Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary

Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary
Deep state position

The principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs is the head of the private office of the foreign minister of the British Government.

History

At the start of the 19th century, the foreign secretary would have had one or two private secretaries, who were often personal appointments of the office-holder. As the complexity of British foreign policy grew significantly, and consequently the size of the private office expanded to provide policy and administrative support; the chief civil servant in the private office became the principal private secretary. Today, he or she is the head of a small department, and the post is a senior and prestigious one, now typically held for a two-year term by an experienced officer from the Diplomatic Service.

The post is director grade equivalent in the Civil Service (SCS2), and also equivalent to a rear admiral in the Royal Navy and major general in the British Army. Holders of the post often go on to hold some of the most senior ambassador posts overseas, and also often honoured with a knighthood.

This list below shows holders' names as they were at the time of holding the post; details of their later careers and honours can be found in individual articles. In addition, the list includes holders of the posts of private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign affairs and then principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign affairs (1822-1968). The office of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs was created in 1968, by the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office's secretary of state's offices.

 

Office Holders on Wikispooks

Name	From	To
Jonathan Sinclair	January 2018	October 2018
Serena Stone	January 2018	April 2019
Martin Reynolds	December 2014	January 2018
Thomas Drew	2012	2014
Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby	2010	2012
Matthew Gould	July 2007	July 2010
Simon McDonald	2001	2003
Sherard Cowper-Coles	1999	2001
John Grant	1997	1999
William Ehrman	1995	1997
John Sawers	1993	1995
Antony Acland	1972	1975
John Graham	1969	1972
Oliver Wright	1963	1963
Peter Blaker	1962	1964
Evelyn Shuckburgh	1951	1954
Frank Roberts	1947	1959
Pierson Dixon	1943	1947
Eric Drummond	1915	1919
Louis du Pan Mallet	1905	1907

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