Macpherson To Stay At UK Treasury ‘For A While Yet’
Sir Nicholas Macpherson, the permanent secretary of HM Treasury, has dispelled rumours that he is stepping down.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Global Government Forum, Macpherson said that, while he is not sure if he will remain in his role for another full parliamentary term, he is “going to be here for a while yet.”
Macpherson, who has been at the Treasury for 30 years, 10 of which he has served as permanent secretary, said: “I still think I’ve got something to offer the Treasury but there will come a time when it makes sense to do something else, and the critical thing is to ensure that there are good people so that in a sense I become dispensable.
“I think I’m pretty much coming to that place, but as I say, I will be here for a while yet.”
Macpherson, Whitehall’s longest-serving permanent secretary, also said that the Treasury’s “exciting” agenda – formulating a spending review due to be announced in November; selling the government’s stake in Lloyds Banking Group, which it bailed out during the banking crisis for £20bn; and contributing to Britain’s renegotiation with the European Union – is “one reason why [he is] still here.”
He added: “I personally enjoy working here; I think what we do is incredibly exciting and there are some really interesting challenges.”
See also: our full interview with Sir Nicholas Macpherson
and news: UK government to present ‘united’ spending front, says Treasury perm sec
About Winnie Agbonlahor
Winnie is news editor of Global Government Forum. She previously reported for Civil Service World - the trade magazine for senior UK government officials. Originally from Germany, Winnie first came to the UK in 2006 to study a BA in Journalism & Russian at the University of Sheffield. She is bilingual in English and German, and, after spending an academic year abroad in Russia and reporting for the Moscow Times, Winnie also speaks Russian fluently.
Related Posts
