James Cleverly has been promoted to Home Secretary in a Conservative Party reshuffle, taking on one of the top jobs in the Rishi Sunak cabinet.
The Tory politician has risen through the ranks in his years as an MP to reach this position.
James Cleverly is the Home Secretary under Rishi Sunak
Who is James Cleverly?
James Cleverly, born on September 4, 1969, is the member of Parliament for the Essex constituency of Braintree.
He hails from Lewisham, South East London.
Prior to becoming an MP, Cleverly worked in magazine and online publishing. He has also served in the Territorial Army since 1991 and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He is married to Susie Cleverly and they have two sons, Freddy and Rupert.
What is James Cleverly's current role?
James Cleverly was appointed Home Secretary on November 13, 2023, following the dismissal of his predecessor, Suella Braverman.
Braverman was fired after making controversial comments in an opinion piece for The Times, where she claimed that the police "play favourites" with left-wing protestors.
Cleverly was seen entering No. 10 Downing Street alongside new Foreign Secretary David Cameron when Braverman was sacked.
Prior to his role as Home Secretary, Cleverly served as Foreign Secretary from September 6, 2022, after being appointed by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss.
During the October 2022 leadership race, Cleverly endorsed Boris Johnson, although Johnson did not ultimately stand.
Cleverly then endorsed Rishi Sunak, who allowed him to retain his Cabinet job.
What other roles has James Cleverly held?
Prior to his current role, Cleverly served as Education Secretary for three months, from July 2022 to September 2022, during the final days of Boris Johnson's tenure.
Before that, he held the position of Minister of State for Europe and North America in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) from February to July 2022.
In addition, he previously served as Chairman of the Conservative Party, alongside Ben Elliot, from July 2019 to February 2020, while also holding the role of Minister without Portfolio.
Cleverly has also served as Deputy Chairman and Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Exiting the European Union.
He first became an MP in the 2015 election, having previously served as a member of the London Assembly since 2007.
