Nicholas Macpherson
| The Right Honourable The Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court 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 |
Nicholas Ian Macpherson, Baron Macpherson of Earl's Court, GCB (born 1959) is a senior British civil servant. He served as the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 2005 to 2016.
Macpherson was Permanent Secretary to three Chancellors. He managed the department through the financial and wider economic crisis which began in 2007.
Macpherson was nominated for a crossbench peerage in David Cameron's 2016 resignation Honours,[1] and joined the House of Lords on 4 October 2016.[2]
Early life
He was educated at Eton College, where he won the Newcastle Medal, coming second in the examination for the Newcastle Scholarship in 1977. He later attended Balliol College, Oxford (where he read Modern History[3]) and University College London.
Career
Macpherson first worked as an economist at the CBI and Peat Marwick Consulting.[4]
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.
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.[5]
Macpherson stepped down from the Treasury on 31 March 2016.[5]
Macpherson was a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, and is a visiting professor at King's College London.[5]
Personal life
Macpherson's son, Fred, is lead singer of the indie rock band Spector.[6]
Honours
Macpherson was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 New Year Honours[7] and promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the same Order (GCB) in the 2015 Birthday Honours.[8][9]
He was nominated for a life peerage in the 2016 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours and was created Baron Macpherson of Earl's Court, of Earl's Court in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, on 4 October.[1][10]
Styles and Titles
- Nicholas Macpherson 1959–2009
- Sir Nicholas Macpherson KCB 2009–2015
- Sir Nicholas Macpherson GCB 2015–2016
- Rt. Hon. The Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court GCB 2016–present
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[11] |
| Preceded by Sir Gus O'Donnell |
Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury 2005–2016 |
Succeeded by Tom Scholar |
References
- 1 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/543973/resignation_peerages_2016.pdf
- ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-macpherson-of-earl's-court/4586
- ↑ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Public Accounts - Minutes of Evidence". www.publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ↑ HM Treasury (2001-04-11). "Senior Civil Service appointments at HM Treasury (press release)". Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- 1 2 3 Phillip Inman (4 January 2016). "Treasury permanent secretary Sir Nicholas Macpherson to step down". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ↑ Peaches Geldof and the Treasury chief’s rock star boy | Daily Mail Online
- ↑ 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
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 61256. p. 3. 13 June 2015.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 61729. p. 21644. 12 October 2016.
- ↑ HM Treasury. "Resource Accounts 2005-06" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-01-28.