Jim O'Neill Rejects Burnham Government Role, Citing Blind-Trust Constraints 10 Years After Treasury Post
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 22
Jim O'Neill Rejects Burnham Government Role, Citing Blind-Trust Constraints 10 Years After Treasury Post
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 22
Summary
Lord Jim O'Neill said he will not take a formal job in Andy Burnham's administration, despite being tipped for a chief economic adviser role.
A formal post would have required a blind trust and tighter conflict-of-interest rules, and O'Neill said he did not want to give up control of his business interests.
O'Neill said the decision was not driven by policy differences, backing Burnham's focus on devolution and saying he hopes to keep an informal relationship with the prime minister's team.
From 2015 to 2016, the crossbench peer served as a Treasury minister under George Osborne and was a prominent advocate of the Conservatives' Northern Powerhouse agenda.