[7] He simultaneously campaigned to be selected as Conservative candidate for the constituency of Hornchurch and Upminster, but in March 2007 was defeated there by Angela Watkinson.

[8] He next applied for Gillingham and Rainham in July 2007, Grantham and Stamford in October 2007, North East Cambridgeshire in January 2008, and Maidstone and The Weald later that same month.

[9] Derek Conway, the member for the Conservative safe seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup in southeast London, was embroiled in an expenses scandal and resigned, after which Brokenshire put his name forward as a potential replacement.

[2][12] Upon victory, Brokenshire announced that his priority would be to prevent the proposed closure of accident and emergency services at local Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup.

[3] One of his first moves was to initiate the closing of the UK's Forensic Science Service; it had been making operational losses of £2 million a month and was predicted to go into administration in early 2011.

Critics asserted that this move would result in the loss of hundreds of jobs and the degradation of forensic research and criminal justice, with an MPs enquiry chaired by Labour MP Andrew Miller criticising how the closure had been overseen.

[18] In the buildup to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he stated his belief that the games would be a "great success", largely due to the government's security measures.

[25] On 16 January 2017, the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed following the resignation of Martin McGuinness as deputy First Minister one week earlier in protest of the DUP's handling of the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal.

Writing in the Telegraph, James Brokenshire, the Northern Ireland Secretary, concedes there is an apparent "imbalance" that has led to a "disproportionate" focus on criminal inquiries involving former soldiers.

"[27][28]Following a question from MP Sylvia Hermon, Brokenshire offered his "clear and unequivocal" support for the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan.

[31] Brian Feeney in The Irish News accused Brokenshire of "ineptitude ... [though] no one would give him the credit of even being aware of the coincidence of the date he chose, when British soldiers killed most innocent victims in Ireland."

[33] Brokenshire resigned as Northern Ireland Secretary on 8 January 2018 on health grounds due to an upcoming lung operation.

[37] In this role, Brokenshire was responsible for regional growth, local government, housing, planning, rough sleeping, building safety and communities.

Hours after taking on the new role, Brokenshire appeared in Parliament and stated, after a question from Andrew Gwynne (Labour's shadow communities secretary), that "local government is in my blood".

[40] A series of online comments from Eaton suggested that he had set out to present Scruton, a former contributor to the New Statesman, in a poor light.

[41] Following a campaign from Douglas Murray of The Spectator, the tapes of the interview were eventually leaked, which prompted the New Statesman to publish a correction of its original article and an apology.

[44] On 7 July 2021, Brokenshire tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, stating his recovery from lung cancer was "taking longer than expected".

[3] He had expressed support for the charity Cancer Research UK and in March 2013 publicly backed their Cell Slider website, calling on all of his constituents to get involved in the initiative.

[51][52] The House of Commons held tributes to him on 20 October;[53] his funeral took place the next day at St John the Evangelist Church in Bexley.