James Brokenshire

James Brokenshire became the Conservative MP for Hornchurch in 2005, taking the seat from Labour’s John Cryer with just 480 votes. After the Hornchurch constituency was abolished in 2010, Brokenshire became the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup. Brokenshire has held a number of frontbench posts during his time in the Commons. Brokenshire was secretary of state for Northern Ireland from 2016 to 2018, here, he oversaw the Stormont deadlock. He stepped down from this role following a lung cancer diagnosis, returning to parliament after his treatment. Brokenshire has spoken about the need to “break some of the stigma around lung cancer”, explaining that “15% of cases are in non-smokers, people who have not smoked at all and yet there is this assumption that it must be your fault in some way”. As secretary of state for housing, communities and local government (2018-2019), Brokenshire oversaw the Tenant Fees Act, which imposed a limit on the deposit a landlord or letting agent can ask from a tenant. Brokenshire resigned from the cabinet following Boris Johnson’s leadership victory in 2019. He was appointed security minister in February 2020, making him responsible for a vast array of issues including counter-terrorism policy and disaster relief. Brokenshire is the first security minister with the responsibility of ensuring Covid-19 regulations continue to consider security. In his Instagram bio, Brokenshire describes himself as a “Husband, Dad, Former Essex boy, owner of four ovens and Member of Parliament for Old Bexley and Sidcup”, he enjoys watching cricket, jogging, listening to music and hill walking.