
Rt Hon Sir James Cleverly MP, who was one of the few Cabinet ministers to have served as Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, will be a headline speaker at the BMF Members Day conference. Cleverly’s career stretches over the military, business, local and national politics and he remains a serving officer in the territorial army.
He joined national politics in 2015 when elected as conservative MP, joining the Cabinet in 2019 as education secretary. His occupancy in the government meant he worked under Boris Johnson. Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Whilst in Home Secretary he was responsible for policing, counter-terrorism, immigration policy and national crime agency. Whereas, as Foreign Secretary, he led UK diplomacy during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Following 2024s general election, Cleverly was a front runner for leadershipof the Conservative Party but was narrowly eliminated in the final votes. Earlier this year he was awarded a knighthood for “political and public service”
John Newcomb, BMF CEO, said “We are delighted that Cleverly will address BMF members this year. He is one of the country’s senior politicians and his experience in business and military adds to his insight into global domestic politics”
BMF Members Day will be held on September 17-18 at the Hilton Metropole at the NEC in Birmingham.
By Calum Tully
Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years