Clare was born in London. After studying English at Southampton and Modern Poetry at Bristol, she started a career in politics which ended with a five-year stint as chief speechwriter to the prime minister. Following this, for seven years she wrote a weekly column on current affairs in The Times. She is currently a radio presenter on talk radio station LBC. 

Between journalism and politics Clare has written three children’s books: Kitchen Disco, Bathroom Boogie and Veg Patch Party. She has four young children who would be the perfect demographic for these works, but who make clear their preference for anything by Julia Donaldson