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 |
