Lord Paul Yaw Boateng is a British Labour party politician. He became the UK’s first black cabinet minister in May 2002 when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent South from 1987 to 2005 and is currently British Ambassador to South Africa.

Paul Boateng was born in London Borough of Hackney of mixed Ghanaian and Scottish heritage. He lived in Ghana, where his father, Kwaku Boateng, was a cabinet minister under Kwame Nkrumah, until the 1966 coup that ousted Nkrumah. After graduating from the University of Bristol, he became a civil rights lawyer, originally as a solicitor, though he later retrained as a barrister.

He is an active Methodist lay preacher. Posts held with dates: 1981 GLC Chair of Police Committee 1987 MP Brent South 1989 Junior spokesman 1992 Shadow minister for the Lord Chancellor’s Dept 1998 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Home Office 2001 Financial Secretary to the Treasury 2002 Cabinet Member 2005 High Commissioner to South Africa As a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council, he enjoys the style of His Excellency. Though both styles are not always used together he may be called His Excellency the Right Honourable Paul Boateng