Alex Allan
 Sir Alex Allan     (Civil servant) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Alexander Claud Stuart Allan 9 February 1951 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Harrow School, Cambridge University, University College London |
| Relatives | Robert Allan (Baron Allan of Kilmahew) |
Sir Alex Allan (born 9 February 1951) is a British civil servant who served as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Head of Intelligence Assessment for Her Majesty's Government between 2007 and 2011.
Having spent nine years as the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, Sir Alex Allan tendered his resignation to Boris Johnson in November 2020. Allan's resignation on Friday 20 November came in the wake of his findings, based on a Cabinet Office inquiry, concluding that the approach of the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, “amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying” – noting instances of shouting and swearing – and deciding that she had therefore breached the ministerial code, even if unintentionally.
It might only have been two sentences long and dressed in formal language, but Sir Alex Allan’s resignation statement made his feelings abundantly clear:
- “I recognise that it is for the Prime Minister to make a judgment on whether actions by a minister amount to a breach of the ministerial code,” said the veteran civil servant – who helped oversee MI5, MI6 and GCHQ in his former role as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee – adding: “But I feel that it is right that I should now resign from my position as the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on the code.”[1]
