the food they need in the days ahead."[169] Andrew Smith, ofCampaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), said Hunt "played an utterly central and complicit role in arming and supporting the Saudi-led destruction of Yemen".[170]
In July 2018, Hunt visited China and met China's foreign ministerWang Yi. Hunt said that the "UK-China Strategic Dialogue is an important opportunity to intensify our cooperation on shared challenges in international affairs, ranging from global free trade to non-proliferation and environmental challenges, under the UK-China Global Partnership and 'Golden Era' forUK-China relations".[171] In October 2018, he criticised theXinjiang internment camps andhuman rights abuses against the Uyghurs in China, saying: "British diplomats who visitedXinjiang have confirmed that reports of mass internment camps for Uighur Muslims were 'broadly true'."[172]
Hunt supported the continued efforts of the UK Government to leave the European Union. During the September 2018 Conservative conference, Hunt likened theEuropean Union to the formerUSSR, saying: "It was the Soviet Union that stopped people leaving. The lesson from history is clear: If you turn the EU club into a prison, the desire to get out won't diminish." This comment was strongly criticised.[177][178] While on a February 2019 Brexit-related visit toLjubljana, he caused anger by congratulating his hosts on "making really remarkable transformation from a Soviet vassal state to a modern European democracy." In factSlovenia, as part ofYugoslavia, had previously beennon-aligned.[179][180]
In November 2018, Hunt threatened theUnited Arab Emirates with "serious diplomatic consequences" after it sentenced British research studentMatthew Hedges to life in prison for allegedly spying for the UK. Hunt said that the verdict "is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances".[181] Hedges was released at the end of November, after intense negotiations.[182]
Hunt announced his campaign to become the leader of theConservative Party on 24 May 2019, following the resignation of Prime MinisterTheresa May.[184] On 20 June 2019, he was named one of the final two candidates.[185] Hunt was defeated byBoris Johnson, having secured only one third of the vote. His campaign was given £10,000 by a close associate to Saudi Arabian Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman.[186][170]
Returning to the backbenches, Hunt founded Patient Safety Watch in October 2019, with the charity seeking to establish data to report on patient safety and harm in care, continuing the work on safety he started as Health Secretary. He chairs the organisation and said he planned to invest considerable sums of money into it.[188] However, according toThe Guardian, two thirds of its income is spent on the salary of Hunt's former political advisor who was sacked over a previous lobbying scandal.[189]
At the2019 general election, Hunt was again re-elected with a decreased vote share of 53.3% and a decreased majority of 8,817.[190]
His book,Zero: Eliminating unnecessary deaths in a post-pandemic NHS, argues for "candour, a no-blame culture and a sincere determination to treat every mistake as an opportunity to learn how to do better next time". He writes that in the NHS there are 150preventable deaths each week, and draws on the experience of the airline industry to advocate a shift from a blame culture to a learning culture.[195]
Following theresignation of Boris Johnson, Hunt announced he would be standing in thesubsequent Conservative Party leadership election. He criticised Johnson for investing in infrastructure instead of "wealth creation", and proposed policies including amoratorium on business rates in deprived areas and a cut tocorporation tax to 15% instead of a proposed rise to 25%.[196] He also said he would retain the rise inNational Insurance rates and would not cut personal taxation until he "[got] the economy growing".[197] Hunt saidEsther McVey would be deputy prime minister if he were to become prime minister.[198] He was eliminated in the first round of voting on 13 July, receiving 18 votes.[199] He endorsedRishi Sunak after being eliminated.[200]
On 18 October, Tory MP SirRoger Gale stated "Jeremy Hunt isde facto prime minister at the moment".[203][204] This was echoed by media, includingThe Guardian,[205][206] with theFinancial Times writing that many MPs believe he is now the country'sde facto leader.[207]The Economist called him "chancellor in name but prime minister in practice" and "the most powerful person in Britain".[208] TheNew Statesman went on to name him as the third most powerful right-wing figure of 2023, behind onlyNigel Farage and Rishi Sunak.[1]
FollowingTruss's resignation, Hunt declined to stand in the partyleadership election to replace her.[209] Following Rishi Sunak's appointment as Prime Minister, it was confirmed that Hunt would continue as Chancellor.[210]
Hisautumn statement took place on 17 November 2022 and retracted the majority of planned reforms from Kwarteng's mini-budget.[211]
His2023 spring budget, delivered on 15 March 2023, was the first full budget statement to be presented by Hunt since his appointment as chancellor.[212] Announcements included afuel duty freeze, an extension of the "Energy Price Guarantee" for three more months, investments inlow-carbon energy projects and 30 hours of freechildcare for working people in England.[213]
Hunt delivering his 2024 budget speech
In July 2023, Hunt outlined reforms to the pension industry with the aim of boosting pension pots and increasing investment in British businesses. In a speech to business leaders, Hunt claimed theMansion House reforms could generate £75 billion of investment into high growth businesses and increase the average Briton's pension pot by 12% over the course of their career.[214]
Following the subsequent formation of theStarmer ministry, Hunt was appointedShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in Rishi Sunak'scaretaker Shadow Cabinet. Hunt said that he would not stand in the2024 Conservative Party leadership election. On 31 October 2024, Hunt confirmed that he had told both of the two leadership candidates,Kemi Badenoch andRobert Jenrick, that he would stand down from the shadow cabinet after the new leader was elected, citing the "big drubbing in the election" and the need to "reflect on that and show new faces to the country" as his reasoning.[218] He also confirmed that he would remain on the backbenches for the "next few years, at least."[219]
Hunt's wife, Lucia Guo, comes from China. He first met Guo in 2008, when she was working atWarwick University recruiting Chinese students for the university.[220][221] They married in July 2009 and have a son and two daughters;[222][223] His wife presented a segment onSky'sChina Hour, a show coproduced by state-owned broadcasterChina International Television Corporation.[224] He owns a townhouse inPimlico, central London, as well as a home inHambledon, Surrey.[225]
Hunt and his wife own Mare Pond Properties Ltd, a company that bought seven luxury flats in Alexandra Wharf,Southampton, with the help of a standard bulk discount fromproperty developer and Conservative donor Nicholas James Roach.[226][227]
Hunt speaks Japanese, having studied the language for two years while working in Japan as an English-language teacher in the 1990s.[228] He has named his personal political heroes asMargaret Thatcher andWilliam Wilberforce.[13] Hunt is a member of theChurch of England.[229]
Hunt has advocatedpro-active good mental health through actions including exercise, social contacts, gratitude and sleep.[230] In July 2023, he revealed that "every member of his family" has had cancer, and he himself had recovered from "a minor one".[231] Hunt's younger brother, Charlie, died aged 53 on 2 August 2023, after being diagnosed withsarcoma in 2020.[232] On 11 April 2025, Hunt was Knighted inRishi Sunak's Resignation Honours List.[233]
^abCowley, Jason (18 April – 2 May 2019). "The NS Profile "The Last Cameroon: Jeremy Hunt is on a mission to unite his fractured party – and the country"".New Statesman:24–33.
^"Review of past ACA payments"(PDF). House of Commons Members Estimate Committee. 4 February 2010. p. 86.Archived(PDF) from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved5 February 2010.
^Telford, Lyndsey; Newell, Claire; Malnick, Edward; Heighton, Luke (22 December 2015)."NHS hit by locum agency nurses' pay scandal".The Daily Telegraph.Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved25 December 2015.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Knight Grand Officer of the EquestrianOrder of St Agatha ofSan Marino[235].svg)
Knight Bachelor[233]
.svg)
_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg)
