Greg Clark
A pragmatic Conservative minister who steered British industrial and energy policy through the turbulent years of Brexit and political upheaval.
Born 1957 (age 69)·British Conservative politician·Birthday: August 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Greg Clark entered Parliament in 2005, representing Tunbridge Wells with a quiet, cerebral style that set him apart from more flamboyant colleagues. His political identity was forged in the think-tank world, emphasizing localism and devolution long before they became mainstream Tory themes. His ministerial career, however, was defined by high-stakes crisis management. He took over the business and energy portfolio just after the Brexit vote, tasked with the near-impossible job of assuring skittish investors and crafting a modern industrial strategy amid constitutional chaos. Known for a consultative, evidence-based approach, he was a stabilizing figure who returned briefly to cabinet in 2022 to restore order to a department in disarray. His later role as a select committee chair saw him pivot to scrutinizing the government's science and tech ambitions, a natural fit for his methodical intellect.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Greg was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Greg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Greg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy during the critical post-Brexit referendum period from 2016 to 2019.
- Authored the Modern Industrial Strategy, a major government white paper aimed at boosting UK productivity and growth.
- Chaired the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee, holding the government to account on tech policy.
- Served as MP for Tunbridge Wells for 19 years, from 2005 until his retirement in 2024.
Did You Know?
He holds a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics.
Before politics, he was the Director of Policy for the Conservative Party under Michael Howard.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
He briefly served as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for two months in 2022.
“Power should be held as close as possible to the people it affects.”
