Steve Barclay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 13 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Thérèse Coffey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 25 October 2022 –13 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Thérèse Coffey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Victoria Atkins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 July 2022 –6 September 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Sajid Javid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Thérèse Coffey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Downing Street Chief of Staff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 February 2022 –5 July 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Dan Rosenfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mark Fullbrook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 15 September 2021 –5 July 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Michael Gove | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Kit Malthouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minister for the Cabinet Office | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 15 September 2021 –8 February 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Michael Gove | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Michael Ellis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 13 February 2020 –15 September 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Simon Clarke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 16 November 2018 –31 January 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Dominic Raab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Office abolished | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Malcolm Moss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Majority | 29,993 (56.6%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Stephen Paul Barclay 3 May 1972 Lytham St Annes,Lancashire,England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Karen Barclay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education | King Edward VII School,Lytham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Peterhouse,Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | stevebarclay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Branch/service | British Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years of service | 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | Second lieutenant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unit | Royal Regiment of Fusiliers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Paul Barclay (born 3 May 1972) [1] [2] is a British politician who has been the Secretary of State for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs since November 2023,having previously served in various cabinet positions under prime ministers Theresa May,Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak between 2018 and 2023. A member of the Conservative Party,he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Cambridgeshire since 2010.
Born in Lancashire and privately educated at King Edward VII School,Lytham,Barclay attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the British Army on a gap year commission. He then read history at Peterhouse,Cambridge,before qualifying as a solicitor through the College of Law. He worked in the financial sector while being active in the Conservative Party and unsuccessfully contested Manchester Blackley in 1997 and Lancaster and Wyre in 2001. Elected at the 2010 general election,he served as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 2016 to 2017 and Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2017 to 2018. After the 2018 cabinet reshuffle,he became Minister of State for Health.
Barclay was appointed Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union by Theresa May following the resignation of Dominic Raab in November 2018. He was retained in the position by Boris Johnson and remained in office until the United Kingdom officially left the EU on 31 January 2020. Barclay quickly returned to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the February 2020 cabinet reshuffle. He was later promoted to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office in the 2021 cabinet reshuffle. In February 2022,Barclay also assumed the responsibilities of the Downing Street Chief of Staff,following the resignation of Dan Rosenfield. In July 2022,he became Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following the resignation of Sajid Javid;he was removed from the position by Johnson's successor Liz Truss in September 2022. In October 2022,following Truss's resignation,he was reappointed to the role by new prime minister Rishi Sunak. He was later appointed Secretary of State for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs in the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle.
Barclay was born in 1972 in Lytham,Lancashire. [3] His father worked in IT for 55 years,during which he was seconded for three years to the company's staff association,which later became the Banking and Insurance Union. His mother worked full-time as a civil service administrator. [4] He is the youngest of three brothers,all of whom played rugby. [5]
Barclay was educated at King Edward VII School,an independent school in Lytham St Annes. After completing A levels,he joined the British Army on a gap year commission. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,he was granted a short service limited commission as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on 6 April 1991. [6] After five months of service,he resigned his commission on 7 September 1991. [7] After his gap year,he read history at Peterhouse,Cambridge,graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1994. [3] His is the first generation of his family to go to university.[ citation needed ] He then studied at the College of Law at its Chester campus,to qualify as a solicitor in 1998. [4]
Barclay completed his training contract with a large London law firm before working successively at Axa Insurance,the Financial Services Authority,and Barclays. [8]
After leaving university in 1994,Barclay joined the Conservative Party. [9] He was a member of the Conservative A-List and was twice an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate,contesting Manchester Blackley in 1997 and Lancaster and Wyre in 2001,coming within 500 votes of winning the latter seat. [10] In 2007,Barclay took over as organiser of the Carlton Club political dinner,which raises funds for the Conservative Party's target seats. [8]
Barclay was selected in January 2008 to replace the outgoing North East Cambridgeshire MP,Malcolm Moss,and was elected at the May 2010 general election with a majority of 16,425. After the election,he was soon elected by fellow MPs to become a member of the Public Accounts Committee,which scrutinises government spending. [11] ConservativeHome named him as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any substantive rebellions. [12]
Following the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister,Barclay was appointed as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. He later joined HM Treasury as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister in June 2017. In January 2018 he became Minister of State for Health in the Department for Health and Social Care.
Barclay was appointed as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union in November 2018 following the resignation of Dominic Raab. It was reported that Barclay would focus on the domestic preparations rather than negotiations for Brexit. [13] He retained his role as Brexit Secretary in Boris Johnson's first and second cabinets. [14] He ceased to be Brexit Secretary at 11:00 pm on 31 January 2020,the moment the Department for Exiting the European Union was closed down as the UK formally left the EU.
Barclay was appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in February 2020,replacing Rishi Sunak who had been appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer following the resignation of Sajid Javid.
In May 2020,Barclay appeared on BBC's Question Time and was corrected by presenter Fiona Bruce about the number of people who had received the Government's COVID-19 testing. [15]
In a cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021,Barclay succeeded Michael Gove as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. [16]
On 5 February 2022,Barclay was appointed by Johnson as his new Chief of Staff, [17] following the resignation of Dan Rosenfield. [18] He became the first serving MP to hold this position. He said he would pursue a "smaller state" in his new role. [19] Barclay ceased to hold either office after his appointment as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
On 5 July 2022,Barclay was appointed Health Secretary after Sajid Javid's resignation on 3 July. [20] According to the editor of the Health Service Journal "never has a politician arrived in the post of health secretary trailing a worse reputation among NHS leaders". [21]
In August 2022,Barclay announced that more than 50 new surgical hubs would open in England to help tackle a backlog of treatments following the COVID-19 pandemic. [22]
On 6 September 2022,Barclay left the government and returned to the backbenches. [23]
He was reappointed by Rishi Sunak when Sunak became prime minister on 25 October 2022. Chief executive officer of the NHS Confederation,Matthew Taylor,said:"Mr Barclay would do well to remember that he is taking on one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world". [24] In April 2023, The Guardian reported that unnamed sources said concerns had been raised about Barclay's alleged conduct towards civil servants. The Department of Health and Social Care said it had not received any formal complaints about the behaviour of its ministers. [25] On 13 November 2023,he was dismissed as Health Secretary to take up a different cabinet position. [26]
On 13 November 2023 in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's November cabinet reshuffle Barclay was appointed Secretary of State for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs, [26] which is considered demotion from his former Health role. [27] Conflict of interest concerns were immediately raised by his appointment,insofar as his wife is an executive of Anglian Water,one of the UK water company perceived to be responsible for widespread and prolonged environmental damage. He also has final say on the Development Consent Order (DCO) for Anglian Water's relocation onto Cambridge greenbelt of the current fully functional Waste Water Treatment Plant costing hundreds of millions of pounds. [28]
Despite these concerns,in 2024 he announced a block on bonuses' payouts to executives of water companies which are polluting rivers,lakes and seas. [29]
Barclay and his wife Karen [28] have a son and a daughter. [2] Barclay is a rugby fan. [30]
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