George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as
Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as
First Secretary of State
The First Secretary of State is an office that is sometimes held by a minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The office indicates seniority, including over all other Secretaries of State. The office is not always in use, ...
from 2015 to 2016 in the
Cameron government. A member of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, he was
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for
Tatton from 2001 to 2017. He was editor of the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'' from 2017 to 2020.
The son of the
Osborne & Little
Osborne & Little is a British manufacturer and retailer of upmarket wallpaper and fabrics. It was established in 1968 and now has showrooms worldwide. It was among the brands included in the Victoria and Albert Museum's ''British Design 1948–20 ...
co-founder and
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...
Peter Osborne, Osborne was born in
Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...
and educated at
Norland Place School
Norland Place School is a co-educational independent preparatory school for boys and girls 4–11 in Holland Park, London. The school was founded in 1876 by Emily Lord.
History
Founded in 1876 by Emily Lord, Norland Place School originally ...
,
Colet Court
St Paul's Juniors (formerly Colet Court) is an independent preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 in Barnes, London. It forms the preparatory department of St Paul's School, to which most Juniors pupils progress at the age of 13.
The School w ...
and
St Paul's School before studying at
Magdalen College, Oxford. After working briefly as a freelancer for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', he joined the
Conservative Research Department
The Conservative Research Department (CRD) is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters in Westminster.
The CRD has been descr ...
in 1994 and became head of its political section. He went on to be a
special adviser to
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889. ...
Douglas Hogg
Douglas Martin Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham, Baron Hailsham of Kettlethorpe (born 5 February 1945), is a British politician and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party he served in the Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foo ...
and work for
John Major at
10 Downing Street, including on Major's unsuccessful
1997 general election campaign. In
Opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
, he worked as a speechwriter and political secretary to Major's successor as party leader,
William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
.
Osborne was elected as MP for Tatton in 2001, becoming the youngest Conservative member of the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
. He was appointed
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the most junior member of the Shadow Cabinet, and is the deputy to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury acts as the primary opposition to the equivalent G ...
by Conservative leader
Michael Howard in 2004. The following year he ran
David Cameron's successful
party leadership campaign, and was subsequently appointed
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is given at the gift of the Leader of the Opposition and ...
. After the
2010 general election, Osborne was appointed
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the
Cameron–Clegg coalition
The Cameron–Clegg coalition was formed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg when Cameron was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new administration, following the resignation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010, after the gene ...
. He succeeded
Alistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling, Baron Darling of Roulanish, (born 28 November 1953) is a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he was a Member ...
, inheriting a large deficit in government finances due to the effects of the
late-2000s financial crisis. As Chancellor,
Osborne's tenure pursued
austerity policies aimed at reducing the budget deficit and launched the
Northern Powerhouse
The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010–15 coalition government and 2015–2016 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the " Core Cities" of Hull, Manchester ...
initiative. After the Conservatives won an overall majority in the
2015 general election, Cameron reappointed him Chancellor in his
second government and gave him the additional title of
First Secretary of State
The First Secretary of State is an office that is sometimes held by a minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The office indicates seniority, including over all other Secretaries of State. The office is not always in use, ...
. He was widely viewed as a potential successor to David Cameron as Leader of the Conservative Party; one Conservative MP,
Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi ( ar, ناظم الزهاوي, translit=Nāẓim az-Zahāwī; ku, نەدیم زەهاوی, translit=Nedîm Zehawî; born 2 June 1967) is an Iraqi-born British politician serving as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister ...
, suggested that the closeness of his relationship with Cameron meant that the two effectively shared power during the duration of the Cameron governments.
Following the
2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union and Cameron's consequent resignation, he was dismissed by Cameron's successor,
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
.
Osborne served on the
backbenches
In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of ...
for a year before leaving public office at the
2017 general election. He was editor of the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'' from 2017 to 2020. He has been chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) since 2016 and of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
since 2021.
Early life and education
George Osborne was born in
Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...
, London,
as Gideon Oliver Osborne;
[Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition, volume 2, page 3030.] he decided when he was 13 to be known by the additional first name of 'George'. In an interview in July 2005, he said: "It was my small act of rebellion. I never liked it
he name 'Gideon' When I finally told my mother she said, 'Nor do I'. So I decided to be George after my grandfather, who was a
war hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...
. Life was easier as a George; it was a straightforward name."
He is the eldest of four boys. His father is
Sir Peter Osborne, 17th Baronet
Sir Peter George Osborne, 17th Baronet (born 29 June 1943) is a British businessman, who co-founded the interior design firm Osborne & Little in 1968. He is the father of George Osborne, the Conservative politician and former Chancellor of the E ...
, co-founder of the firm of fabric and wallpaper designers
Osborne & Little
Osborne & Little is a British manufacturer and retailer of upmarket wallpaper and fabrics. It was established in 1968 and now has showrooms worldwide. It was among the brands included in the Victoria and Albert Museum's ''British Design 1948–20 ...
. George Osborne is to inherit the
baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
; he would thus become Sir George Osborne, 18th Baronet.
His mother is Felicity Alexandra Loxton-Peacock, the daughter of Hungarian-born
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
artist
Clarisse Loxton-Peacock (''née'' Fehér).
[Charles Mosley, editor, ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 1989.]
Osborne was educated at
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
schools:
Norland Place School
Norland Place School is a co-educational independent preparatory school for boys and girls 4–11 in Holland Park, London. The school was founded in 1876 by Emily Lord.
History
Founded in 1876 by Emily Lord, Norland Place School originally ...
,
Colet Court
St Paul's Juniors (formerly Colet Court) is an independent preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 in Barnes, London. It forms the preparatory department of St Paul's School, to which most Juniors pupils progress at the age of 13.
The School w ...
and
St Paul's School. In 1990 he was awarded a
demyship
A demyship (also "demy" for the recipient) is a form of scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford.
The term is derived from ''demi-socii'' or ''half-fellows'', being historically entitled to half the allowance awarded to Fellows. The allowance is n ...
at
Magdalen College, Oxford,
where in 1993 he received a
2:1 bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
Modern History.
Whilst there, he was a member of the
Bullingdon Club. He also attended
Davidson College in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
for a semester, as a
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909December 20, 1994) was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, the second-longest serving Secretary of State after Cordell Hull from the F ...
Scholar.
In 1993, Osborne intended to pursue a career in journalism. He was shortlisted for, but failed to gain a place on, ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' trainee scheme; he also applied to ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'', where he was interviewed and rejected by
Gideon Rachman
Gideon Rachman (born 1963) is a British journalist. He became the chief foreign affairs commentator of the ''Financial Times'' in July 2006. In 2016, he won the Orwell Prize for political journalism. In the same year, he was awarded with the C ...
. In the end, he had to settle for freelance work on the 'Peterborough' diary column in ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
''.
One of his Oxford friends, journalist George Bridges, alerted Osborne some time later to a research vacancy at
Conservative Central Office
The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), formerly known as Conservative Central Office (CCO), is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party, housing its central staff and committee members, including campaign coordinators and man ...
.
Early political career
Osborne joined the
Conservative Research Department
The Conservative Research Department (CRD) is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters in Westminster.
The CRD has been descr ...
in 1994, and became head of its Political Section. One of his first roles was to go to
Blackpool and observe the October 1994
Labour Party Conference
The Labour Party Conference is the annual conference of the British Labour Party. It is formally the supreme decision-making body of the party and is traditionally held in the final week of September, during the party conference season when th ...
.
Between 1995 and 1997 he worked as a
special adviser to
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889. ...
Douglas Hogg
Douglas Martin Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham, Baron Hailsham of Kettlethorpe (born 5 February 1945), is a British politician and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party he served in the Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foo ...
(during the
BSE
BSE may refer to:
Medicine
* Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, a neurodegenerative disease of cattle
* Breast self-examination
Stock exchanges
* Bahrain Stock Exchange, Bahrain
* Baku Stock Exchange, Azerbaijan
* B ...
crisis), and in the
Political Office at 10 Downing Street. Osborne worked on Prime Minister
John Major's campaign team in 1997, in the run-up to the
Tories' heavy election defeat that year.
After the election, he again considered journalism, approaching ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' to be a leader writer, though nothing came of it.
Between 1997 and 2001 he worked for
William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, Major's successor as
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
leader, as a speechwriter and political secretary. He helped to prepare Hague for the weekly session of
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs, officially known as Questions to the Prime Minister, while colloquially known as Prime Minister's Question Time) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, currently held as a single session every W ...
,
often playing the role of Prime Minister
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
. Under the subsequent leaderships of
Michael Howard and
David Cameron, he remained on the Prime Minister's Questions team.
Member of Parliament
Osborne was elected as the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for
Tatton, Cheshire, at the
June 2001 election. He succeeded
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
MP
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, (born 31 August 1938) is a British UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1997 to 2001. He is sometimes known as " ...
, who had defeated the controversial former Conservative minister
Neil Hamilton in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
but had kept his promise not to stand there at the following election. Osborne won with a majority of 8,611 over the
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
candidate, becoming (at that time) the youngest Conservative MP in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
. At
the 2005 election he was re-elected with an increased majority of 11,731 (securing 51.8% of the vote), and
in 2010 increased his majority still further to 14,487.
Shadow Chancellor (2005–2010)
![George Osborne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/George_Osborne.jpg)
He was appointed in September 2004 by then Conservative leader Michael Howard to the
Shadow Cabinet, as
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the most junior member of the Shadow Cabinet, and is the deputy to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury acts as the primary opposition to the equivalent G ...
.
Following the 2005 general election, Howard promoted him to
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is given at the gift of the Leader of the Opposition and ...
at the young age of 33. Howard had initially offered the post to William Hague, who turned it down. Press reports suggest that the second choice for the post was David Cameron, who also rejected the job, preferring to take on a major public service portfolio (he was made
Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Shadow Secretary of State for Education, also called the Shadow Education Secretary, is an office in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for Opposition policy on education and for holding the Secretary of State for Education, ...
). Thus, Howard seems to have turned to Osborne as his third choice for the role. His promotion prompted speculation he would run for the leadership of the Conservative Party when Howard stepped down, but he ruled himself out within a week.
Osborne served as
campaign manager for David Cameron's
leadership campaign, and kept the Shadow Chancellor's post when Cameron became leader later that year.
When David Cameron was asked in 2009 whether or not he would be willing to sack a close colleague such as Osborne, he stated, "With George, the answer is yes. He stayed in my shadow cabinet not because he is a friend, not because we are
godfathers to each other's children but because he is the right person to do the job. I know and he knows that if that was not the case he would not be there."
At this time Osborne expressed an interest in the ideas of "tax simplification" (including the idea of
flat tax). He set up a "Tax Reform Commission" in October 2005 to investigate ideas for how to create a "flatter, simpler" tax system. The system then proposed would reduce the
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
rate to a flat 22%, and increase the personal allowance from £4,435 to between £10,000 and £15,500. However, the idea of a flat tax was not included in the 2010 Conservative Party manifesto.
Comments on Gordon Brown
During Osborne's response to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
's ''Pre-Budget Report'' on 5 December 2005, he accused Brown of being "a Chancellor past his sell-by-date, a Chancellor holding Britain back". In an interview the same week, he also referred to Brown as "brutal" and "unpleasant". Osborne was rebuked in October 2006 by
Michael Martin, the
Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings.
Systems that have such a position include:
* Speaker of ...
, when he attacked the Chancellor at Oral Questions by citing a comment attributed to the
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton, describing the Chancellor as likely to make an "effing awful" Prime Minister.
It was widely suggested that Osborne was leading an assault on Brown that would allow the Conservatives to discredit him without damaging David Cameron's public image.
That month, Osborne faced criticism from some quarters for appearing to suggest that Brown was "faintly autistic". After Osborne spoke in an interview about his own ability to recall odd facts, a host suggested to him that he may have been "faintly autistic"; he responded by saying that "We're not getting onto Gordon Brown yet".
Pledge to match Labour spending
In September 2007, ahead of the publication of the
2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, Osborne pledged that the Conservative Party would match Labour's public spending plans for the next three years.
He promised increases in public spending of 2% a year,
and said Labour charges that the Conservatives would cut public spending were "a pack of lies".
He also ruled out any "upfront, unfunded tax cuts".
Deripaska claim
Osborne's school and university contemporary, financier
Nathaniel Rothschild, said in October 2008 that Osborne had tried to solicit a £50,000 donation from the Russian aluminium magnate
Oleg Deripaska, which would have been a violation of the law against political donations by foreign citizens.
Rothschild had hosted Deripaska, Osborne,
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson (born 21 October 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as First Secretary of State from 2009 to 2010. He was President of the Board of Trade in 1998 and from 2008 to 2010. He is the ...
and others at a party in his villa in
Corfu. The alleged solicitation of a donation occurred on Deripaska's yacht during the party.
The
Electoral Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
received a formal complaint initiated in a letter by the
Liberal Democrats'
Home Affairs spokesperson,
Chris Huhne, urging them to investigate the allegations against Osborne. The Commission rejected the claims and said it saw "no information" suggesting an offence. The accusation was referred to by the press as 'Yachtgate'.
Osborne denied claims he had attempted to solicit a donation from Deripaska and said that he had "made a mistake" by meeting with him.
"Run on the pound"
On 14 November 2008, in an intervention described by the BBC's
Nick Robinson as "pretty extraordinary",
Osborne publicly warned that the more the government borrows, the less attractive
sterling becomes to hold. He said: "We are in danger, if the government is not careful, of having a proper sterling collapse, a run on the pound." Labelling Gordon Brown's tactic a "scorched-earth policy" that a future Conservative government would have to clear up, Osborne continued: "His view is he probably won't win the next election. The Tories can clear this mess up after I've gone."
Expenses
In 2009 and 2012 Osborne was criticised for his expense claims, in particular for the claims for mortgage interest payments on his Cheshire properties.
Osborne had funded the purchase of a country farmhouse and adjoining paddock in Cheshire before he became an MP in 2001 by way of a £455,000 extension of the mortgage on his London home. In 2003 he substituted a new £450,000 mortgage on the Cheshire property, which he then designated as his second home, or "flipped". As a result, he was able to claim up to £100,000 in mortgage interest on the house and paddock between 2003 and 2010, when the regulations changed.
In 2012 it was revealed that the paddock had been legally separate from the farmhouse.
The Liberal Democrats said he had a "moral obligation" to pay an estimated £55,000 in
capital gains tax
A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property.
Not all countries impose a c ...
to the public purse which he had saved through the designation or "flipping" of his London property as his main home. He had previously paid back £1,193 spent on
chauffeur fares and overpayments on his mortgage after a complaint from a Labour activist, and it also emerged that he had claimed £47 for two copies of a DVD of his own speech on "value for taxpayers' money". The report of the
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons. The work of the officer is overseen by the Commons Select Committee on Standards.
The current commissioner is Kathryn Stone.
Duties
The commissioner i ...
found that although Osborne had breached the rules, the offence was "unintended and relatively minor". Osborne said he had received "flawed" advice and not benefited personally.
2010 general election campaign
During the 2010 general election campaign Osborne was considered to have been sidelined, owing to his perceived unpopularity and the perception by both Liberal Democrat and Labour strategists that he was a "weak link".
Chancellor of the Exchequer (2010–2016)
![George Osborne in China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/George_Osborne_in_China.jpg)
Osborne was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on 11 May 2010, and was sworn in as a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
two days later.
On 4 October 2010, in a speech at the Conservative conference in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, Osborne announced a
cap on the overall amount of benefits a family can receive from the state, estimated to be around £500 a week from 2013. He also announced that he would end the universal entitlement to
child benefit
Child benefit or children's allowance is a social security payment which is distributed to the parents or guardians of children, teenagers and in some cases, young adult (psychology), young adults. A number of countries operate different versions o ...
, and that from 2013 the entitlement would be removed from people paying the 40% and 50% income tax rates.
In February 2011 Osborne announced
Project Merlin, whereby banks aimed to lend about £190bn to businesses in 2011, curb bonuses and reveal some salary details of their top earners; meanwhile, the bank levy would increase by £800m. Osborne's 2011
Autumn Statement
The Spring Statement of the British Government, also known as the "mini-budget", is one of the two statements HM Treasury makes each year to Parliament upon publication of economic forecasts, the second taking place the previous year as the Autum ...
was delivered to Parliament on 29 November 2011. It included a programme of
supply-side economic reforms such as investments in infrastructure intended to support economic growth.
In 2012, Osborne cut the 50% income tax rate on top earners and figures from
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs showed that the amount of additional-rate tax paid had increased under the new rate from £38 billion in 2012/13 to £46 billion in 2013/14, which Osborne said was caused by the new rate being more "competitive". In October 2012, Osborne proposed a new policy to boost the hiring of staff, under which companies would be able to give new appointees
shares worth between £2,000 and £50,000, but the appointees would lose the right to claim
unfair dismissal and time off for training.
In February 2013, the UK lost its AAA credit rating—which Osborne had indicated to be a priority when coming to power—for the first time since 1978. His March 2013 budget was made when the Office for Budget Responsibility had halved its forecast for that year's economic growth from 1.2% to 0.6%.
Osborne announced on 16 May that he would deliver a
second Budget on 8 July, and promised action on
tax avoidance
Tax avoidance is the legal usage of the tax regime in a single territory to one's own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law. A tax shelter is one type of tax avoidance, and tax havens are jurisdi ...
by the rich by bringing in a "
Google tax
'Google tax' is a popular term used to refer to anti- avoidance provisions that have been passed in several jurisdictions dealing with profits or royalties that have been diverted to other jurisdictions with lower or nil rates.
Diverted profits ...
" designed to discourage large companies diverting profits out of the UK to avoid tax. The second Budget also increased funding for the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
, more apprenticeships, efforts to increase productivity and cuts to the welfare budget. The July budget postponed the predicted arrival of a UK surplus from 2019 to 2020, and included an extra £18 billion more borrowing for 2016–20 than planned for the same period in March.
In Osborne's
2016 budget he introduced a sugar tax and raised the tax-free allowance for income tax to £11,500, as well as lifting the 40% income tax threshold to £45,000.
According to ''The Guardian'', Osborne was "the driving force" behind the BBC licence fee agreement which saw the BBC responsible for funding the £700m welfare cost of free TV licences for the over-75s, meaning that it lost almost 20% of its income. ''The Guardian'' also noted Osborne's four meetings with
News Corp representatives and two meetings with
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
before the deal was announced. Following the UK's vote to leave the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
in June 2016, Osborne pledged to further lower corporation tax to "encourage businesses to continue investing in the UK". Osborne had already cut the corporation tax rate from 28% to 20%, with plans to lower it to 17% by 2020.
Political views
The ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' describes Osborne as "metropolitan and socially liberal. He is hawkish on foreign policy with links to Washington
neo-conservatives
Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and coun ...
and ideologically committed to cutting the state. A pragmatic
Eurosceptic". There is evidence of this commitment to cutting the state in his party's
manifesto, with Osborne and the Conservatives seeking to cut the deficit "faster and deeper" than any other main party as well as committing to various
tax cuts
A tax cut represents a decrease in the amount of money taken from taxpayers to go towards government revenue. Tax cuts decrease the revenue of the government and increase the disposable income of taxpayers. Tax cuts usually refer to reductions in ...
such as
inheritance tax and
national insurance
National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their fami ...
. According to an
IFS report before the 2010 general election, the Conservatives needed to find more money from cuts beyond what they had outlined than any other major party, although the report was also critical of Labour and the Liberal Democrats. He has stated that the British economy must diversify away from London following the 2008 banking crisis, most notably in the form of the
Northern Powerhouse
The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010–15 coalition government and 2015–2016 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the " Core Cities" of Hull, Manchester ...
policy proposals which aim to improve transport links and boost science and technology investment in the cities of the North in order to increase economic output.
After previously drawing parallels between Ed Miliband's economic views and those of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
in ''
Das Kapital
''Das Kapital'', also known as ''Capital: A Critique of Political Economy'' or sometimes simply ''Capital'' (german: Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Ökonomie, link=no, ; 1867–1883), is a foundational theoretical text in materialist phi ...
'', in a 2017 interview with former Treasury colleague
Lord O'Neill, Osborne said Marx's
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
in ''Das Kapital'' that capitalists would take an increasing share of wealth from the proceeds of economic production at the expense of workers could be argued as an accurate description of something that appeared to be occurring under the process of
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is the process of foreign relation ...
, arguing that there was a need to "democratise capital" and ensure "that people have more capital in capitalism", such as larger pensions and more opportunities for savings and home and share ownership.
Political relationships
Whilst David Cameron was prime minister, Osborne was widely viewed as a potential future leader of the Conservatives were Cameron to stand down and trigger a leadership contest, despite being seen as a relatively unpopular figure with the general public.
Conservative MP
Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi ( ar, ناظم الزهاوي, translit=Nāẓim az-Zahāwī; ku, نەدیم زەهاوی, translit=Nedîm Zehawî; born 2 June 1967) is an Iraqi-born British politician serving as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister ...
suggested that the closeness of his relationship with Cameron meant the two effectively shared power in the 2010–16 government, whilst commentators pointed to Osborne's hand in Cabinet reshuffles.
He worked hard on rebuilding his image after the much-criticised 2012 budget.
Michael Deacon of ''The Daily Telegraph'' has described Osborne as "the prince of the parliamentary putdown" after, during one House of Commons debate, he managed to taunt both
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British broadcaster, writer, economist, professor and former politician who served as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from 2007 to 2010, and as Shadow Chancellor of the Ex ...
and
Norman Baker
Norman John Baker (born 26 July 1957) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewes in East Sussex from the 1997 general election until his defeat in 2015.
In May 2010 he was appointed ...
in one sentence. Osborne denied rumours that he had referred to his colleague
Iain Duncan Smith
Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was ...
as "not clever enough", which were published in
Matthew d'Ancona
Matthew Robert Ralph d'Ancona (born 27 January 1968) is an English journalist. A former deputy editor of ''The Sunday Telegraph'', he was appointed editor of ''The Spectator'' in February 2006, a post he retained until August 2009.
Early life ...
's book ''In It Together''.
On 28 June 2016, Osborne ruled out standing as a candidate in
that year's party leadership election, stating he was "not the person to provide the unity" his party needed.
Backbencher (2016–2017)
Osborne was sacked by Theresa May on 13 July 2016, following her appointment as Prime Minister. He returned to the backbenches and
Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...
replaced him as Chancellor. It was announced on 4 August 2016 that Osborne was to be made a
Companion of Honour in the
Resignation Honours list following David Cameron's resignation. Unlike Cameron, Osborne intended to remain an MP and stand for Parliament again in 2020, although
proposed boundary changes could have led to the abolition of his Tatton constituency.
In September 2016, he launched the
Northern Powerhouse
The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010–15 coalition government and 2015–2016 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the " Core Cities" of Hull, Manchester ...
Partnership, a body bringing together business leaders and politicians to promote regional devolution.
By October 2016, he was writing a book called ''Age of Unreason''; it is a diatribe against "populist nationalism".
Osborne's lucrative speaking engagements for a range of financial institutions since his dismissal as Chancellor helped make him the highest earning MP in 2016. In February 2017 he started a new role as a part-time advisor to
BlackRock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with trill ...
, the world's largest fund manager, for a salary of £650,000 for a one-day a week. The job was approved by the
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was set up in 1975 to provide advice on applications from the most senior Crown servants who wish to take up outside appointments ...
, which stated that during Osborne's time as Chancellor "there were no specific policy decisions ... that would have affected BlackRock", and the Permanent Secretary at the Treasury had "no concerns" about Osborne taking up the role.
In 2017, Osborne became the first Kissinger Fellow at the
McCain Institute
The McCain Institute for International Leadership is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank in cooperation with Arizona State University whose mission is to "advance leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom, and human dignity, in ...
for International Leadership. While the institute is based in
John McCain's home state of Arizona, Osborne will remain in the UK.
Osborne announced he would be standing down as MP for Tatton in April 2017, a day after the
2017 general election was declared. He did not rule out returning to the Commons at some point. "It's still too early to be writing my memoirs", he wrote in a letter to his constituency party, adding he did not "want to spend the rest of my life just being an ex-chancellor. I want new challenges".
Career after Parliament
''Evening Standard'' editor
Then still an MP, Osborne was announced on 17 March 2017 as the next editor of the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'', a position which he assumed on 2 May.
Critics of his appointment questioned his lack of journalistic experience and his intention to remain MP for Tatton during his tenure with the newspaper, which other MPs said would constitute a conflict of interest and devalued the role of an MP.
He was also accused of breaking the post-ministerial employment rules of the
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was set up in 1975 to provide advice on applications from the most senior Crown servants who wish to take up outside appointments ...
by accepting the editorship without the committee's approval.
''
Private Eye'' subsequently documented in detail the relationship between Osborne and ''Standard'' owner
Evgeny Lebedev
Evgeny Alexandrovich Lebedev, Baron Lebedev ( rus, Евгений Александрович Лебедев, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Lebedev, ; born 8 May 1980), is a Russian-British businessman, who owns Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which in turn own ...
, who appointed Osborne as editor. During Osborne's time as Chancellor of the Exchequer he regularly pledged Treasury money to ''Standard'' charitable campaigns, such as his offer in 2015 to match readers' donations by up to £1.5 million to the ''Standard''s
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospit ...
appeal. In September 2015, the newspaper ranked Osborne in joint-first place on its annual 'Progress 1000' list of the most influential people in London. It was also highlighted that, as Chancellor, Osborne failed to tackle the advantageous tax status for so-called
non-dom
Taxation in the United Kingdom may involve payments to at least three different levels of government: central government ( HM Revenue & Customs), devolved governments and local government. Central government revenues come primarily from income ...
s, which Lebedev was understood to benefit from, while Lebedev's paper strongly supported the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
in the
2015 general election and the Conservatives' candidate
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith of Richmond Park, (born 20 January 1975) is a British politician, life peer and journalist serving as Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment s ...
in the
2016 London mayoral election
The 2016 London mayoral election was held on 5 May 2016 to elect the Mayor of London, on the same day as the London Assembly election. It was the fifth election to the position of mayor, which was created in 2000 after a referendum in Greate ...
.
After stepping down from politics, Osborne took on several engagements in addition to his work as editor. Among them was being named a distinguished visiting fellow at the
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, an ...
and a dean's fellow at the
Stanford Graduate School of Business in September 2017. He specialised in research on international politics and the global economy. He continued to advise the asset manager
BlackRock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with trill ...
and also began advising his brother's firm 9Yards Capital. He joined 9Yards, a growth stage venture capital firm focused on financial technology and IT logistics investments, in 2018 as a partner and chairman.
In mid-2018, the ''Standard'' reported a loss of £10 million for the last year to the end of September. That year the paper dropped 'London' from its title to reflect greater national and international ambitions as part of a relaunch. For 2018, the ''Standard'' reported a £11.5 million loss amid speculation of "ad struggles".
In February 2020, questions were raised about Osborne's future at the ''Standard''. On 12 June it was announced that he would step down as editor to move to the role of editor-in-chief. He was succeeded as editor by the former deputy editor of
British ''Vogue'' and sister-in-law of
David Cameron,
Emily Sheffield, on 1 July 2020.
Comment on Theresa May
In a profile of Osborne published by ''
Esquire'' magazine in September 2017, it was said that he had commented to several staff at the ''Evening Standard'' that he would not be satisfied until
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
was "chopped up in bags in my freezer". While Osborne had used macabre imagery about May in the past, he did not directly comment on the incident, although he was criticised for the alleged remark. An editorial in the ''Standard'', published nearly a week later, was interpreted as Osborne's apology to May. It said "harsh words" had been said in connection with the Prime Minister's Brexit policy, but "intemperate language, even when said in jest" was inappropriate.
Attempts to return to politics
In 2018 Osborne was discussed as a potential candidate for
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current m ...
in
the election
''The Election'' () is a political drama series produced by Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV). With a budget of HK$15 million, filming started in July 2014 and wrapped up on 28 October 2014. Popularly voted to be the inaugural drama of ...
scheduled to be held in 2020. He said that as well as considering a bid, he would not rule out a return to Parliament. However, in an interview he said he would not stand for mayor as it would clash with his role as editor of the ''Evening Standard''.
In July 2019, the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' reported that Osborne was seeking backing to replace
Christine Lagarde
Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (; née Lallouette, ; born 1 January 1956) is a French politician and lawyer who has been serving as President of the European Central Bank since 2019. She previously served as the 11th managing director of the ...
as managing director of the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
(IMF).
Osborne needed to be nominated by directors on the IMF's executive board, who were elected by member countries, to enter the contest. Both European and British government sources said that Osborne, who backed
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
in the
Conservative Party leadership election, would likely be the British nomination, due in part to Johnson's accession to Prime Minister. Lagarde's replacement was to be selected by the executive board, where the United States, Japan and China held the largest shares of the total vote. Several UK government figures, including
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
, endorsed Osborne for the role. Boris Johnson spoke to US President Donald Trump in a phone call to rally support for Osborne. On 6 September 2019, Osborne abandoned his IMF leadership attempt, and sources later confirmed that the chief executive of the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
,
Kristalina Georgieva
Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova ( bg, Кристалина Иванова Георгиева-Кинова; ; born 13 August 1953) is a Bulgarian economist serving as managing director of the International Monetary Fund since 2019. She was t ...
, had been put forward as the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
's nominee.
Career diversification
In August 2020, Osborne's name was suggested as a possible candidate for
chairman of the BBC
The Chairman of the BBC is the head of the BBC Board, responsible for maintaining the independence of the BBC and overseeing the functioning of the BBC to fulfil its mission. The chairman leads the process for appointing the Director-General and ...
as, according to the ''
i'' newspaper, he had maintained "good relations" with Boris Johnson. In October ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' reported that ministers had raised the salary cap to £160,000 a year for the role, and that they might have raised it further to £280,000 in order to tempt Osborne.
Richard Sharp was later appointed.
Osborne left his roles at the ''Evening Standard'' and BlackRock in March 2021, and in April became an investment banker at
Robey Warshaw.
In June 2021 it was announced that
the trustees of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
had unanimously elected Osborne as the museum's chairman. He joined the museum's board of trustees on 1 September 2021 and formally became chairman on 4 October.
In popular culture
Osborne was portrayed by
Sebastian Armesto
Sebastian Felipe Xavier Fernández-Garcia Armesto (born 3 June 1982) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He is the son of the historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto.
Career
Television and film
Armesto played Charles V, Holy Roman Emp ...
in the 2015
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
television film
''Coalition''.
Personal life
Osborne is
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to his family's Irish
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...
cy, of Ballentaylor and Ballylemon in
County Waterford. In 2009, he had an estimated personal fortune of around £4 million, as the beneficiary of a trust fund that owns a 15% stake in
Osborne & Little
Osborne & Little is a British manufacturer and retailer of upmarket wallpaper and fabrics. It was established in 1968 and now has showrooms worldwide. It was among the brands included in the Victoria and Albert Museum's ''British Design 1948–20 ...
, the wallpaper-and-fabrics company co-founded by his father, Sir Peter Osborne.
Osborne married
Frances Howell, author and elder daughter of
Lord Howell of Guildford, a Conservative politician, on 4 April 1998.
The couple have two children, both born in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
:
*Luke Benedict Osborne (born 15 June 2001)
*Liberty Kate Osborne (born 27 June 2003)
In July 2019, the couple announced that they were to divorce.
In May 2018, ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that Osborne and his siblings had discovered "with delight" that their maternal grandmother Clarisse Loxton-Peacock (a glamorous Hungarian émigrée) was Jewish, and therefore that in Jewish law they are Jewish too.
In April 2021, Osborne announced his engagement to his former adviser Thea Rogers. They have one son:
*Beau Osborne (born 15 July 2021)
Honours
* 13 May 2010: appointed to the
Privy Council of the United Kingdom, giving the honorific style of "
The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth ...
" for life.
*4 August 2016: appointed
Companion of Honour in David Cameron's
Resignation Honours
Awards
* 2015 ''
British GQ
''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on ...
'' Politician of the Year award
See also
*
Osborne baronets
There have been three baronetcies created for persons with the surname Osborne, two in the baronetage of England and one in the baronetage of Ireland. Two creations are extant.
The Osborne baronetcy, of Kiveton in the County of York, was creat ...
*
United Kingdom government austerity programme
The United Kingdom government austerity programme is a fiscal policy that was adopted for a period in the early 21st century following the Great Recession. The term was used by the Coalition and Conservative governments in office from 2010 to 2 ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
George Osborneat the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
''
George Osborne MP''official Conservative Party profile''
George Osborne for Tatton''official constituency site''
*
*
George Osbornecollected news and commentary at ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
''
*
*
Profile: George OsborneBBC News, 5 April 2005
Economic thinking after the crunch video speech, ''RSA Insights'', 8 April 2009
The Real George Osborne parody series featuring Rufus Jones as George Osborne, November–December 2011
''Debrett's People of Today''*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, George
1971 births
20th-century British journalists
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
British newspaper editors
Bullingdon Club members
Chancellors of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
English people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
First Secretaries of State of the United Kingdom
Living people
London Evening Standard people
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
People educated at Norland Place School
People educated at St Paul's School, London
People from Paddington
Shadow Chancellors of the Exchequer
Trustees of the British Museum
UK MPs 2001–2005
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015
UK MPs 2015–2017