JAMES Brokenshire was a Tory MP and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
He resigned from the Cabinet in January 2018 as Theresa May carried out a sweeping reshuffle of ministers and has now died after battling lung cancer.
Who was James Brokenshire?
James Brokenshire was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in January 1968.
A law graduate, Mr Brokenshire worked as a partner at international law firm Jones Day before going into politics.
He was elected at the 2005 general election to the now dissolved constituency of Hornchurch.`
He was then elected in May 2010 for Old Bexley and Sidcup.
A year later he was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Crime and Security under David Cameron’s government.
Brokenshire had a stint as Minister for Security and Immigration at the Home Office from 2014 to 2016.
Mr Brokenshire served in several ministerial roles before being appointed Northern Ireland Secretary in July 2016.
He spent much of the rest of his tenure overseeing talks to try to restore Northern Ireland’s devolved Stormont administration which collapsed in January 2017.
Brokenshire served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government between 2018 and 2019.
What was James Brokenshire’s illness?
Brokenshire died on October 7, 2021 after battling lung cancer at the age of 53.
The serving Tory MP and married father-of-three passed away in Darent Valley Hospital in Kent with his family by his bedside.
He had been in hospital since Sunday after his condition “rapidly deteriorated”.
What was James Brokenshire’s cause of death?
Brokenshire had been diagnosed with cancer in 2018.
The MP had shared an update with his followers in August 2021 revealing his cancer had spread.
He tweeted: “Regrettably my cancer has progressed. Am starting a new line of treatment this week & receiving great care from the team at Guys and St Thomas’ hospital.
“Unwelcome news but keeping upbeat.”
He had been discharged from hospital in February after a “frustrating resurgence” forced him to undergo surgery to remove his right lung.
Why did James Brokenshire resign from the Cabinet?
In January 2018, Mr Brokenshire wrote to the then Prime Minister Theresa May to announce he was resigning as Northern Ireland Secretary.
He cited health reasons in his resignation letter as he revealed he was preparing to undergo an operation for a lesion on his lung.
He wrote: “In the last few days I have been told that I have a small lesion in my right lung which needs to be removed.
“Clearly, my long term health and my family are my priorities and I intend to proceed with surgery at the earliest opportunity.
“While the operation is expected to address the issue and I will get back to work relatively quickly, recovering from surgery and regaining my strength will take several weeks.
He added: “In the best interests of of the people of Northern Ireland and the Government as a whole, which much regret, I believe that the right thing at this time is for me to stand down from my current responsibilities.”
Who was James Brokenshire’s wife Catherine Mamelok?
Brokenshire and Catherine Anne Mamelok were married in 1999.
Her grandfather Artur Mamelok was captured on the notorious Kristallnacht – or the ‘Night of Broken Glass’ – where 30,000 Jews were arrested on November 9, 1938.
He was taken to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
It has been estimated around 56,000 people died in the camp during the Holocaust.
Brokenshire told the Sunday Telegraph: “Artur was one of the lucky ones.
“He was able to get to England and have a life, which means I have my wife and kids.
‘That could so easily not have been, given the numbers killed at Buchenwald and the horror and depravity there.”
Did James Brokenshire have children?
He had three children with his wife Catherine.
They had two daughters and a son.
His family called him “a loving father to his three children, a devoted husband” and a “faithful friend”.
