It's not unusual: friends-and-relations in politics

Ears prick up at familial connections in our political class but they are frequent, happen in all parties, occur in other countries and are mirrored in many professions

The latest raise of an eyebrow, I think, was the reminder that Morgan McSweeney, newly appointed as the prime minister’s chief of staff, is married to Imogen Walker; Ms Walker became Labour Member of Parliament for Hamilton and Clyde Valley at the general election and is parliamentary private secretary to the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves (of whom more anon).

This kind of link fascinates us. On the one hand, it humanises politics, placing it on an almost-intimate level that we can all find familiar and relatable; after all, family sagas have been a staple of our story-telling since Cain and Abel had a disagreement over the approval of the Almighty. It also pricks our suspicion, hints at hidden connections and conversations, giving a sense that there is something going on which is not quite right. It smacks, often, of privilege and exclusion (and sometimes, but not always, represents exactly that).

Traditionally we think of inherited privilege and advantage as a mark of the Conservative Party, though, as I wrote in the wake of the general election, we are firmly in an era of “red princes”, with (I think) 13 current ministers related to current or former MPs or peers. As I said in my essay:

I do not mind at all, because I am a realist, and I understand, especially having spent so long immersed in it, that the Westminster jungle is small, clannish and incestuously intertwined.

It is, of course, quite possible and intellectually respectable to dislike this sense of familiarity and connection. What is less reasonable is to regard it as freakish or in some way an aberration.

Firstly, in terms of party: there are political marriages, alliances and dynasties on all sides of the House of Commons. Even the egalitarian Scottish National Party had Winnie Ewing, the legendary “Madame Ecosse”, who was an MP (1967-70, 1974-79), MEP (1979-99) and then MSP (1999-2003), presiding over the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999; her son Fergus Ewing has been an MSP since 1999 and was a Scottish cabinet minister (2016-21), and was married to Margaret Ewing (née Bain), an MP 1974-79 and 1987-2001 and an MSP 1999-2006; her daughter Annabelle Ewing is also an MSP and currently one of the deputy presiding officers of the Scottish Parliament, having been an MP from 2001 to 2005. So this is not a partisan issue.

Secondly, British politics is very far from unique in being littered with dynasts. I wrote about this recently for The Hill in relation to Donald Trump, but the United States also has two sets of father-and-son presidents (John Adams 1797-1801 and John Quincy Adams 1825-29, and George H.W. Bush 1989-93 and George W. Bush 2001-09), a grandfather-and-grandson (William Henry Harrison 1841 and Benjamin Harrison 1889-93), a presidential candidate related to a previous incumbent (Hillary Clinton in 2016), interrelated senators and congressmen galore and, of course, the evergreen drama which is the Kennedy clan.

In France, the National Rally (once the National Front) has moved from its founder Jean-Marie le Pen to his daughter Marine le Pen, whose niece Marion Maréchal was a National Front deputy from 2012 to 2017 but has now founded her own party (and is married to Vincenzo Sofo, an MEP for the Italian right-wing party Fratelli d’Italia). Germany, of course, is marked by the caesura of the Nazi era, but Thomas de Maizière, head of the Federal Chancellery 2005-09, interior minister 2009-11 and 2013-18 and defence minister 2011-13, is the son of General Ulrich de Maizière, inspector general of the Bundeswehr (1966-72) and cousin of Lothar de Maizière, the last head of government in East Germany in 1990 and thereafter briefly minister for special affairs under Helmut Kohl.

The Habsburgs have not even been deterred by the loss of their imperial dignity in 1918. The last Emperor of Austria, Karl I, failed to regain the throne of Hungary in 1921 but his eldest son Otto von Habsburg was a German MEP from 1979 to 1999, his elder son Karl Habsburg was an MEP from Austria 1996-99, his younger son Georg Habsburg-Lothringen is currently Hungary’s ambassador to France and his youngest daughter Walburga Habsburg Douglas was a member of the Riksdag of Sweden from 2006 to 2014.

Further afield, Argentina saw Juan Domingo Péron serve as president from 1946 to 1955 and 1973 to 1974, his second wife Eva Péron was “spiritual leader of the nation” and his third wife Isabel Péron succeeded him as president 1974-76. In Australia, Kim Beazley, leader of the Australian Labor Party 1995-2001 and 2005-06, is the son of Kim Beazley, minister of education 1972-75, while Alexander Downer, foreign minister 1996-2007, is the son of Sir Alick Downer, immigration minister 1958-63 and godfather of the current Earl Spencer, and grandson of Sir John Downer, premier of South Australia 1885-87 and 1892-93. India, of course, has the Nehru/Gandhi dynasty which has produced three prime ministers and dominated the Congress Party for decades.

Thirdly, and I will touch only briefly on this and perhaps return to it another time, we see this kind of hereditary professional commonality in many areas of life. I noted in my essay on red princes the fact that many commercial enterprises play on a degree of hereditary continuity—J. Sainsbury plc, Laing O’Rourke, Specsavers Optical Group Ltd, Timpson Group—but the phenomenon is wider than that. Figures in Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison’s 2019 book The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged demonstrated that the children of doctors were 24 times more likely than their peers to choose a career in medicine, and the offspring of lawyers 17 times more likely to enter the legal profession. A study of Sweden the following year published in The British Medical Journal showed that 14 per cent of physicians had at least one parent who was also a physician.

Clearly privilege plays a part, through connections and knowledge of the workings of professions to which outsiders would not normally have access. I am not certain—and this is purely supposition on my part—that it is the only factor, or that the phenomenon is therefore wholly malign. It seems instinctively true that if one or both (or more) of a child’s parents follows a career in a certain area, then it will be talked about and familiar in the home environment, and likely to feature more prominently in the child’s potential career options than otherwise.

In any event, that is another argument. What I have done below, and what prompted me to begin this essay, is set out current ministers, opposition spokespeople and backbench MPs who are related to other parliamentarians or figures of some political note. It is intended to serve as a concise guide, perhaps in one or two cases a revelation, a quirky amusement and a demonstration of the variety and reach of familial connections. I have deliberately restricted myself to current frontbenchers and MPs, leaving out (for example) the Hoggs, the Hurds, the Astors, the Paisleys and the Callaghans/Jays, as well as the dynastic links on which the House of Lords is in part founded. Spousal succession remains an interesting phenomenon: it may be declining in strict terms, but a looser notion of familial succession applied (albeit not immediately) to Kim Leadbeater in Batley and Spen (now Spen Valley).

The state of the nation

Douglas Alexander (trade minister), brother of Wendy Alexander (leader of Scottish Labour 2007-08)

Lord Altrincham (shadow Treasury minister), son of John Grigg (editor of The National and English Review 1954-60), grandson of 1st Lord Altrincham (Liberal MP 1923-25, governor of Kenya 1925-30, Conservative MP 1933-45)

Victoria Atkins (shadow health and social care secretary), daughter of Sir Robert Atkins (Conservative MP 1979-97)

Hilary Benn (Northern Ireland secretary), son of Tony Benn (cabinet minister 1966-70, 1974-79), grandson of 1st Viscount Stansgate (cabinet minister 1929-31, 1945-46), great-grandson of Sir John Benn (Liberal MP 1892-95, 1904-10) and Daniel Holmes (Liberal MP 1911-18)

Baroness Blake of Leeds (baroness-in-waiting), mother of Olivia Blake (Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam)

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat culture spokesman) partner of Lord Razzall (Liberal Democrat peer), daughter of Lord Bonham-Carter (Liberal MP 1958-59), niece of Baroness Grimond (Liberal peeress) who was married to Lord Grimond (leader of the Liberal Party 1956-67), granddaughter of Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury (president of the Liberal Party 1945-47), great-granddaughter of 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (Liberal prime minister 1908-16)

Aphra Brandreth (Conservative MP for Chester South and Eddisbury), daughter of Gyles Brandreth (Conservative MP 1992-97)

Richard Burgon (Independent MP for Leeds East), nephew of Colin Burgon (Labour MP 1997-2010)

Lord Cameron of Lochiel (shadow Scotland minister), nephew of 13th Marquess of Lothian (Conservative deputy leader 2001-05)

Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour MP for Penrith and Solway), son of Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour MP 1979-97)

Viscount Camrose (shadow science minister), grandson of Lord Hartwell (editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph 1954-87), great-grandson of 1st Viscount Camrose (editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph 1927-54) and 1st Earl of Birkenhead (Conservative cabinet minister 1915-22, 1924-28)

James Cartlidge (shadow defence secretary), son-in-law of Sir Gerald Howarth (Conservative MP 1983-92, 1997-2017)

Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Foreign Office minister), married to Nick Smith (Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (chairman of the Public Accounts Committee), grandson of Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative MP 1945-50), great-nephew of Howard Clifton-Brown (Conservative MP 1922-23, 1924-45) and of 1st Viscount Ruffside (speaker of the House of Commons 1943-51), who was father of Baroness Hylton-Foster (convenor of the crossbench peers 1974-95), married to Sir Harry Hylton-Foster (speaker of the House of Commons 1959-65)

Liam Conlon (Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge), son of Sue Gray (Downing Street chief of staff 2024)

Yvette Cooper (home secretary), married to Ed Balls (shadow chancellor 2011-15)

Dame Caroline Dinenage (chair of Culture, Media and Sport Committee), married to Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative MP 2005-19)

Peter Dowd (Labour MP for Bootle), great-nephew of Simon Mahon (Labour MP 1955-79) and Peter Mahon (Labour MP 1964-70)

Dame Angela Eagle (Home Office minister), twin sister of Maria Eagle (defence minister)

Hamish Falconer (Foreign Office minister), son of Lord Falconer of Thoroton (lord chancellor 2003-07)

Emma Foody (Labour MP for Cramlington and Killingworth), married to Alex Norris (Labour MP 2017-)

George Freeman (Conservative MP for Mid-Norfolk), great-nephew of Mabel Philipson (Conservative MP 1923-29)

Gill Furniss (Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough), married to Harry Harpham (Labour MP 2015-16)

Georgia Gould (Cabinet Office minister), daughter of Lord Gould of Brookwood (Labour Party polling consultant) and Baroness Rebuck (chair of Penguin Random House UK)

Lord Hendy of Richmond (transport minister), brother of Lord Hendy (Labour peer), grandson of Lord Wynford (Conservative peer)

Rachel Hopkins (Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire), daughter of Kelvin Hopkins (Labour MP 1997-2019)

Sir Lindsay Hoyle (speaker of the House of Commons), son of Lord Hoyle (chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party 1992-97)

Sir Bernard Jenkin (Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex), son of Lord Jenkin of Roding (Conservative cabinet minister, 1974, 1979-85), married to Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative peeress), who is granddaughter of Viscount Davidson (Conservative cabinet minister 1923-24, 1931-37), married to Viscountess Davidson (Conservative MP 1937-59), who was daughter of Lord Dickinson (Liberal MP 1906-18), son of Stewart Dickinson (Liberal MP 1868-74)

Lord Kennedy of Southwark (government chief whip in the House of Lords), married to Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (deputy general secretary of the Labour Party 2006-11)

Stephen Kinnock (health minister), son of Lord Kinnock (leader of the Labour Party 1983-92) and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Foreign Office minister 2009-10)

Kim Leadbeater (Labour MP for Spen Valley), sister of Jo Cox (Labour MP 2015-16)

Sir Edward Leigh (Father of the House), son of Sir Neville Leigh (clerk of the Privy Council 1974-84)

Lord Livermore (financial secretary to the Treasury), married to Seb Dance (deputy mayor of London 2022-)

Dame Siobhain McDonagh (Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden), sister of Baroness McDonagh (general secretary of the Labour Party 1998-2001)

Morgan McSweeney (Downing Street chief of staff), married to Imogen Walker (parliamentary private secretary to the chancellor of the Exchequer)

Esther McVey (Conservative MP for Tatton), married to Sir Philip Davies (Conservative MP 2005-24)

Jerome Mayhew (shadow business and trade minister), son of Lord Mayhew of Twysden (Northern Ireland secretary 1992-97)

Ed Miliband (energy security and net zero secretary), married to Dame Justine Thornton (justice of the High Court 2019-), brother of David Miliband (foreign secretary 2007-10)

Andrew Mitchell (shadow foreign secretary), son of Sir David Mitchell (Conservative MP 1964-97)

David Mundell (Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale), father of Oliver Mundell (Conservative MSP 2016-)

Chris Murray (Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh), son of Margaret Curran (Labour MP 2010-15)

Lisa Nandy (culture, media and sport secretary), granddaughter of Lord Byers (leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords 1967-84)

Caroline Nokes (deputy speaker of the House of Commons), daughter of Roy Perry (Conservative MEP 1994-2004)

Jesse Norman (Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire), married to Dame Kate Bingham (chair of the Vaccine Taskforce 2020), who is daughter of Lord Bingham of Cornhill (Lord Chief Justice 1996-2000); grandson of the 10th Earl of Sandwich (Conservative MP 1941-62), great-grandson of Sir Henry Norman (Liberal MP 1900-10, 1910-23)

Rachel Reeves (chancellor of the Exchquer), married to Nicholas Joicey (second permanent secretary at DEFRA), sister of Ellie Reeves (minister without portfolio), who is married to Lord Cryer (lord-in-waiting and Labour MP 1997-2005, 2010-24), who is son of Bob Cryer (Labour MP 1974-83, 1987-94) and Ann Cryer (Labour MP 1997-2010)

Joani Reid (Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven), granddaughter of Jimmy Reid (leading spokesman for Upper Clyde Shipbuilders 1972-73)

Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat energy security and net zero spokesman), son of 5th Earl Russell (professor of British history, King’s College London, 1990-2003), grandson of 3rd Earl Russell (Nobel Prize for Literature 1950), great-great-grandson of 1st Earl Russell (Whig/Liberal prime minister 1846-52, 1865-66)

Baroness Smith of Cluny (advocate-general for Scotland), daughter of John Smith (leader of the Labour Party 1992-94) and Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill (president of Birkbeck College 1998-2001)

Gregory Stafford (Conservative MP for Farnham and Bordon), brother of Alex Stafford (Conservative MP 2019-24)

Emily Thornberry (chair of Foreign Affairs Committee), married to Sir Christopher Nugee (Lord Justice of Appeal 2020-)

Lord Timpson (prisons minister), brother of Edward Timpson (Conservative MP 2008-17, 2019-24)

Tom Tugendhat (shadow security minister), son of Sir Michael Tugendhat (justice of the High Court 2003-14), nephew of Lord Tugendhat (vice-president of the European Commission 1981-85 and Conservative MP 1970-77)

Valerie Vaz (Labour MP for Walsall and Bloxwich), sister of Keith Vaz (Labour MP 1987-2019)

Jo White (Labour MP for Bassetlaw), married to Lord Mann (Labour MP 2001-19)

Viscount Younger of Leckie (shadow work and pensions minister), son of 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie (Conservative cabinet minister 1979-89), great-nephew of Sir Kenneth Younger (Labour MP 1945-59), great-great-grandson of 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie (chairman of the Conservative Party 1916-23)

Epilogue

I don’t intend, at this stage, to imply anything deep or meaningful by any of the above, either partisan or insightful. It was in part an exercise of concatenation for my own benefit. I do think it’s at least interesting. And we may return to this to pick over its bones.