NE Cambs MP Steve Barclay quit the opposition front bench less than an hour before the new party leader was announced and thus avoiding speculation if either of the successful candidates would have asked him to stay on. Just before 10.30am – 30 minutes or so before Kemi Badenoch was elected leader – Mr Barclay announced his decision to his 60,000 followers on X.
“I want to congratulate Kemi and Rob (Robert Jenrick) on their excellent campaigns over recent months,” he tweeted.
“After 9 years on the front bench, including the last 6 in the Cabinet, I have decided to return to the backbenches away from the constraints of front bench life and to have more time as a dad.”
Since the July election he has been shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a role he held as minister between 13 November 2023.
Mr Barclay gave few clues ahead of his decision, indeed only last night he had emailed Tory Party members and supporters about the Budget and its implications for farmers.
He argued that Labour had threatened the livelihoods of many farmers by changes to inheritance tax rules.
“Removing inheritance tax relief for family farms will make it harder for farmers to pass their holdings onto their children and grandchildren,” he wrote.
“Meaning many will have to sell their farms.
“Which in turn will reduce the amount of farming land in the UK.
“And make us more reliant on imports, undermining our country’s food security.”
Ironically he ended his email with “and it’s down to us as the Opposition to hold them to account”.
But that will, surprisingly, now be from the back benches.
PHOTO: Terry Harris
He was previously Secretary of State for Health and Social Care between 25 October 2022 and 13 November 2023. He held the same role between 5 July 2022 and 6 September 2022.
These followed previously being Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office between 15 September 2021 and July 2022.
Prior to that he was Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 13 February 2020 to 15 September 2021 and Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from 16 November 2018 to 31 January 2020.
And before that he was Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care from January to November 2018.
Steve was also Economic Secretary to the Treasury from June 2017 to January 2018.
He served as a Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) from July 2016 to June 2017.
Mr Barclay has been Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire since May 2010.
A profile of him two years ago in Conservative Home, the ‘house journal’ of the party, focused on a secondary role when he became Chief of Staff to Boris Johnson.
“Previous Chiefs of Staff – Jonathan Powell, Nick Timothy, Gavin Barwell – responded to Barclay’s appointment by doubting whether it would be possible for him to do the job well,” his profiler. Andrew Gimson, author of “Boris – the Rise of Boris Johnson”, wrote.
“I don’t pretend to know whether he will be a success or not. So much of what passes for political commentary consists of categorical predictions about the future, which is by definition unknowable,” Andrew wrote.
“The point of this profile is the more modest one of trying to give some idea of what kind of person, and politician, Barclay is.
“Even here, there are difficulties. Barclay possesses the art of expressing himself in a lucid but astonishingly unmemorable way.
“And yet he does not seem an inconsiderable figure. Although he does not sound original, no one has ever accused him of being incompetent. His demeanour is courteous, unruffled, good humoured.”
He added; “A minister, a Leaver, remarked to ConHome that Barclay is approachable, and easy to talk to; is not one of those figures who conveys the sense that he or she is too busy, self-important or shy to welcome an overture from an unknown colleague.
“At the time of the 2016 Referendum, he was the only one of the 17 Whips to come out for Leave; an act of courage in a club devoted to unity.
“And yet, the same minister pointed out, Barclay has also been loyal to three successive leaders since entering Parliament in 2010, David Cameron, Theresa May and now Johnson.
“In old fashioned terms, Barclay is a team player, which is said to be what Number Ten has lacked.”
The same year, 2022, I wrote a piece after he became Health Secretary.
“Fall-out from Partygate won him promotion and on Tuesday the consequences of a drunken Tory MP groping two young men secured him the job he coveted – that of Health Secretary,” I wrote.
“Such has been the political fortune of NE Cambs MP Steve Barclay.
“Mr Barclay took over on Tuesday following the dramatic resignation of Sajid Javid.
“It was followed by dozens of other resignations from the Government and Boris Johnson looks certain to be ousted soon as prime minister.
“But Mr Barclay remains buoyant about his new job”.
On his appointment he promised NHS investment to “beat the Covid backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and ensure patients can access the care they need”.
