Clare Foges: From Downing Street Speechwriter to LBC Presenter

Introduction

Clare Foges is a British journalist, author, radio presenter and former political speechwriter. She became widely known through her work with David Cameron, serving as his chief speechwriter during his years at the centre of British politics.

Her career did not stop at Westminster. Far from it.

She later wrote a weekly current-affairs column for The Times, published children’s books, moved into radio presenting and wrote an adult nonfiction book. Currently, she is listed among the presenters at LBC.

That mix makes her career pretty unusual. Politics came first. Journalism and broadcasting followed.

Quick Facts About Clare Foges

• Full name: Clare Elizabeth Foges
• Professional name: Clare Foges
• Born: April 1981
• Birthplace: London, England
• Nationality: British
• Profession: Journalist, author, radio presenter and former political speechwriter
• Current role: LBC presenter
• Education: English at the University of Southampton; Modern Poetry at Bristol
• Former major role: Chief speechwriter to David Cameron
• Former newspaper role: Weekly current-affairs columnist for The Times
• Honour: OBE for public service
• Children: Four
• Known books: Kitchen Disco, Bathroom Boogie, Veg Patch Party and The Paleo Life

Who Is Clare Foges?

Clare Foges is best known for turning political ideas into speeches.

That sounds simple. It isn’t.

A political speechwriter has to understand the speaker, the audience and the point that needs to land. Foges did this work at a very high level, first around Boris Johnson and then for David Cameron.

Her work with Cameron became the strongest part of her early public profile. She spent five years as his chief speechwriter, according to her literary agency.

Later, she changed direction.

Newspaper columns came next. Then books. Radio became another part of her work.

As of October 2026, LBC still lists her among its presenters.

Early Life and Education

Foges was born in London.

She grew up as one of five siblings. During a 2015 interview with the Evening Standard, she spoke about losing her father, an architect, when she was eight. Her family later moved to Guildford.

Her mother fostered children. Foges has spoken about seeing how the state could affect people’s everyday lives through that experience.

Politics was not her first academic path.

She studied English at the University of Southampton. She later studied Modern Poetry at Bristol.

Words were already central.

Politics came later.

Before Westminster, Foges worked at the NSPCC. She then started sending applications to Conservative MPs and found an opening with MP John Hayes in 2006.

At first, the work was hardly glamorous.

She worked as a PA and researcher while taking other jobs to support herself. One of those jobs involved selling ice cream from a van.

Then things moved quickly.

Her Start in Political Speechwriting

Foges’s first major speechwriting job came with Boris Johnson in 2007.

She later worked at City Hall in 2008.

Writing for Johnson came with its own challenge. His public speaking style was already highly personal, loose and recognisable. Foges later described the experience of working with politicians who had very different ways of communicating.

Soon, another opportunity appeared.

She joined David Cameron’s team in August 2008.

That became the job that changed her public career.

Working as David Cameron’s Speechwriter

Foges worked closely with David Cameron during a major period in his political life.

She wrote speeches while he was Conservative leader and continued working with him after he became prime minister.

The role put her inside Downing Street.

Her job involved helping turn political arguments, announcements and ideas into words Cameron could deliver naturally. A good speech could not simply sound polished. It had to sound like him.

Foges eventually became his chief speechwriter.

One of her most notable assignments came around the 2015 general election. She worked on Cameron’s victory speech after the Conservatives secured a parliamentary majority.

Soon afterwards, she left Downing Street.

It closed one chapter. A very different one started.

Why Clare Foges Received an OBE

Foges was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, in the 2015 Dissolution Honours.

The official UK government record identifies her as the former Senior Speechwriter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

The honour was given for public service.

This matters because it gives an official record of the senior position she held in government. It also helps separate verified career information from vague descriptions sometimes repeated on profile sites.

Moving From Politics to Journalism

Leaving Downing Street did not mean leaving public debate.

Foges moved into newspaper journalism.

For seven years, she wrote a weekly current-affairs column for The Times. Her writing dealt with politics, public policy, family life and social questions.

The format was different from speechwriting.

A political speech is written for someone else’s voice. A newspaper column belongs to the writer.

That gave Foges room to write under her own name and argue her own case.

Her background inside government also gave readers a view from someone who understood how political communication worked behind closed doors.

Clare Foges on LBC

Radio became another major part of her work.

LBC announced Foges as a presenter in 2023. She has since hosted programmes and interviews for the talk-radio station.

She remains listed by LBC among its presenters as of October 2026.

Radio suits a different skill.

There is less time to rewrite. Guests answer back. Listeners call in. A presenter has to listen, question and respond in real time.

Foges’s years around politics and current affairs give her plenty of material to work with.

Her LBC work has included discussions about British politics, news, public life and social issues.

Clare Foges as an Author

Politics is only one side of her writing career.

Foges has written children’s books too.

Her first picture book was Kitchen Disco, published by Faber. The story imagines fruit coming alive and partying in a kitchen after dark.

It found a big audience.

Faber says Kitchen Disco was chosen for BookTrust’s Time to Read campaign and reports that 760,000 copies are in print.

She followed it with Bathroom Boogie and Veg Patch Party.

The shift is striking.

One day, political speeches. Another, dancing fruit.

Still, both jobs depend on rhythm, language and knowing what will hold an audience’s attention.

The Paleo Life

Foges later moved into adult nonfiction.

Her book The Paleo Life: Stone Age Wisdom for Modern Times was published by Piatkus in June 2024.

The book looks at the differences between how humans lived for much of history and how people live now.

Its subjects include friendship, food, sleep, work, parenting and technology.

Foges uses research into hunter-gatherer societies to ask a simple question: can some older human habits still help people living now?

It marked another change in her writing career.

This time, she was working across journalism, social questions and human behaviour rather than children’s fiction or Westminster speeches.

A Career Built Around Words

There is one clear thread running through Foges’s work.

Writing.

She started around politics. She wrote for politicians, then under her own name. Children’s publishing opened another door. Radio put her directly in front of an audience.

The setting kept changing.

The basic skill did not.

She had to make an idea clear.

That helps explain how someone can move from Downing Street to picture books and then to live radio without those jobs feeling completely disconnected.

Publicly Confirmed Personal Life

Foges is a mother of four children.

Her literary agency publicly confirms that she has four young children.

She has occasionally written about family life in her journalism, but there is no need to turn a professional profile into a collection of private details.

Her work remains the main story.

What Is Clare Foges Doing Now?

As of October 2026, Clare Foges is a radio presenter with LBC.

Her agency also describes her as a former Times current-affairs columnist and former chief speechwriter to the prime minister.

She remains known as an author as well.

So her current public identity is broader than her old Downing Street role.

She is now mainly associated with journalism, broadcasting and writing.

Final Thought

Clare Foges took an unusual route into public life.

She went from an NSPCC job and early Westminster work to writing speeches at the heart of government. After that came newspaper columns, children’s stories, adult nonfiction and radio.

Quite a switch.

Yet the link is easy to see. Her career has always centred on language and public communication.

Her years with David Cameron may still be the detail many people recognise first. Right now, though, her work reaches audiences through a very different microphone: LBC radio.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Clare Foges?

Clare Foges is a British journalist, author, radio presenter and former political speechwriter. She previously served as chief speechwriter to Prime Minister David Cameron.

What does Clare Foges do now?

As of October 2026, she is listed as a presenter on LBC.

Did Clare Foges work for David Cameron?

Yes. She worked as David Cameron’s speechwriter and later became his chief speechwriter.

Did Clare Foges work with Boris Johnson?

Yes. Her first political speechwriting role was connected with Boris Johnson in 2007, followed by work at City Hall in 2008.

Why does Clare Foges have an OBE?

She received an OBE in the 2015 Dissolution Honours for public service following her work as Senior Speechwriter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

Where did Clare Foges study?

She studied English at the University of Southampton and later Modern Poetry at Bristol.

What books has Clare Foges written?

Her books include Kitchen Disco, Bathroom Boogie, Veg Patch Party and The Paleo Life: Stone Age Wisdom for Modern Times.

Does Clare Foges have children?

Yes. Her literary agency confirms that she has four children.