The Rt Hon John Healey MP
Biography
John Healey was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on 20 July 2026.
He was previously Secretary of State for Defence from 5 July 2024 to 11 June 2026. He was elected as the MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough in July 2024.
He was Shadow Housing Secretary from 2015 to 2020 and Shadow Health Secretary from 2010-2011. During Labour’s time in Government, John was PPS to the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1999-2001 and a Minister from 2001-2010, serving successively as Adult Skills Minister, Treasury Minister, Local Government Minister and Housing Minister.
Before entering Parliament, John was Campaigns Director at the Trades Union Congress and a disability rights campaigner.
John is married with one son and lives in Rotherham.
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the government’s chief financial minister and as such is responsible for growing the UK economy, raising revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling public spending. They have overall responsibility for the work of the Treasury.
The Chancellor’s responsibilities cover:
- Delivering the government’s growth mission
- Fiscal policy (including presenting the annual Budget)
- Oversight of the monetary framework, including setting the inflation remit, and liaison with the Governor of the Bank of England on monetary policy
- Women in the economy and the gender pay gap
- UK growth and productivity, including working across government on skills, labour market and migration
- The National Wealth Fund
- Capital markets and listings
- Economic security and resilience policy
- Leading on international economic and financial affairs including at the G7 and G20 and acting as the UK Governor of the IMF, EBRD and AIIB
- Ministerial arrangements (in their role as Second Lord of the Treasury)