Who is James Cleverly, UK’s new foreign secretary?
- Britain’s new prime minister Liz Truss has named James Cleverly as her foreign minister
- It’s seen as a reward for Cleverly supporting Truss during this summer’s Tory leadership battle
James Cleverly, Britain’s first foreign secretary of colour, is a low profile pick to succeed new prime minister Liz Truss in the global-facing role but is a loyal lieutenant with some diplomatic experience.
A mixed-race army reservist with the actual rank of lieutenant colonel, Cleverly spent two years as a junior foreign minister following a stint before that in the department handling Brexit.
As foreign secretary, Truss established herself as a critic of China as well as Russia, and Cleverly has indicated that her government will take a tough line with both Moscow and Beijing.
“We absolutely have to stand firm in our support to President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, we absolutely have to do that. And I have no doubt we will continue to be as firm friends now as we have been under Boris Johnson,” Cleverly told Reuters on Monday shortly after Truss was announced as the new Conservative leader.
“But of course, that’s not the only issue. It’s the most pressing, the most immediate, but it’s not the only issue. We have to deal with that but we also have to deal with longer term issues as well. And … we will do both.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that she hopes relations with Britain will remain “on the right track”.