Who is Jeremy Hunt and where does he live?

He's the fourth UK Chancellor in four months, and many are eager to know more about who is Jeremy Hunt and where does he live?

After a controversial mini budget that prompted U-turns and criticism from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), PM Liz Truss sacked her Chancellor and long-time ally Kwasi Kwarteng - after he spent just 38 days in office.

His replacement, Jeremy Hunt, has been an MP since 2005 and is a familiar name to many. And just like people wanted to know more about who is Kwasi Kwarteng and the details of Rishi Sunak's net worth, the public also have plenty of questions about the most recently appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, who will soon be announcing the new Autumn Statement.

Who is Jeremy Hunt?

Jeremy Hunt is the conservative MP for South West Surrey, first elected as the area's MP in 2005. Previously, he served as culture minister between 2010 and 2012 and then health secretary until 2018 - making him the longest-serving health minister.

During his time as health secretary, Hunt oversaw a variety of cuts across the NHS and was also famously responsible for a highly controversial new contract for junior doctors. This policy prompted medics to strike on two days, which left emergency care uncovered for the first time in the health service's history. Ultimately, a new contract was drawn up.

More recently, Hunt held the post of foreign secretary under Theresa May between 2018 and 2019.

Since Boris Johnson's foray into Downing Street, he has been a backbench MP, as well as chair of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee since 2020 - a role which he resigned when he became Chancellor.

Before joining the Conservative Party, Jeremy Hunt studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford, and was president of his university's Conservative Association.

He went on to work as an English teacher in Japan before co-founding an educational publishing business, Hotcourses. In 2017, Hunt sold the company for a reported £14million profit, which made him one of the richest politicians in the UK.

Before being elected MP for South West Surrey in 2005, he set up a charity to help AIDS orphans in Africa, which he is still involved with today.

Where does Jeremy Hunt live?

According to the Express, Jeremy Hunt lives in Pimlico, in central London. It is the same area where war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill lived.

However, Mr Hunt was born in Surrey - where his mother still lives - and went to school in Godalming, which is part of the constituency he now represents. According to SkyNews, the new Chancellor also has a home in Godalming, and he split his time between his residence there and his home in London.

Why was Jeremy Hunt made Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Due to his experience in various ministerial positions, Jeremy Hunt is seen as a safe pair of hands to place the role of finance minister into. The previous chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, was fired after he introduced a tax plan that backfired, rattled financial markets, and lead to unprecedented intervention from the Bank of England. 

Following the instability and criticism created by Kwarteng, Liz Truss looked to a moderate - someone who takes a mainstream, central stance and avoids extreme views, in order to restore calm to financial markets. 

In a speech at Downing Street, the PM said, "[Hunt] is one of the most experienced and widely respected government ministers and parliamentarians. He shares my convictions and ambitions for our country. 

"He will deliver the medium-term fiscal plan at the end of this month. He will see through the support we are providing to help families and businesses, including our energy price guarantee that's protecting people from higher energy bills this winter. 

"And he will drive our mission to go for growth including taking forward the supply-side reforms that our country needs."

Jeremy Hunt is the fifth person to hold the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer in just a mere three year period. By contrast, Gordon Brown, a previous Labour chancellor, served in the position for a decade until 2007, while George Osbourne was in the job for six years, serving until 2016.

Did Jeremy Hunt stand for PM?

Jeremy Hunt has run twice for the Tory Party leadership, once in 2019 and more recently in 2022. In 2019, Hunt was among the candidates to lead the party, finishing second to Boris Johnson. 

When Boris Johnson resigned in July this year, Hunt ran again but was knocked out in the first round of voting, gaining just 18 votes from conservative colleagues. He then went on to endorse Rishi Sunak in the contest for leader, who came second to current PM Liz Truss.

Who is Jeremy Hunt's wife?

Jeremy Hunt is married to Lucia Hunt. The pair married in 2009, just two years after they met, in a traditional Chinese ceremony in Xi'an.

Lucia was born in China and previously worked at Warwick University, where she helped recruit Chinese students to study in the UK. She now helps to run a real estate business, Mare Pond Properties Limited, that she set up with her husband.

The couple met at an event for Hotcourses, a company Hunt sent up in the years before he met his wife. Despite their 11-year age gap, the MP reportedly asked for her email address and soon after, the pair began a relationship. In a bout of romanticism, Hunt popped the question in 2008 by hiding an engagement ring in the hollow of a tree during the couple's Christmas Eve walk.

On a visit to Chine soon after he was made foreign secretary in 2018, Mr Hunt famously got his wife's nationality wrong - referring to her as Japanese.

The pair have three children together; their son Jack, who was born in 2010, Anna, born in 2012, and the youngest Eleanor, who was born in 2014.

Jeremy Hunt net worth

According the the Express, Jeremy Hunt has a net worth of £14million - after he sold his shares in his education company Hotcourses in 2017.

As well as his income from the luxury real estate company he co-founded with his wife, Mr Hunt earns a salary of £81,932 for being an MP and as Chancellor of the Exchequer he receives an additional £67,505, according to the House of Commons Library.

Mr Hunt's register of interests shows that in recent months the Chancellor has been paid between £10,000 and £4,000 to speak at various events, but has donated all fees to charity.

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