Sir Jeremy Hunt is the Conservative MP for Godalming and Ash, having first been elected to parliament at the 2005 general election for the predecessor seat of South West Surrey.

During his long political career, Hunt held several senior government positions, including chancellor of the exchequer from 2022 to 2024, foreign secretary from 2018 to 2019 and secretary of state for health (later health and social care) from 2012 to 2018.

In the 2024 general election, Hunt received 23,293 votes, representing 42.6% of the vote share. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Paul Follows, came second with 22,402 votes (41.0%), while the Reform UK candidate, Graham Drage, secured 4,815 votes (8.8%). Hunt was duly elected with a majority of 891.

Jeremy Hunt: political career since the 2024 election

Hunt served as shadow chancellor of the exchequer from July to November 2024 on the interim/caretaker frontbench constructed by Rishi Sunak following the general election of that year. He ruled himself out of the 2024 Conservative leadership contest, conceding that the “time has passed”.

Hunt’s re-election as the Conservative MP for Godalming and Ash was something of a shock, given the constituency’s status as a key Liberal Democrat target and pre-election polling that suggested he would lose the seat.

Hunt subsequently described the contest as the “most arduous” campaign of his career, noting that he and his team had “knocked on 600 doors every day for the entire election campaign.”

Addressing his constituency count, Hunt conceded that the national results were a “bitter pill to swallow for the Conservative Party”.

He said: “Some Conservatives will wonder whether the scale of our crushing defeat was really justified. But when you lose the trust of the electorate, all that matters is having the courage and humility to ask yourself, why? So that you can earn it back again.

“I was incredibly proud to serve under Rishi Sunak, but I wish the incoming Labour government well. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are decent people and committed public servants who have changed the Labour Party for the better. Whatever our policy differences, we all now need them to succeed.

“I hope in particular they use their majority to make much needed reforms to the NHS, in a way that is sometimes difficult for Conservative governments to do.”

Hunt: chancellor, foreign secretary and leadership ambition (2018-2024)

Prior to the 2024 general election, Hunt served as chancellor of the exchequer (October 2022 – July 2024). He was appointed by Liz Truss, the prime minister, on 14 October 2022, as the successor to Kwasi Kwarteng.

Upon his appointment, Hunt proceeded to reverse almost all of the “mini-budget” policies – which included sweeping, unfunded tax cuts – that his predecessor had announced to parliament less than one month previously.

Hunt told MPs on 17 October: “We are a country that funds our promises and pays our debts. When that is questioned, as it has been, the government will take the difficult decisions necessary to ensure that there is trust and confidence in our national finances.

“That means decisions of eye-watering difficulty”.

Truss resigned mere days later and Hunt was retained as chancellor by Rishi Sunak, who was appointed prime minister on 25 October. In this role, Hunt delivered two budgets and two autumn statements, focused on fiscal consolidation and addressing the cost of living crisis.

Hunt’s tenure as chancellor represented his second “great office of state”. He previously served as secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs from July 2018 to July 2019.

Hunt was appointed a foreign secretary after the incumbent, Boris Johnson, resigned in protest against the so-called Chequers plan – a compromise agreement on the future UK-EU relationship that had been revealed to the cabinet by Theresa May as prime minister. Three weeks after his appointment, Hunt committed a notable diplomatic gaffe on a visit to China when he referred to his Chinese wife, Lucia Guo, as Japanese. The blunder occurred during a meeting in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

Hunt stood in the 2019 Conservative leadership election. The contest was triggered by May’s resignation following her inability to secure a Brexit deal acceptable to the Conservative Party. Hunt, campaigning as a “unity candidate”, secured 77 votes from MPs in the final parliamentary round and thereby reached the final head-to-head ballot against Johnson, his predecessor as foreign secretary. He received endorsements from Conservative MPs including Penny Mordaunt, Amber Rudd, Gillian Keegan and Rory Stewart.

In the vote by the party membership, Hunt finished as runner-up with 46,656 votes (33.6%) compared to Johnson’s 92,153 (66.4%). He subsequently returned to the backbenches, having reportedly turned down the post of defence secretary, offered by Johnson’s Downing Street operation.

From January 2020 until October 2022, a tenure that coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, Hunt served as chair of the House of Commons health and social care select committee. By virtue of this role, Hunt served on the liaison committee across the same period.

In May 2020, Hunt criticised the actions of Boris Johnson’s then-chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, over his journeys during the first national lockdown. The actions of Cummings, which included a trip from London to County Durham and a subsequent drive to Barnard Castle, were seen by many as a breach of the government’s own “stay at home” guidance.

In a letter to constituents at the time, Hunt wrote that he believed “what [ Cummings] did was a clear breach of the lockdown rules”. However he did not call for the senior adviser’s resignation.

He added: “As someone who has been at the centre of media storms with a young family I know you do make mistakes in these situations.”

Hunt stood again for the Conservative leadership in the July-September 2022 leadership contest. In this campaign, Hunt styled Esther McVey as his candidate for deputy prime minister. Hunt and McVey therefore ran on a joint ticket.

At the time, Hunt told BBC One’s Sunday Morning show: “I also recognise that the leader of a political party has to win elections, and that means a broad appeal, so just as Tony Blair had John Prescott to broaden his appeal as his deputy prime minister, I will have Esther McVey as my deputy prime minister.

“She has won a lot of elections against Labour in the north, I have won them against Lib Dems in the south and I think we will be a formidable campaigning team.”

However, Hunt was eliminated in the first parliamentary ballot on 13 July 2022 after receiving only 18 votes. This time, he was endorsed by Conservative MPs Peter Bottomley, Steve Brine, Andrew Mitchell and Dan Poulter

Jeremy Hunt: rise to prominence (2005-2018)

Hunt was the longest serving health secretary, holding this post from September 2012 to July 2018. His tenure included overseeing controversial changes to junior doctors’ contracts, which led to strike action in 2016. He also placed emphasis on patient safety and mental health parity during his time in the role.

Hunt was previously secretary of state for culture, media and sport from May 2010 to September 2012. In this role, he was closely involved in the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During the Conservative Party’s last tenure in opposition, Hunt held a series of shadow ministerial roles – and was seen as a close ally of David Cameron as leader of the opposition. He was shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport from July 2007 to May 2010 and shadow minister for work and pensions from May 2005 to July 2007.

Hunt has also served as a member of the House of Commons international development committee from July 2005 to July 2006.

Hunt is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) on patient safety, wellbeing economics and emergency care.

Hunt delivered his maiden speech on 24 May 2005.

In it, he said: “In many ways, both the problems and the opportunities in my constituency reside in the same fact: we are only an hour from London.

“That creates not only huge economic opportunities – more than half the working population in my constituency commute to London – but huge development pressures that threaten the special character of my constituency’s towns and villages.”

He added: “I do not wish to depart from the tradition of not being controversial in a maiden speech, but I want to let the House know that I will be campaigning vigorously against the housing targets set for my constituency by the deputy prime minister, who used as his vehicle the unelected, unwanted and unnecessary South East England regional assembly.”

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2022 (I): After dropping out of the race, Hunt supported Rishi Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s July-September 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Boris Johnson, following the mass exodus of more than 60 frontbenchers.

Sunak, the former chancellor, warned against “comforting fairytales” regarding unfunded tax cuts. Although he won every round of the parliamentary ballots, securing 137 votes in the final stage, Sunak was defeated by Liz Truss in the membership vote, finishing with 60,399 votes (42.6%).

Tory leadership 2022 (II): Hunt again supported Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”.

Unlike the summer contest, this election featured an expedited process requiring each candidate to secure at least 100 nominations from MPs to proceed. Sunak, having emerged as the clear frontrunner, was declared leader of the Conservative Party unopposed on 24 October.

Tory leadership 2016: Hunt supported Theresa May for the party’s leadership in July 2016. The contest was triggered by the resignation of David Cameron following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

May, the then-home secretary, secured a commanding lead in the parliamentary stages, receiving 165 votes in the first ballot and 199 in the second. Following the withdrawal of her final rival, Andrea Leadsom, on 11 July, May was declared leader unopposed and was appointed prime minister two days later.

Factional identity and party tradition

Bright Blue: Hunt has been listed as a parliamentary supporter of Bright Blue, an independent centre-right think tank and membership organisation that champions liberal conservatism in the UK. Since its founding in 2014, the organisation has expanded its reach through a new cross-party strategy.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Hunt supported Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore agreed with a majority of his constituents, 59.3% of whom also voted to Remain.

Article 50: In February 2017, Hunt voted in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Assisted dying

Hunt voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025). He was one of 20 Tory MPs to back the assisted dying bill at third reading.

Social values and conscience issues

Same-sex marriage (2013): In February 2013, Hunt was one of the 131 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading. The landmark piece of legislation, which received its second reading by 400 votes to 175, legalised marriage for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Hunt voted in favour of a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Hunt voted in favour of a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a 10-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Syria airstrikes (2013): Hunt voted in favour of the government’s motion on the principle of military intervention in Syria in August 2013. The government motion was defeated by 285 votes to 272, a move which effectively ruled out UK participation in any US-led military strikes.

Sanctioned (Russia): In April 2022, Hunt was among the group of MPs placed on a sanctions list by the Russian government. The measure barred them from entering Russia and was presented by Moscow as a retaliatory response to the UK’s stance on the invasion of Ukraine.

Before Politics

Born in Kennington, London, on 1 November 1966, Hunt was raised in Shere, Surrey.

Hunt was educated at Charterhouse School, where he became head boy. He then studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with a first-class honours degree.

While at Oxford, Hunt served as president of the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) in 1987. David Cameron and Boris Johnson were among Hunt’s contemporaries.

After university, Hunt worked briefly as a management consultant before travelling to Japan, where he spent two years teaching English.

On returning to the UK, he co-founded Hotcourses, an online database and guide to educational courses. The business was sold in 2017, with Hunt reportedly receiving around £14 million for his stake.

Personal Life

Hunt married Lucia Guo, who is from Xi’an, China, in July 2009. They have three children: one son and two daughters.

In June 2022, Hunt publicly spoke about having recovered from cancer, revealing that other members of his family had also experienced the disease.

Trivia

Hunt’s father was Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt, who served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy from 1985 to 1987.

Hunt is known to enjoy ballroom dancing, a fact revealed by former cabinet colleague Michael Gove in 2012.

Having taught English in Japan for two years, Hunt speaks fluent Japanese.