30 Facts About Steve Barclay

1.

Stephen Paul Barclay was born on 3 May 1972 and is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since October 2022 under Rishi Sunak, having previously held the position from July to September 2022 under Boris Johnson.

2.

Steve Barclay served as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from 2018 to 2020, Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2020 to 2021, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 2021 to 2022, and Downing Street Chief of Staff from February to July 2022.

3.

Steve Barclay was appointed Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union by Theresa May following the resignation of Dominic Raab in November 2018.

4.

Steve Barclay was retained in the position by Boris Johnson and remained in office until the United Kingdom officially left the EU on 31 January 2020.

5.

Steve Barclay quickly returned to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle.

6.

Steve Barclay was later promoted to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office in the 2021 cabinet reshuffle.

7.

In February 2022, Steve Barclay assumed the responsibilities of the Downing Street Chief of Staff, following the resignation of Dan Rosenfield.

8.

Steve Barclay's 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.

9.

Steve Barclay's mother worked full-time as a civil service administrator.

10.

Steve Barclay is the youngest of three brothers, all of whom played rugby.

11.

Steve Barclay was educated at King Edward VII School, an independent school in Lytham St Annes.

12.

Steve Barclay's is the first generation of his family to go to university, and he read history at Peterhouse, Cambridge.

13.

Steve Barclay then studied at the College of Law at its Chester campus, to qualify as a solicitor in 1998.

14.

Steve Barclay was a member of the 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.

15.

In 2007, Steve Barclay took over as organiser of the Carlton Club political dinner, which raises funds for the Conservative Party's target seats.

16.

Steve 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.

17.

Steve Barclay later joined HM Treasury as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister in June 2017.

18.

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

19.

Steve Barclay retained his role as Brexit Secretary in Boris Johnson's first and second cabinets.

20.

Steve Barclay 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.

21.

Steve 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.

22.

In May 2020, Steve 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.

23.

On 5 February 2022, Steve Barclay was appointed by Johnson as his new Chief of Staff, following the resignation of Dan Rosenfield.

24.

Steve Barclay became the first serving MP to hold this position.

25.

Steve Barclay said he would pursue a "smaller state" in his new role.

26.

Steve Barclay ceased to hold either office after his appointment as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

27.

On 5 July 2022, Steve Barclay was appointed Health Secretary after Sajid Javid's resignation on 3 July.

28.

On 6 September 2022, Steve Barclay left the government and returned to the backbenches.

29.

Steve Barclay was reappointed by Rishi Sunak when Sunak became prime minister on 25 October 2022.

30.

Chief Executive Officer of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, said: "Mr Steve Barclay would do well to remember that he is taking on one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world".