Jake Berry
Sir James Jacob Gilchrist Berry[1] (born 29 December 1978) is a British Conservative Party politician and former solicitor who served as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from 6 September to 25 October 2022.[2] He previously served as Minister for the Northern Powerhouse from 2017 to 2020 in the governments of Theresa May and Boris Johnson.[3]
Jake Berry | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 6 September 2022 – 25 October 2022 | |
| Leader | Liz Truss |
| Preceded by | Andrew Stephenson and Ben Elliot |
| Succeeded by | Nadhim Zahawi |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 6 September 2022 – 25 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss |
| Preceded by | Andrew Stephenson |
| Succeeded by | Nadhim Zahawi |
| Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth[a] | |
| In office 14 June 2017 – 13 February 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Andrew Percy |
| Succeeded by | Simon Clarke |
| Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Janet Anderson |
| Majority | 9,522 (19.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Jacob Gilchrist Berry 29 December 1978[1] Liverpool, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Charlotte Alexa (m. 2009; div. 2016)Alice Robinson (m. 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Rossendale |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield and College of Law |
| Profession | Politician |
| Website | Official website |
Berry has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire since the 2010 general election, when he defeated the sitting Labour Party MP Janet Anderson by a majority of 4,493 votes.[4][5]
Early life
Berry was born on 29 December 1978 in Liverpool and privately educated at Liverpool College, before studying for a law degree at Sheffield University.[1] He trained to be a solicitor in Chester[6] and in the City of London, qualifying as a solicitor in 2003.[1][7] He worked for a number of legal practices,[1] specialising in planning law.[7]
Parliamentary career
Berry was elected in the general election of 2010 as MP for Rossendale and Darwen, beating incumbent MP Janet Anderson, who had held the seat for 18 years. Berry overturned a Labour majority of 3,616 to win by 4,493 votes, an 8.9% swing to the Conservatives.[5][8]
In 2010, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Grant Shapps, the Minister for Housing and Local Government at the Department of Communities and Local Government, following Shapps to the Cabinet Office in 2012.[5][7]
In April 2013, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, asked Berry to join the Number 10 Policy Unit, headed by Jo Johnson. His roles in this position included advising the Prime Minister on housing, regional growth and local government.[9]
Berry sponsored the Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Act 2015, which gave councils the right to hold religious prayers at the start of meetings.[10]
In the general election of 2015, Berry was returned as MP for Rossendale and Darwen with an increased majority of 5,654.[11] From July 2015 until January 2017, Berry served on the Parliamentary Finance Committee.[12]
In May 2016, it emerged that Berry was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[13] However, in April 2017, Lancashire Police confirmed that no further action would be taken.[14]
Berry was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[15] Berry was again returned as MP in June 2017, but with a reduced majority of 3,216.
Junior Minister
Following the 2017 election, Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Berry as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, making him the third Northern Powerhouse minister in the space of two years.[16] In March 2018, he described campaigners who forced the aerospace firm BAE Systems to withdraw as a sponsor of a flagship arts festival in North East England as "subsidy addicted artists" and "snowflakes".[17]
Upon the accession of Boris Johnson to the premiership, Berry was promoted to Minister of State, with attendance at cabinet meetings. He was appointed to the Privy Council the next day.[18] He resigned from government in February 2020 after refusing a move to a ministerial office at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in a cabinet reshuffle.[19][20]
Chairman of the Conservative Party
On 6 September 2022, following the Conservative Party leadership election, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss appointed Berry to her government.[21] He joined the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio,[22] and he was also appointed to the party role of Chairman of the Conservative Party.[23]
Speaking on Sky News on 2 October 2022 about the approach the Government of Liz Truss was taking to enable households to afford their utility bills, Berry said that people could either cut their consumption or get a higher-paid job.[24] He later apologised, describing his remarks as "clumsy".[25]
Return to the backbenches
On 25 October 2022, Berry stood down as Chairman of the Conservative Party upon the ascension of Rishi Sunak to the premiership. Berry returned to the backbenches.
Personal life
Berry lives in Rossendale and London.[26][27] He married Charlotte Alexa in 2009. They were divorced in September 2016.[28][29] He has been married to Alice Robinson since May 2018.[28] She was previously Boris Johnson's parliamentary office manager. The couple have three children.[30] On 14 October 2022 it was announced that Berry had been knighted.[31]
Notes
- ^ Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (2017–19)
References
- ^ a b c d e Berry, James Jacob Gilchrist, (Jake)', Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2012; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2011 ; online edn, Nov 2011 accessed 30 November 2012 17 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rishi Sunak - live updates: Jacob Rees-Mogg among departures as Sunak appoints new cabinet after warning of 'difficult decisions' ahead". Sky News. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Jake Berry MP". GOV.UK. from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "Jake Berry MP". Westminster Parliamentary Record. from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ a b c "Jake Berry". Parliament of the United Kingdom. from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ Thorp, Liam (9 August 2020). "The surprising number of Tory MPs from Liverpool and who they all are". Liverpool Echo. from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "Jake Berry". Conservative Party (UK)Conservative Party. from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ "Conservative gains in Lancashire". BBC News. 7 May 2010. from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
- ^ Winnett, Robert (24 April 2013). . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Bill 2014–15". UK Parliament. from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ "VIDEO: Jake Berry retains Rossendale and Darwen seat for Conservatives". Lancashire Telegraph. from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "Jake Berry MP". GOV.UK. from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Election Expenses Exposed". Channel 4 News. 23 June 2016. from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Rossendale MP Jake Berry in the cleared in election expenses investigation". Rossendale Free Press. 27 April 2017. from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Lucy Roue (7 July 2017). "I went to interview the Northern Powerhouse minister – but ended up in a room with secret documents". Manchester Evening News. from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Perraudin, Frances (9 March 2018). "Minister criticises 'snowflake' artists who opposed arms firm sponsorship". The Guardian. from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "ORDERS APPROVED AND BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT THE PRIVY COUNCIL HELD BY THE QUEEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON 25TH JULY 2019" (PDF). Privy Council Office. 2019. (PDF) from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ Schofield, Kevin (25 February 2020). "Boris Johnson ally quits government after turning down Foreign Office job". Politics Home. from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ Beaney, Abigail (3 February 2022). "Rossendale and Darwen MP would say 'yes, yes, yes' if asked to return to cabinet". Lancashire Telegraph. from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "New cabinet: Who is in Liz Truss's top team?". BBC News. 7 September 2022. from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Prime Minister Liz Truss appoints Jake Berry as Minister without Portfolio". ITV News. 7 September 2022. from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Bulbul, Nuray (7 September 2022). "What is a Minister without Portfolio? Jake Berry appointed Cabinet role". Evening Standard. London. from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Harrigan, Joe (2 October 2022). "Outrage as East Lancs MPs says those struggling with bills should 'get a new job'". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn. from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Forrest, Adam (6 October 2022). "Tory chair apologises for telling struggling people to just 'get better-paid job'". The Independent. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ . Rossendale Borough Council. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "About Jake". Jake Berry. from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Bill (30 October 2018). "Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake thrilled with second baby son". Lancashire Telegraph. from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Jon (20 September 2016). "Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry in divorce from wife". Lancashire Telegraph. from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Thomson, Alice; Swinford, Steven (1 November 2020). "Jake Berry: 'I have one political job left in me . . . and it's to help the north rise again'". The Times. from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ "Political Honours conferred: October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
External links
- Jake Berry's Facebook page
- Jake Berry on Twitter
- Jake Berry's website
- Rossendale and Darwen Conservative Association website
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou