Lieutenant Colonel Sir James Spencer Cleverly, Conservative MP for Braintree and current Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has an estimated net worth of around £3 million in 2025.
This puts him amongst the wealthy British politicians, earning the majority of this wealth in total political salary and pay going back to pre-political business experience, property purchases, and a variety of speaking and advisory engagements. His professional path from publishing and entrepreneurship to senior leadership roles at the governmental level shows a calculative and even-tempered way of acquiring wealth over time and benefits – alongside virtually equally modest public mannerisms.
Net Worth overview of Lieutenant Colonel James Spencer Cleverly
Sir James Cleverly’s net worth trajectory aligns with early entrepreneurship, career progressions with increasing levels of leadership from political roles, and sound accounting and cash management behavior process including property purchases.
His increasing prominence in source of revenue, combined with documented regularity of rental property revenues and basic commodities, suggests a regular pattern of public transparency associated with wealth accumulation and existence in a scope of ethical regulation associated with membership of the UK parliament.
Colonel James Spencer Cleverly Net Worth in 2025
Sir James Cleverly is projected to have a net worth of approximately £3 million in 2025, a stable amount from what we believe his net worth was for 2024, of around £2.98 million. It is presumed that his salary from being a Member of Parliament is perhaps £81,000, and that he also has rental income from property holdings, plus consultancy and speaking fees of approximately £37,000 for the year. As a Member of Parliament and official opposition member in frontbench politics and now as the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, he is likely garnering more income than as a backbencher member. In addition to salary, rental income from properties in Essex and in London is also a consistent source of his financial condition.
Colonel James Spencer Cleverly Net Worth in 2024
In 2024, Cleverly was the Secretary of State for the Home Department until July, which reflected his ministerial salary into his net worth. His income throughout the year would have also included salaries from previous ministerial and parliamentary roles alongside rental income which certainly would contribute to a steady financial position. Otherwise, he would have employed a modest approach to asset growth and a caveat to preserve steady wealth rather than overexerting excessive risk.
Colonel James Spencer Cleverly Net Worth in 2023
Cleverly’s financial status in 2023 improved with the roles of Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Foreign Secretary) and the briefly held role of Secretary of State for Education. He derived the majority of his income from these significant government roles where ministerial salaries are reportedly large. His financial statements indicated that these roles offered the greatest opportunity for wealth accumulation primarily via increased income and rental income.
Colonel James Spencer Cleverly Net Worth in 2019-2022
Cleverly gained wealth from 2019 through 2022 through a regularized regulatory salary in parliament and in previous private sector work. He added salary income from his earlier roles as a frontbench MP with Minister without Portfolio, and Minister of State roles. This section would mark a transition for the accumulation of wealth from earlier work in private business to accumulating wealth through public service at a senior level.
Colonel James Spencer Cleverly Net Worth Pre-2019
Prior to engaging in parliamentary politics, Cleverly established a firm financial foundation through his involvement in the publishing, sales, and entrepreneurial sectors. From 1991 until 2008, he worked in a variety of publishing and sales companies, including Informa and Crimson Publishing. In 2006, Cleverly co-founded a start-up for web publishing and its revenues exceeded approximately £750,000 during this time period. These professional experiences not only created a firm financial base, but it also provided him with valuable skills that would serve him well later in his professional life in politics.
Property and professional ventures of James Spencer Cleverly
Lieutenant Colonel James Cleverly’s financial portfolio is especially strengthened by his deliberate property investments and diversified professional experience in politics, media and as an advisor. His registered property assets are primarily a residential home in Essex (with his role as Conservative MP for Braintree) and a jointly owned property in Lewisham, South London. These properties do provide reasonable rental income that exceeds £10,000 yearly yielding a significant and reliable revenue stream on top of his parliamentary salary.
Cleverly’s real estate investment is one of the biggest component of his approximated £3 million net worth, highlighting his careful strategy of accumulating wealth through physical assets. Before his parliamentary career gained traction, Cleverly obtained considerable skills in the publishing and digital media industries, co-founding a web publishing start-up and developing sales management experience with Informa and Crimson Publishing.
Not only did these initiatives provide financial stability, but they may also have helped him develop the strategic and operational skills that would assist him during his time in public office. Cleverly’s early career earnings, of approximately £750,000, provided the underpinning to leverage both his public and private income as he progressed in his portfolio.
Family financial management and lifestyle
Lieutenant Colonel James Spencer Cleverly is a family man with two children who prefers a lifestyle that values stability and family-centeredness over extravagance or wealth. The financial position of the Cleverly family reflects their joint focus on modest asset growth rather than conspicuous wealth. Financial behavior consistent with what is expected from high-profile public figures also involves transparency and common-sense prudence in managing who they are in their role as a public figure.
There are no stories or known evidence of significant family wealth or complicated business interests beyond James Cleverly’s property assets and his earnings as a Member of Parliament. In his financial profile, similar to other forms, property is the primary focus for him, and within that category, there are homes in Essex and South London, which in turn create a steady rental income. The stability of this income is supplemented by the stability of salary income, which Cleverly earns from having been engaged in public service as a member of his party in several recent iterations, for more than a decade.
Cleverly’s household financial practices are understood to be cautious and considered – neither speculative nor taking chances – and in turn focusing on propriety and compliance in disclosures to the Parliament. Both Cleverlys’ finances reflect a kind of equilibrium between personal responsibilities and the enhanced scrutiny placed onto senior Conservative politicians and their expectations. Their disclosures of earnings, properties, donations, and hospitality all fall perfectly in line, and to the extent of regulatory requirements, they rebuild public confidence in their claim over propriety.
Financial disclosures and compliance
As a senior MP and former cabinet minister, Cleverly adheres to stringent parliamentary transparency rules, including annual declarations of:
Year 2025
Gifts and Benefits: Fully disclosed hospitality and minor gifts received from political functions consistent with parliamentary transparency standards.
Donations: Contributions to his political campaigns and party activities were formally reviewed and registered.
Land and Property: Declared ownership of properties in Essex and London, including rental income exceeding £10,000 annually to ensure no conflicts of interest.
Hospitality and Other Support: Transparent reporting of official travel and event invitations linked to his parliamentary and ministerial roles.
Loans and Financial Support: No non-salary financial support or loans reported, ensuring full ethical accountability.
Year 2024
Gifts and Benefits: Annual disclosures noted hospitality benefits consistent with his role as Home Secretary and other senior government positions.
Donations: Campaign and party financial contributions were declared following legal requirements.
Land and Property: Property holdings and rental incomes were consistently declared without unusual changes.
Hospitality and Other Support: Official visits, travel, and hospitality related to government duties were fully documented.
Loans and Financial Support: No loans or external financial assistance reported, consistent with previous years.
Year 2023
Gifts and Benefits: Disclosed all gifts and hospitality at official events in line with parliamentary regulations.
Donations: Political campaign donations reviewed and formally logged.
Land and Property: Continued declaration of residential and rental properties.
Hospitality and Other Support: Maintained transparency of accepted travel and event hospitality.
Loans and Financial Support: No anomalies in financial support or loans, maintaining ethical compliance.
Year 2022 and earlier
- Strict annual disclosures of gifts, benefits, and donations supporting official and political work.
- Accurate reporting of land ownership and rental incomes to avoid conflicts of interest.
- Full recording of official hospitality and travel invitations.
- No loans or financial extra support beyond salary were noted.
This consistent pattern of rigorous, year-by-year compliance with financial disclosure rules reflects James Cleverly’s commitment to transparency and integrity in the financial and political domains. These records are accessible to the public and confirm his adherence to parliamentary ethical standards.
Balanced financial approach
Lieutenant Colonel James Spencer Cleverly shows a balanced and methodical approach to his personal finances in 2025. With his estimated net worth of just under £3 million resulting from the steady accumulation of various factors, including ongoing political service, investments in different business pursuits, and the potential for property speculation over many years of his career. Unlike some of his wealthier peers, Cleverly has been yet to show a more modest lifestyle and transparency in his dealings, indicating a more pragmatic approach to wealth creation and management that closely aligns him with the ethos of serving the public and the responsibilities of his office.
Cleverly’s primary source of income comes from his longstanding parliamentary career that exceeds ten years, including senior cabinet roles as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, and as currently the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government. The salary from parliament, ministerial allowances, and senior roles above and over ten years’ appearances have all provided stable and quite reliable salary income across all parameters of the job.
Providing further context, it would appear that Cleverly also had a separate income source from rental properties, and he earns almost £10,000 or more a year from two properties, bringing meaning to his overall wealth. The property holdings are located in Essex and London and demonstrate limited UK subject to strict tenants similar to ET for investment purposes, and have been maintained for rental income with an understanding of investing in properties with limited risk profiles.
