James Cleverly

Early life and education

Cleverly was born in Lewisham Hospital, to a British father and mother from Sierra Leone. He attended Riverston School and Colfe's School, both in Lee, South East London. After a period serving in the British Army (which was cut short due to injury), he gained a degree in business at Thames Valley University (now known as the University of West London).

Before being elected he worked in the magazine and web publishing industry and is the author of a blog.

Military service

On 6 October 1991, Cleverly was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Territorial Army, as a second lieutenant (on probation). In January 1993, his commission was confirmed and he was made a substantive second lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant on 6 October 1993, to captain on 26 May 1998, and to major on 1 November 2003. Until 2005, he was Officer Commanding of 266 (Para) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers). He is currently based at Central Volunteers HQ Royal Artillery, in Woolwich, London, and is a Staff Officer in the 1st (UK) Armoured Division.

He has been awarded the Territorial Decoration (TD) for long service in the Reserves of the British Army, as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Unsuccessful candidacy

Cleverly had previously stood unsuccessfully in a number of elections for the London Borough of Lewisham; including the borough council elections of 2002, a borough council by-election in 2003, for the Lewisham East seat for the UK Parliament in the 2005 general election and as the Conservative candidate for the directly elected mayor of Lewisham in 2006.

London Assembly

In March 2007, Cleverly was selected as the candidate for the Bexley and Bromley constituency of the London Assembly in a very tightly fought selection contest. The London Assembly election was held on 1 May with the count and declaration on the 2 May, where he received 105,162 votes (52.6% of the vote) and a majority of 75,237.

In January 2009, Cleverly was appointed as the Mayor of London's Youth Ambassador, a newly created role which was seen as being a replacement post for the Deputy Mayor for Young People, a post left vacant after the resignation of Ray Lewis. The creation of the role caused some controversy as it was not filled by a mayoral appointment but by a member of the assembly whose formal role is to scrutinise the Mayor. The decision was defended because of the precedent set by the appointment of Kit Malthouse as Deputy Mayor for Policing.

In February 2010, Cleverly was appointed as the Chairman of the London Waste and Recycling Board, replacing Boris Johnson who had stood down. After the defeat of Brian Coleman at the 2012 London elections he was appointed to the Chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).

In November 2010, Cleverly was re-selected to be the Conservative candidate for Bexley and Bromley in the 2012 GLA elections, going on to win the seat with 88,482 votes (once again 52.6% of the votes) and a majority of 47,768. Following his election to parliament in 2015, he did not defend his seat at the 2016 assembly election.

2015 general election

In January 2015, Cleverly was selected to be the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Braintree in the 7 May general election. He was elected on 8 May 2015.

2017 general election

Cleverley was re-elected, with an increased majority (62.8% of the votes cast), as Braintree's MP on 8 June 2017 at the general election.

Controversy

In August 2010, Cleverly posted a tweet in which he called Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes "a dick". The full tweet stated: "We may be coalition partners but it doesn't stop me thinking Simon Hughes is a dick.". He later apologised.

In March 2016, Cleverly was asked to step down as patron of Advocacy for All, a charity supporting disadvantaged people in South East England. The charity felt he was no longer a suitable person for the role, given that he had voted to cut ESA (the benefit paid to disabled people who are unable to work). In a statement, Advocacy for All said they were "disappointed and surprised" by his support for the cut, and that the loss of £30 a week "will have a profound and detrimental affect on the lives of disabled people and the quality of their lives. It will severely impact on all areas of their lives and could leave them isolated and disconnected from the rest of the community."

Personal life

Cleverly is married to Susannah Janet Temple Cleverly (née Sparks). Together, they have two sons; Freddy and Rupert. He is an atheist.