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Jack Chambers (politician)

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Jack Chambers
TD
Chambers in 2024
Minister for Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 June 2024
TaoiseachSimon Harris
Preceded byMichael McGrath
Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 June 2024
LeaderMicheál Martin
Preceded byDara Calleary (2020)
Minister of State
2022–2024Transport
2022–2024Environment, Climate and Communications
2020–2022Government Chief Whip
2020–2022Defence
2020–2022Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
2020Finance
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyDublin West
Personal details
Born1990 (age 33–34)
Galway, Ireland
Political partyFianna Fáil
EducationBelvedere College
Alma mater
Websitejackchambers.ie

Jack Chambers (born 1990)[1] is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Finance since June 2024. He previously served as a Minister of State attending cabinet from July 2020 to June 2024, and served as Government Chief Whip from July 2020 to December 2022. He has served as the Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil since 2024. He has been a Minister of State in various departments since June 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency since the 2016 general election.[2][3]

Early and personal life

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Chambers was born in Galway in 1990 but has lived in Dublin since early childhood.[4] He resides in the Castleknock area of west Dublin.[5][6] His father, Frank Chambers, from Newport, County Mayo, is a consultant at the Mater Private Hospital, and was a political ally of Brian Lenihan Jnr.[5][6][7] His mother, Barbara Farragher, is from Hollymount, County Mayo.[6] He is not related to the senator Lisa Chambers.[5] He attended Belvedere College and earned a Law and Political Science degree from Trinity College Dublin, before enrolling in medicine at RCSI, graduating in 2020 after interrupting his studies early in his political career.[8]

In January 2024, Chambers came out as gay.[9] In an Instagram post he said: "I am starting 2024 by telling you all that I am proud to say that I am gay. As a politician and citizen, I want to share this today as part of who I am."[10]

Political career

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In 2014, Chambers reopened the constituency office which had been closed after the death of Brian Lenihan in 2011.[11][12] He was elected to Fingal County Council in the 2014 local elections, topping the poll in the Castleknock local electoral area.[13] He was deputy mayor of Fingal from 2015 until vacating his council seat on election to the Dáil.[14]

In March 2018, Micheál Martin appointed Chambers as spokesperson for Defence. On 3 May 2018, he, along with several other Fianna Fáil TDs, called for a No vote in the referendum to remove the constitutional prohibition of abortion.[15] He has since stated that his position has evolved and that he supports women being able to access terminations up to 12 weeks of pregnancy in all circumstances.[16] At the 2020 general election, he was re-elected as a TD for Dublin West.[17][18]

When Martin became Taoiseach, he nominated Chambers as Minister of State at the Department of Finance on 1 July 2020. Two weeks later, after Barry Cowen was sacked as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin promoted Dara Calleary to replace Cowen, with Chambers succeeding Calleary as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht.[19] Chambers said he would take an "intensive Irish language course" to prepare for the latter responsibility, as he did not speak Irish fluently at the time.[20] On 17 November 2020, Chambers was appointed to the additional post of Minister of State at the Department of Defence.[21]

In December 2022, after Leo Varadkar became Taoiseach, Chambers was reassigned as Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics and Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for Postal Policy.

In June 2023, Chambers was appointed as Fianna Fáil's director of local elections for the 2024 local elections.[22]

On 19 June 2024, Micheál Martin appointed Chambers as Fianna Fáil's deputy leader.[23]

On 26 June 2024, Chambers was appointed as Minister for Finance, succeeding Michael McGrath who was nominated by the government as Ireland's next European Commissioner.[24][25] In doing so, Chambers became the youngest Minister for Finance since Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins.[26]

On 1 October 2024, Chambers presented his first budget as Minister for Finance.[27]

At the 2024 general election, Chambers was re-elected to the Dáil.

Political views

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Circa 2018, during the campaign for the referendum on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland (which governed abortion rights), Chambers was among Fianna Fáil members who called for a No vote.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Jack Chambers". Irish Examiner. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Jack Chambers". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Jack Chambers". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. ^ "The questions facing Jack Chambers as he begins new role". RTÉ News. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Dillon, Fiona (March 2016). "'I will get my hair cut when I get a chance' - Fianna Fail TD Jack Chambers on social media abuse". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016. One of the other new Fianna Fail TDs to be elected under the age of 30 is Lisa Chambers (29) from Castlebar, but they are not directly related, even though they would both have some family roots in the town of Newport.
  6. ^ a b c McGreal, Edwin (1 March 2016). "Mayos lose Dáil seat elsewhere". The Mayo News. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  7. ^ O'Halloran, Marie (15 June 2011). "Mourners told of man with nobility and honesty running through veins". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  8. ^ Lord, Miriam (20 June 2020). "Who will get the big jobs if new coalition gets the Green light?". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020. Fianna Fáil's Jack Chambers didn't complete his medical studies when his political career took off. … However, back in March, the Dublin West TD also became a qualified medical doctor having finished off his final two exams.
  9. ^ "Cabinet minister Jack Chambers announces he is gay". RTÉ News. 14 January 2024. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  10. ^ Ryan, Philip (14 January 2024). "'I want to share this as part of who I am' – Cabinet minister Jack Chambers announces he is gay". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Jack Chambers has defeated David McGuinness in Dublin West selection". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Jack Chambers". Jack Chambers. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Jack Chambers". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Election 2016: Jack Chambers". RTÉ News. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  15. ^ "More than half of Fianna Fáil parliamentary party backing 'no' vote in referendum". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Jack Chambers I've changed my stance on abortion". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  17. ^ O'Halloran, Marie (10 February 2020). "Dublin West results: Joan Burton and Ruth Coppinger lose seats". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Election 2020: Dublin West". The Irish Times. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  19. ^ Statistics (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 263 of 2020). Signed on 27 July 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 4 August 2020.; Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 547 of 2020). Signed on 17 November 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 9 December 2020.; Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 548 of 2020). Signed on 17 November 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 9 December 2020.
  20. ^ Adam, Brian (16 July 2020). "'It was clear that it was a rethink to put Jack Chambers in charge of the Gaeltacht'". In Tallaght. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Ministerial Responsibilities – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. 18 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Fianna Fáil appoints Ministers to direct local and European election campaigns". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  23. ^ Lehane, Mícheál (19 June 2024). "Jack Chambers announced as Fianna Fáil deputy leader". RTÉ News. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  24. ^ Lehane, Mícheál (26 June 2024). "Jack Chambers formally appointed as Minister for Finance". RTÉ News. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Jack Chambers to be appointed Finance Minister as McGrath to be nominated for EU Commissioner". Irish Independent. 25 June 2024.
  26. ^ a b Gataveckaite, Gabija (25 June 2024). "Profile: Jack Chambers is the youngest Finance Minister since Michael Collins". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  27. ^ "At a glance: Here are the key points from Budget 2025". RTÉ News. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
[edit]
Honorary titles
Preceded by Baby of the Dáil
2016–2020 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Finance
2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Government Chief Whip
2020–2022 		Succeeded by
Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
2020–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Defence
2020–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
2022–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Transport
2022–2024
Preceded by Minister for Finance
2024–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil
2024–present 		Incumbent
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