Alex Burghart

Last updated

Alex Burghart
MP
S465 Alex Burghart 960 x 640 (cropped).jpg
Official portrait, 2021
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office
31 August 2026
​
(m. 2012)​
Shadow cabinet positions
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 November 2024
Children2
Education Christ Church, Oxford (MA)
King's College London (PhD)
ProfessionTeacher
Website www.alexburghart.org.uk

Michael Alex Burghart [1] (born 7 September 1977) [2] is a British politician, academic and former teacher who has served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party since 31 August 2026, [3] as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 8 July 2024, [4] and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster since 5 November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar since 2017.

Contents

Born in Dorset, Burghart studied history at Christ Church, Oxford. After a period working as a history tutor at King's College London, Burghart became a political and policy adviser to Tim Loughton in 2008. He then served successively as Director of Policy at the Centre for Social Justice, Director of Strategy and Advocacy for the Children's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, and as a special adviser in Prime Minister Theresa May's policy team. He was elected to the House of Commons for Brentwood and Ongar at the 2017 general election.

Burghart served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 2019 to 2021 and was promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills in the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry. He resigned from this position in July 2022, criticising Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal. Burghart was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions and Growth in September 2022 and later Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office in October 2022.

After the Conservative Party's defeat in the 2024 General Election, Burghart was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the Sunak caretaker Shadow Cabinet, and was retained in the post after Kemi Badenoch became leader, also gaining the additional role of Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He became Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party in September 2026. [5]

Early life and education

Michael Alex Burghart was born on 7 September 1977 in Wimborne Minster in Dorset, the son of two state school teachers. [6] [7] He was educated at the independent Millfield School in Somerset. Burghart studied history at Christ Church, Oxford. He completed his PhD at King's College London in 2007 entitled The Mercian polity, 716–918. [8]

Career

Academia

After university, Burghart taught history at Warwick School before becoming a history tutor at King's College London. [9] In 2005 he was the lead researcher for the King's College London project on interrogating Anglo-Saxon charters using digital technologies. [10] While at Kings, Burghart contributed towards the Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. [11]

Policy adviser

Burghart became a political and policy adviser to Tim Loughton, who was the then Shadow Minister for Children and Young People in 2008. He moved on to the Department for Education, where he worked on the Munro Review of Child Protection. [12]

In 2012 Burghart became Director of Policy at the Centre for Social Justice. [13] In February 2016 he was appointed Director of Strategy and Advocacy for the Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield. [14] Later that year he became a special adviser of Prime Minister Theresa May's policy team. [15]

Writing

Burghart is the author of A Better Start in Life: Long-term approaches for the most vulnerable children, published by Policy Exchange in 2013. [16] He often reviews books about early medieval England, writing nine book reviews for The Times Literary Supplement over a period of 12 years, and twelve book reviews for The Spectator over the past decade (correct as of September 2026). He has also written an article in BBC History Magazine . [17]

Parliamentary career

Early political career

Burghart stood against Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North in 2015. He told the Islington Gazette that, if elected, the first thing he would do would be to "[d]ance a jig (and try to resuscitate Jeremy Corbyn)." [18] Although he was not elected, Burghart came second, increasing the Conservative share of the vote from 14.2% to 17.2%. [19]

He was selected for the Brentwood and Ongar safe seat on 28 April 2017 after Sir Eric Pickles announced that he would stand down at the 2017 general election. [20] At the election, Burghart was elected as MP for Brentwood and Ongar, winning 65.8% of the vote and a majority of 24,002. [21]

Burghart has been a member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Work and Pensions Select Committee. He chairs the APPG on Adverse Childhood Experiences and was made PPS to the new prime minister Boris Johnson in July 2019. He was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, and to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley.

In government

In July 2019, at the formation of the first Johnson ministry, Burghart was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.

At the 2019 general election, Burghart was re-elected as the MP for Brentwood and Ongar with an increased vote share of 68.6% and an increased majority of 29,065. [22]

On 17 September 2021, Burghart was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills at the Department for Education during the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry. [23]

On 20 September 2022, Burghart was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions and Growth at the Department for Work and Pensions in Liz Truss's cabinet reshuffle. [24] He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 27 October 2022, with responsibilities including the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the COVID-19 Inquiry, the Government Digital Service and the Central Digital and Data Office. [25]

In opposition

At the 2024 general election, Burghart was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 36.7% and a decreased majority of 5,980. [26] Following the subsequent formation of the Starmer ministry, he was appointed Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary in Rishi Sunak's caretaker Shadow Cabinet.

Burghart during deputy Prime Minister's Questions in November 2024 Alex Burghart.png
Burghart during deputy Prime Minister's Questions in November 2024

In November 2024, following Kemi Badenoch's election as Conservative Party leader, Burghart was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He has been referred to as Badenoch's de facto deputy by newspapers such as The Guardian and The National , [27] [28] though Burghart himself rejected this label in 2025. [29]

According to The Spectator , Burghart is seen as Badenoch's primary policy figure, influenced by the 1976 Conservative statement The Right Approach . [30] He has been compared to Keith Joseph, who played a similar role for Margaret Thatcher, by ConservativeHome writer William Atkinson. [31] [32]

Burghart stood in for Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions on 20 November 2024. [33]

In August 2026, during the 2026 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party by the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

In September 2026, Burghart voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. [34] [35]

Personal life

Burghart has sat on the Board of the Yarlington Housing Group [36] and was Vice Chair of Governors at Queensmill School for children with autism. [37] In 2012, he married the journalist and novelist Hermione Eyre. [38]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Office vacant from 5 November 2024 to 1 September 2026. Previously titled Shadow Deputy Prime Minister
  2. ↑ Office vacant between 6 December 2005 and 1 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Office vacant between 8 and 20 September 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "No. 61961". The London Gazette . 19 June 2017. p. 11781.
  2. ↑ "Burghart, (Michael) Alex" . Who's Who (December 2017 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 27 May 2024.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ Heale, James (1 September 2026). "The thinking behind Badenoch's reshuffle". The Spectator. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "UK politics live: Lord Cameron resigns as Rishi Sunak announces interim shadow cabinet". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Mason, Chris; Watson, Iain; Rhoden-Paul, André (31 August 2026). "Alex Burghart becomes Tory deputy leader in major reshuffle". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Carr, Tim; Dale, Iain; Waller, Robert (7 September 2017). The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2017. Biteback Publishing. p. 169. ISBN   978-1-78590-278-9.
  7. ↑ "Alex Burghart". Brentwood & Ongar. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "EThOS". British Library . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Michael Burghart – Research Portal, King's College, London". kclpure.kcl.ac.uk.
  10. ↑ "AsChart: Anglo-Saxon Charters". Completed projects A-Z. King's College London. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  11. ↑ https://pase.ac.uk/about/team/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ "Munro review reports – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. May 2012.
  13. ↑ "Alex Burghart, Director of Policy, Centre for Social Justice". socialintegrationcommission.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "Children's Commissioner appoints Alex Burghart as new strategy chief". 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  15. ↑ "Who is Who in Theresa May's Downing Street". The Debate. 30 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  16. ↑ Alex Burghart (September 2016). Matthew Oakley (ed.). "A better start in life" (PDF). Policy Exchange . Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  17. ↑ "August issue out now". Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  18. ↑ Dean, Jon. "Alex Burghart". Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  19. ↑ "Islington Council: 2015 General Election results for Islington". www.islington.gov.uk.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ "Alex Burghart wins the Brentwood and Ongar selection contest". Conservative Home . 28 April 2017.
  21. ↑ "Karen Chilvers announced as snap General Election candidate". 20 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  22. ↑ "Your Council – Electoral Services – 2019 UK Parliamentary El..." Archived from the original on 24 December 2019.
  23. ↑ "Ministerial appointments: September 2021". 16 September 2021.
  24. ↑ Hinchliffe, Ruby (22 September 2022). "Govt appoints new pensions minister". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "Alex Burghart MP". Gov.uk. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  26. ↑ "Brentwood and Ongar – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  27. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (5 November 2024). "Kemi Badenoch appoints Chris Philp as shadow home secretary". The Guardian . Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  28. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (5 November 2024). "PMQs: Who is Alex Burghart and where is Kemi Badenoch?". The National. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  29. ↑ Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg - Justin Welby and Abuse in the Church of England . Retrieved 30 March 2025– via www.bbc.co.uk.
  30. ↑ "Inside Team Kemi's plan for power". The Spectator . 22 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  31. ↑ Biffen, John (11 July 2006). "Keith Joseph obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  32. ↑ "Will the last Tory to leave please turn out the lights?". ConservativeHome . 6 February 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  33. ↑ "PMQs: Booming Alex Burghart wins with attack on Labour's farm tax". Politico . 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  34. ↑ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". votes.parliament.uk. 11 September 2026. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  35. ↑ Clarke, Seán (11 September 2026). "How did your MP vote on the reintroduced assisted dying bill?". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  36. ↑ "New members join Yarlington Housing Group Board". Red Berry Recruitment. 16 December 2015.
  37. ↑ "Welcome to Queensmill School". www.queensmillschool.info. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  38. ↑ "Golden Touch". Brides Magazine. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.