Nicholas Macpherson
| Sir Nicholas Macpherson GCB | |
|---|---|
 Macpherson in December 2014 | |
| Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury | |
|
In office 2005–2016 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister |
Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron |
| Chancellor |
Gordon Brown Alastair Darling George Osborne |
| Preceded by | Sir Gus O'Donnell |
| Succeeded by | Tom Scholar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1959 (age 56–57) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater |
Balliol College, Oxford University College, London |
Sir Nicholas Macpherson, GCB (born 1959) is a senior British civil servant, serving as the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury since 2 August 2005. He has announced that he will step down in April 2016.
Macpherson has been Permanent Secretary to three Chancellors, and is currently the longest serving Permanent Secretary in Whitehall. He has managed the department through the financial and wider economic crisis which began in 2007.
Early life
He was educated at Eton College, where he won the Newcastle Scholarship. He later attended Balliol College, Oxford and University College London.
Career
Macpherson first worked as an economist at the CBI and Peat Marwick Consulting.[1]
Macpherson entered HM Treasury in 1985. From 1993 to 1997, he was Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer; he oversaw the transition from Kenneth Clarke to Gordon Brown as Chancellor. From 1998 to 2001, he was Director of Welfare Reform. From 2001 to 2004, he was head of the Public Services Directorate, where he managed the 2000 and 2002 spending reviews. From 2004 to 2005 Macpherson managed the Budget and Public Finance Directorate, where he was responsible for tax policy and the budget process.
Macpherson succeeded Sir (now Lord) Gus O'Donnell as Permanent Secretary of the Treasury, when the latter moved to be the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service in 2005. As of 2015, Macpherson was paid a salary of between £185,000 and £189,999 by the department, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[2]
Macpherson came to prominence during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum when he advised George Osborne against entering into a currency union with any Scottish independent state, which was contrary to initial Scottish National Party plans.[3]
On 4 January 2016 Macpherson announced that he will step down from the Treasury in April 2016.[3]
Macpherson is a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, and a visiting professor at Queen Mary, University of London. He is a visiting professor at King’s College London.[3]
Personal life
Macpherson's son, Fred, is lead singer of the indie rock band Spector.[4]
Honours
Macpherson was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 New Year Honours[5] and promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the same Order (GCB) in the 2015 Birthday Honours.[6]
Offices held
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir John Gieve |
Managing Director, Public Services HM Treasury 2001-2004 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Stephens |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Culpin |
Managing Director, Budget and Public Finances HM Treasury 2004-2005 |
Succeeded by Mark Neale as Managing Director, Budget, Tax and Welfare[7] |
| Preceded by Sir Gus O'Donnell |
Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury 2005- April 2016 |
Succeeded by Tom Scholar |
References
- ↑ HM Treasury (2001-04-11). "Senior Civil Service appointments at HM Treasury (press release)". Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ↑ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
- 1 2 3 Phillip Inman (4 January 2016). "Treasury permanent secretary Sir Nicholas Macpherson to step down". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1076697/Peaches-Geldof-Treasury-chief-8217-s-rock-star-boy.html
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58929. p. 2. 31 December 2008.
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434869/Queens_birthday_honours_list_2015.pdf
- ↑ HM Treasury. "Resource Accounts 2005-06" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-01-28.