Who is Jeremy Hunt? Chancellor praises Liz Truss' economic policies ahead of bitter election battle

Jeremy Hunt appeared to praise Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget in leaked recordings of the chancellor.

According to audio obtained by The Guardian, Hunt told a group of students that he was “trying to basically achieve some of the same things” while claiming Truss’s economic goals were a “good thing to aim for”.

His remarks came as Hunt desperately tries to appeal to voters in Surrey ahead of the 2024 UK General Election next month.

In the recordings, he went on to downplay Truss’s economic policies and their long-term impact on the country.

The current chancellor is among countless Conservative candidates hoping to retain control of their MP positions and appeal to voters drifting toward Reform UK or the Lib Dems.

However, Hunt is facing an upward battle as he campaigns for the newly created constituency of Godalming and Ash against Labour challenger James Walsh, Lib Dem’s Paul Follows, Reform UK’s Graham Richard Drage, and Green’s Ruby Tucker.

Last month, he admitted that his seat was “on a knife-edge”, suggesting that he could become one of the highest-profile casualties of a Conservative defeat next month.

He’s also not the only one who could be in trouble. There are a number of key battlegrounds around London alone where incumbents may be defeated, signalling that voters are keen for a much-needed change.

So who exactly is Jeremy Hunt? Here’s everything you need to know about the Tory chancellor.

Who is Jeremy Hunt?

Jeremy Hunt is a Conservative politician who’s been working as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 2022.

Hunt is the son of Royal Navy Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt and Lady Meriel Hunt and comes from a well-established family with ties among the UK’s upper classes and royalty. He’s also been described as one of the UK’s richest politicians.

Growing up in Surrey, he later studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford before pursuing jobs in management consultancy, teaching and educational publishing.

In 2005, he stepped into the political realm for the first time when he was elected as the MP for South West Surrey.

Hunt served as shadow minister for disabled people for the first few years of his political career before joining the cabinet in 2010.

Since then, Hunt has served in a number of key political positions and carved his name as one of the leading figures in the Conservative party.

However, his tenure hasn’t been without controversy. He’s also faced a number of legal battles, particularly over his handling of the NHS, and was even outed for breaching anti-money laundering legislation.

Hunt was initially a remain supporter during the Brexit referendum and tried to encourage the UK to remain in the single market before eventually toeing the party line.

Hunt has become most well-known in recent years for his role in the UK economy. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, he’s campaigned for lower taxes, proudly revealing a string of tax cuts and financial promises in the last spring budget before the election.

Aside from politics, he’s also a married father-of-three, and he splits his time between Westminister and his family home in Hambledon, Hampshire.

What roles has he had in Parliament?

Alongside working as an MP for South West Surrey, Hunt has had a number of prominent roles in the UK Parliament:

• Shadow Minister for Disabled People (2005-2007)

• Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2007-2010)

• Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (2010)

• Secretary of State for Health (2012 - 2018)

• Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2018-2019)

• Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee (2020-2022)

• Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022 - 2024)

What has he said about the general election?

Hunt has been serving as MP for South West Surrey but he is now trying to secure votes for the new constituency of Godalming and Ash.

And, he knows that UK voters are frustrated and that his seat is in danger.

Reflecting on his party’s governance, Hunt told Politico: “It’s not possible to look at the turbulence of the last four years when we’ve had a once-in-a-century pandemic, we’ve had a 1970s-style energy shock, we had inflation as high as 11 per cent and say that we’ve got everything right.”

While Hunt has made it clear that his seat is at risk, he will not give up without a fight.

“We will defend the Blue Wall brick by brick,” he said, adding: “If seats like this are anything to go by, people in affluent commuter areas like Godalming want to vote Conservative but they need to know that we are working hard for their vote and that they are not being taken for granted.”

As for his take on the other parties, Hunt appeared to be concerned with Tory voters switching allegiance, particularly to the Reform party.

“A vote for Reform will mean fewer centre-right MPs in Parliament, not more,” he said.

“It will give Keir Starmer an unchecked majority.”