George Osborne

George Osborne was Chancellor of the Exchequer for six eventful years. He was the first Conservative Chancellor for almost fifteen years when he took office, presiding over an economy struggling in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

After working at the Conservative Research Department, becoming its Political Section head, and working on the 1997 general election, Osborne was elected to Parliament in the seat of Tatton in Cheshire. Within a few years he was appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and two years later Shadow Chancellor. When the party leader Michael Howard stepped down, Osborne managed David Cameron’s successful campaign to take over laying the foundation for a partnership that would soon define the party, and ultimately the Government.

With the Conservative election victory in 2010, Osborne entered Number 11 charged with shaping Government spending policy. With the effects of the global financial crisis still being felt, he led a review into public spending. Taking tough decisions on reducing the budget deficit he established a policy of austerity which would come be synonymous with his time in charge. He also ordered the setting up of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and steered the UK to an economic recovery that out-performed many others around the world.

Having left the Cabinet in the wake of the EU referendum, Osborne returned to the backbenches. His signature Northern Powerhouse project to regenerate struggling economies in the north of England has seen him set up and Chair the Northern Powerhouse Partnership connecting politicians and business. He was also Editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper.

Osborne became Chair of the British Museum in 2021 and is a partner at Robey Warshaw LLP, a boutique investment bank and is a visiting professor at Stanford University. He was an adviser to the BlackRock Investment Institute and is the Chair of the EXOR Partners Council. With Ed Balls, Osborne hosts the podcast "Political Currency," where they discuss how major economic decisions are made and how they affect people’s lives.