Steve Barclay is the environment, food and rural affairs secretary having been appointed to the role in Rishi Sunak’s November 2023 cabinet reshuffle. He replaced outgoing minister Therese Coffey.
Stephen Barclay was first elected as the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, in 2010, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 29,993.
The constituency of Cambridgeshire North East is a large rural constituency that runs along the border with Norfolk and contains the towns of Wisbech, March, and Whitlesey. A high seven tenths of the population here supported Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum. Farming plays an important part in the local economy and this remains a very safe Conservative seat.
Steve Barclay was appointed secretary of state for health by Rishi Sunak in October 2022, and served into role until his demotion in November 2023.
Barclay had briefly served as Secretary of State for Health between July 2022 and September 2022. However having supported Rishi Sunak in the 2022 Conservaitve leadership election, he was dismissed by Liz Truss upon her appointment as prime minister.
Barclays previously sat in the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, being appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office in September 2021. In February 2022, he was announced as Boris Johnson’s Chief of Staff in Downing Street.
Barclay was formerly Chief Secretary to the Treasury between 2020 and 2021, and the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union between 2018 and 2020. He began his ministerial career as Minister of State for Health (2018) and as Economic Secretary to the Treasury (2017-18).
Barclay was born in 1972 in Lytham, Lancashire. After leaving school he joined the army, serving as a Second Lieutenant on a Short Service Limited Commission with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers before going to university.
He then read history at Peterhouse, Cambridge University, after which he studied law at the College of Law, Chester.
After university he qualified as a solicitor in 1998, before working for a number of businesses including Guardian Royal Exchange, Axa Insurance, the Financial Services Authority. He was also formerly Head of Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions for Barclays Bank.
He is married with 2 children.
Email: stephen.barclay.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://stevebarclay.net/
Twitter: twitter.com/SteveBarclayMP
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/stevebarclaymp
