Stephen Barclay

Stephen Paul Barclay PC MP (born 3 May 1972)[1][2] is a British politician serving as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office since 2021. Barclay was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from February 2020 to September 2021, and previously served as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from November 2018 until January 2020. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Cambridgeshire since 2010.

For other people with the same name, see Steve Barclay (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable
Stephen Barclay
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Assumed office
15 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byMichael Gove
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byRishi Sunak
Succeeded bySimon Clarke
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
In office
16 November 2018 – 31 January 2020
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Boris Johnson
Preceded byDominic Raab
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Minister of State for Health
In office
9 January 2018 – 16 November 2018
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byPhilip Dunne
Succeeded byStephen Hammond
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
In office
14 June 2017 – 9 January 2018
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded bySimon Kirby
Succeeded byJohn Glen
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
17 July 2016 – 14 June 2017
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byGeorge Hollingbery
Succeeded byDavid Rutley
Member of Parliament
for North East Cambridgeshire
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byMalcolm Moss
Majority29,993 (56.6%)
Personal details
Born
Stephen Paul Barclay

(1972-05-03) 3 May 1972
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Karen
Children2
EducationKing Edward VII School
Alma materPeterhouse, Cambridge
ProfessionSolicitor
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1991
RankSecond lieutenant
UnitRoyal Regiment of Fusiliers

Barclay served as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 2016 to 2017 and Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2017 until 2018. After the 2018 cabinet reshuffle, he became Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care; Barclay was appointed Brexit Secretary in November that year following the resignation of Dominic Raab. He remained in office until the United Kingdom officially left the EU at the beginning of the transition period on 31 January 2020. Barclay remained in the government as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, but was later promoted to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office in the 2021 cabinet reshuffle.

Early life and education

Barclay was brought up in Lancashire. His father worked as a full-time trade union official and then in IT, and his mother worked full-time as a civil service administrator.[3] He is the youngest of three brothers, all of whom played rugby.[4]

Barclay was educated at King Edward VII School, an independent school in Lytham St Annes. After completing his A levels, he joined the British Army on a Gap Year Commission, attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and served as a Second Lieutenant with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers for five months.[5][6] His is the first generation of his family to go to university, and he read history at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He then studied at the Chester College of Law campus, to qualify as a solicitor in 1998.[3]

Early career

Barclay completed his training contract as an articled clerk with a large London law firm before working at a royal exchange, Axa Insurance, the Financial Services Authority, and Barclays.[7]

Parliamentary career

After leaving university in 1994, Barclay joined the Conservative Party.[8] He was a member of the A-List and was twice an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate, contesting Manchester Blackley in 1997 and Lancaster & Wyre in 2001, coming within 500 votes of winning the latter seat.[9] In 2007, Barclay took over as the organiser of the Carlton Club political dinner, which raises funds for the Conservative Party's target seats.[7]

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.[10] Conservative Home named him as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any substantive rebellions.[11]

Following the appointment of Theresa May to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Barclay was appointed as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.

In June 2017, Barclay joined HM Treasury as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

In January 2018, he joined the Department for Health and Social Care as the Minister of State for Health.

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union

Barclay was appointed as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union in November 2018 following the resignation of Dominic Raab.[12] 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.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

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]

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

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]

Personal life

Barclay and his wife Karen have a son and a daughter.[2]

References
  1. "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9120.
  2. "Barclay, Stephen Paul, (born 1972), MP (C) North East Cambridgeshire, since 2010; Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, since 2017". Who's Who. 2010. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.251452.
  3. "Steve Barclay". Conservative Home. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "No. 52531". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 May 1991. p. 7432.
  6. "No. 52707". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 November 1991. p. 16855.
  7. "Biography". stevebarclay.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  8. Barclay, Steve. "Biography". Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  9. "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: Where are the original A-Listers now? The 18 who have been selected for Conservative seats". Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  10. "Public Accounts Committee - Membership". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  11. Barrett, Matthew. "The 24 Conservative MPs who are still on the backbenches and have never rebelled". Conservative Home. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  12. "Steve Barclay named new Brexit Secretary". BBC News. 16 November 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  13. "Stephen Barclay named new Brexit Secretary". BBC News. 16 November 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  14. Leishman, Fiona (24 July 2019). "MP Stephen Barclay holds on to Brexit secretary job in Boris' new cabinet". cambridgenews. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  15. "Tory minister left red faced after being corrected over how many people received coronavirus tests". www.indy100.com. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  16. Elworthy, John (15 September 2021). "Top Cabinet post for NE Cambs MP Steve Barclay". Cambs Times. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
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