Chris Bryant appointed new Northern Ireland Secretary of State
Chris Bryant MP has been confirmed as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, replacing Hilary Benn as part of a series of cabinet appointments by newly installed Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The MP for the south Wales constituency of Rhondda and Ogmore was bestowed with the new office after meeting with Andy Burnham at 10 Downing Street on Monday.
Chris Bryant was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade less than a year ago, and previous appointments included Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
He was elected as the MP for Rhondda and Ogmore (previously Rhondda) on 7 June 2001.
The Oxford-educated politician grew up in Spain and is a former Anglican Minister, serving as a curate at the Church of All Saints, High Wycombe from 1986 to 1989, and Youth Chaplain to the Diocese of Peterborough from 1989 to 1991.
He left the ministry as he felt it was incompatible with his being gay, and started work as the election agent to the Holborn and St Pancras Constituency Labour Party.
He was also an actor in his youth, and published his autobiography about his life before being elected, entitled ‘A Life and a Half: The Unexpected Making of a Politician’.
He was elected to Hackney Borough Council in 1993, representing Leabridge ward, and served until 1998.
From 1998 until his election to Parliament in 2001, Bryant was the Head of European Affairs for the BBC.
He has published several books on British political and parliamentary history.
Previous government posts have included Chair of the House of Commons Committees of Standards and Privileges from 2020 to 2023 and a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2023.
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna said Mr Bryant “inherits a full and urgent agenda”.
"With a Budget crisis threatening public services and Assembly elections on the horizon, there is little time to lose,” she said. “We will be pressing the new Secretary of State to ensure momentum is maintained on institutional reform, sustainable public finances and the long-term stability of Northern Ireland's political institutions."
Meanwhile politicians in the north have also been remarking on the departure of Hilary Benn.
Claire Hanna said: "While we did not always agree, I found him to be thoughtful, engaged and willing to listen. That approach stood in marked contrast to some previous Secretaries of State, and I appreciated his willingness to reckon seriously with the challenges facing Northern Ireland.”
"Throughout his time in office, the SDLP pressed the need for consistent funding for public services, a legacy framework that properly serves victims and survivors, the protection of arrangements that avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, and the importance of strong north-south and east-west relationships. While progress has been made in a number of these areas, there remains significant unfinished business.
DUP Leader Gavin Robinson said: “While we have had significant disagreements on a number of important issues, particularly legacy, the Windsor Framework and the need for Government to act more decisively in Northern Ireland’s interests, those differences were always advanced robustly and respectfully.”
Other key appointments in Burnham’s government include John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Shadow NI Secretary Louise Haigh as First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Ed Miliband has been appointed as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Shabana Mahmood MP will remain as Secretary of State for the Home Department and Yvette Cooper is now Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.