John Healey

John Healey is a British Labour politician who has been Chancellor of the Exchequer since 20 July 2026 and has been the Member of Parliament for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough since 1997. He was Secretary of State for Defence from 5 July 2024 to 11 June 2026. He resigned as Defence Secretary in June 2026 amid a disagreement about defence funding, and was appointed Chancellor shortly afterwards. Earlier in his career he served as a Treasury minister from 2002 to 2007, including as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 2005 to 2007. He was born on 13 February 1960 in Wakefield and educated at Christ's College, Cambridge. As Chancellor he has advocated welfare reform and fiscal discipline, telling Labour's annual conference in Liverpool that cutting welfare spending was 'more than an economic must - it's a moral duty'.