About
John Healey is Andy Burnham's Chancellor of the Exchequer, appointed on 20 July 2026 in a widely-reported surprise — most speculation had centred on Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood or Ed Miliband. An MP since 1997 (for the seat previously called Wentworth, then Wentworth and Dearne, now Rawmarsh and Conisbrough), he studied at Cambridge before working as a journalist and disability rights campaigner.
He served as a Treasury minister under Tony Blair from 2002 to 2007, then as a local government, housing and planning minister under Gordon Brown. He returned to Cabinet as Defence Secretary in 2024, resigning in June 2026 in protest at the funding settlement for the government's Defence Investment Plan — a resignation over public spending that markets read as reassurance when he was handed the Treasury instead.
In the news
- John Healey is the new Chancellor: the surprise pick, explained
- Andy Burnham confirmed as Prime Minister: what changes now
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This is an independent, unofficial profile compiled from public sources — we are not affiliated with John Healey or any party. Spotted an error? Tell us via the newsletter reply address.
Portrait is a placeholder graphic, not a photograph.