James is a foreign policy and advocacy professional currently working in campaign strategy and delivery at a leading human rights organisation. He was previously an adviser to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee, where he managed parliamentary inquiries into human rights in China, Myanmar, Eastern Europe, and the UK’s broader engagement in the Indo-Pacific. He has also worked as a senior political affairs adviser at UNICEF UK, where he focused on political advocacy relating to global health, nutrition, and the invasion of Ukraine.
James is a member of the Executive Committee of the Labour Foreign Policy Group, leading the Group's work on China, and is the founder of Out of London, a career development programme for working class students. He is an alumnus of the British Council’s Generation UK-China Leadership Development Programme and has been recognised as a Rising Leader by the Aspen Institute and a Young Leader by the Pacific Forum. He has written on human rights and foreign policy for various outlets, including The Diplomat, Just Security, and the Diplomatic Courier. He is an incoming part-time PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, where his project will focus on the UK’s human rights diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.
