Kwasi Kwarteng
British politician
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2024 | Stood down as an MP at the general election. |
May 2024 | Kwarteng appeared as a guest on the Leading podcast hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. |
February 2024 | Kwarteng announced he would not seek re-election as a Member of Parliament in the 2024 general election. |
December 2022 | Kwarteng publicly acknowledged regret over the mini-budget, admitting he was 'too impatient' and that there was 'no tactical subtlety' in their approach. |
November 2022 | In an interview, Kwarteng revealed he had warned Prime Minister Liz Truss that she was 'going too fast' with her economic plans and urged her to slow down. |
October 14 2022 | Dismissed as chancellor after 38 days, becoming the second-shortest-serving holder of the office. |
October 13 2022 | In an interview, Kwarteng asserted he was 'not going anywhere' despite mounting pressure, acknowledging 'some turbulence' from his mini-budget while suggesting global economic conditions were challenging. |
October 3 2022 | After widespread criticism, Kwarteng announced the government would not pursue the plan to abolish the 45% higher rate of income tax for high earners, calling it a 'distraction from our overriding mission'. |
September 2022 | Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by Liz Truss, becoming the first black chancellor. |
September 26 2022 | Labour Party MP Rupa Huq was suspended after making a controversial comment describing Kwarteng as 'superficially black' in response to his views on race and colonialism. |
September 23 2022 | Kwarteng announced 'The Growth Plan 2022', a significant economic policy package that included major tax cuts and reforms, which was dubbed a 'mini-budget' by the media. He notably refused to allow the Office for Budget Responsibility to assess the economic impact of the budget. |
September 23 2022 | Announced controversial tax cuts in a mini-budget that caused the pound sterling to fall to its lowest-ever level against the United States dollar. |
January 2022 | Purchased a house located in Greenwich. |
January 2022 | During a trip to Saudi Arabia, Kwarteng accepted flights and hospitality from Saudi Aramco, including a £300 Lenovo tablet. He traveled on a commercial flight costing £4,430 and visited Aramco's Shaybah oil field with the Saudi energy minister. His actions drew criticism from opposition politicians over potential breaches of the ministerial code and concerns about accepting hospitality from a country with a controversial human rights record. |
2021 | Welcomed a daughter with his wife Harriet Edwards. |
November 15 2021 | Kwasi Kwarteng published a letter of apology to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone, retracting his previous critical comments about her role in the Owen Paterson advocacy scandal and expressing regret for any distress caused. |
September 2021 | Kwarteng addresses the fuel supply crisis, asserting that there will be no widespread energy or heating disruptions, despite challenges in the energy sector. He also stated the government would not rescue failed companies. |
August 2021 | High European wholesale natural gas prices begin causing smaller domestic suppliers in the United Kingdom to go out of business, marking the start of the 2021 gas crisis. |
March 2021 | Kwasi Kwarteng was criticized for dissolving the Industrial Strategy Council, an advisory body aimed at regenerating Britain's regions. Shortly after the COP26 climate summit, he met with oil industry leaders to encourage continued North Sea drilling. |
January 8 2021 | Kwasi Kwarteng was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, replacing Alok Sharma. In this role, he committed the department to efforts aimed at cutting global emissions to combat climate change. |
2019 | Re-elected as a Member of Parliament with an increased vote share of 58.9% and an increased majority of 18,393. |
2019 | Supported Boris Johnson's bid to become leader of the Conservative Party. |
December 2019 | Married City solicitor Harriet Edwards in December. |
September 2019 | Appeared on The Andrew Neil Show, making controversial comments about judicial bias following the Court of Session ruling on Johnson's parliament prorogation. |
July 25 2019 | Appointed Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. Also appointed to the Privy Council on the same day. |
November 2018 | Appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state for Exiting the European Union by Theresa May. |
November 16 2018 | Replaced Suella Braverman as a minister in the Department for Exiting the EU. |
2017 | Re-elected as a Member of Parliament with an increased vote share of 57.3% and a decreased majority of 13,425. |
2016 | Supported the UK's withdrawal from the European Union in the referendum. |
2015 | Re-elected to Parliament with an increased majority of 14,152 votes. |
2015 | Published his book 'Thatcher's Trial: Six Months That Defined a Leader'. |
2014 | Published his book 'War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures and Debt', exploring the history of capital and monetary speculation. |
August 2012 | Co-authored the book 'Britannia Unchained' with four other Conservative MPs, including Liz Truss, arguing for a radical reduction of the welfare state. |
2011 | Published two books: 'Ghosts of Empire' about the legacy of the British Empire, and 'Gridlock Nation' about traffic congestion in Britain, co-authored with Jonathan Dupont. |
March 2011 | Registered as a consultant for Odey Asset Management, receiving £10,000 on a half-yearly basis in the House of Commons Register of Members' Financial Interests. |
2010 | Kwarteng won the Spelthorne seat in the general election with a majority of 10,019 votes (21.2%). |
January 2010 | Kwasi Kwarteng was selected as the Conservative candidate for Spelthorne constituency. |
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