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Dan Rosenfield

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For the German musician named Daniel Rosenfeld, see C418.
The Right Honourable
The Lord Rosenfield
Rosenfield in 2020
Downing Street Chief of Staff
In office
1 January 2021 – 5 February 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
DeputyThe Baroness Finn
Preceded byEdward Lister
Succeeded bySteve Barclay
Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
July 2007 – April 2011
ChancellorAlistair Darling
George Osborne
Preceded byJames Bowler
Succeeded byBeth Russell
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 July 2023
Life peerage
Personal details
Born
Daniel Robert Rosenfield

(1977-05-02) 2 May 1977 (age 47)
Manchester, England
Political partyNon-affiliated (since 2023)
SpouseJessica Brummer
Children3
EducationManchester Grammar School
Alma materUniversity College London

Daniel Robert Rosenfield, Baron Rosenfield (born 2 May 1977) is a British political adviser and civil servant who served as the Downing Street Chief of Staff from January 2021 to February 2022.[1][2] Between July 2007 and April 2011, he served as the principal private secretary to chancellors Alistair Darling and George Osborne, and subsequently as a managing director for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.[3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Dan Rosenfield was born in Manchester on 2 May 1977,[4][5][2] and attended Manchester Grammar School from 1988 to 1995,[6] where he studied maths, French and German at A-level.[7] After school, he spent a year in Israel on a kibbutz.[8] Rosenfield's family later moved to London, where they were members of the North Western Reform Synagogue. He later attended University College London, where he read modern European studies from 1996 to 2000, specialising in German and philosophy.[5]

Career

[edit]

Rosenfield worked at HM Treasury from 2000 to 2011.[9][6] In 2005 he was partly responsible for creating a budget for the 2012 London Olympics, after it was announced that London had won the bid.[10]

From July 2007 to April 2011 he worked as principal private secretary to Chancellors Alistair Darling and George Osborne during the financial crisis and its aftermath.[3][6]

Rosenfield then left public service to join Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a managing director in investment banking from June 2011 to March 2016. The bank subsequently bid for lucrative roles advising UK Financial Investments on the sale of Northern Rock, which had been the subject of oversight by the Treasury while Rosenfield had been in office.[11] In April 2016 he became a partner at Hakluyt & Company, a corporate strategy adviser.[2][9]

Downing Street Chief of Staff

[edit]

On 26 November 2020 Downing Street announced that Rosenfield had been appointed as the Downing Street Chief of Staff, and that he would formally take office on 1 January 2021.[2] This followed the fallout caused by the resignations of key Boris Johnson advisers Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings, and the appointment of Edward Lister as the acting chief of staff. Although Johnson had not formally appointed a chief of staff since he became prime minister in July 2019, Cummings was noted to be the de facto chief of staff until his departure.[12][13]

Shortly after his appointment, in April 2021, Rosenfield was implicated in a potential lobbying scandal in relation to the proposed European Super League of major football clubs. Rosenfield met with Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward in Downing Street on 14 April, at the height of debate about the scheme and whether it would receive support from the government, apparently also introducing Woodward to Johnson at the meeting.[14] Rosenfield reportedly told Woodward that Downing Street would not oppose the controversial plans, from which Manchester United and Woodward stood to benefit financially.[15][16] Downing Street sources subsequently denied that the scheme was discussed at the meeting.[17] Woodward had also allegedly tried to keep the meeting secret.[18]

In July 2021 it was reported by The Times that Rosenfield's leadership was unpopular among some Downing Street staff members, including Nikki da Costa, the director of communications. There were suggestions that Rosenfield had failed to hold strategy meetings for political advisors for up to six months.[19] It was additionally reported that Rosenfield did not frequently chair Downing Street staff meetings, despite his role as chief of staff, instead leaving them to his deputy Simone Finn.[20]

It was reported in The Sunday Telegraph in January 2022 that Rosenfield had attended a cricket game three days before the Fall of Kabul, for which the UK government was criticised in its response. Downing Street did not deny the allegations but stated that "Dan was in constant contact with the office".[21]

In December 2021 Downing Street denied speculation in a report in The Times that in December 2020 Rosenfield had attended a Christmas party in the office of Simon Case, the head of the Civil Service, when British public health restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic forbade such gatherings.[22] Speculation arose that Rosenfield might be sacked by Johnson for his role in the controversy, amid further criticism that he had presided over a 'laddy' culture within Downing Street which had excluded female members of staff.[23][24][25][26]

Rosenfield resigned as Downing Street chief of staff in February 2022 following the resignation of Munira Mirza during the Partygate scandal,[27][28] with the intention of remaining in place until a successor is found.[29] Two days later Steve Barclay was announced as the new chief of staff alongside Guto Harri as the new director of communications, replacing Jack Doyle.[30][31]

For his services, Rosenfield was nominated by Johnson for a life peerage in the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours,[32][33] and was created Baron Rosenfield, of Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey, on 13 July 2023.[34] He sits as a non-affiliated member of the House of Lords,[35] a choice which was criticised by some Conservative MPs.[36]

Other roles

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Prior to taking up his Downing Street appointment, Rosenfield had been Chair of Trustees of World Jewish Relief from October 2016, having served as a trustee since 2013.[37][3][38] Rosenfield stepped down as Chair in January 2021 and was succeeded by Maurice Helfgott.[39] In 2022, Rosenfield took up a role at Centrica,[36][40] and became non-executive Chairman of Windmill Hill Asset Management.[41]

Personal life

[edit]

Rosenfield is married to Jessica Brummer and has three children: Rafi, Natasha and Benjamin.[5] His father-in-law is Alex Brummer, a journalist for the Daily Mail.[5] He is Jewish,[5] and has described Judaism as being "central to his life".[7] Rosenfield has been described as "an obsessive Manchester United fan."[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Boris Johnson appoints new chief of staff after Cummings exit". BBC News. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Walker, Peter; Stewart, Heather. "Boris Johnson appoints Dan Rosenfield as No 10 chief of staff". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Dan Rosenfield". World Jewish Relief. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Daniel Rosenfield". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "From milking cows on a kibbutz to No 10: meet Boris' new chief of staff". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Dan Rosenfield LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. ^ a b "When Dan hosted the Chancellor for Shabbat Dinner". Jewish Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  8. ^ Swinford, Steven (27 November 2020). "PM appoints ex‑Treasury boss Dan Rosenfield as his chief of staff". The Times. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Dan Rosenfield". Apollo. Retrieved 26 November 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "From Olympic 'mug' to Prime Minister's right-hand man". Stirling News. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  11. ^ "UKFI Seeks Northern Rock Sale Advisers". Institutional Investor. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  12. ^ Morrison, Sean (13 December 2019). "Key players in Boris Johnson's election campaign". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  13. ^ "How Dominic Cummings Took Control In Boris Johnson's First Days As Prime Minister". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  14. ^ Reporter, Martyn Ziegler, Chief Sports. "PM's chief of staff Dan Rosenfield is guest of Manchester United months after Ed Woodward meeting". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-01-16.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Crerar, Pippa (2021-05-25). "Boris Johnson thought the European Super League was 'great idea', sources claim". mirror. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  16. ^ Keighley, Freddie (2021-04-25). "Woodward 'had Government assurances' over ESL plot after Downing St. meeting". mirror. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  17. ^ "ESL plans 'not discussed' with Woodward". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  18. ^ Zeffman, Martyn Ziegler, Henry. "Ed Woodward kept meeting at Downing Street a secret". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-01-16.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Smyth, Oliver Wright, Henry Zeffman, Eleni Courea, Chris. "No 10 chief Dan Rosenfield faces mutiny from 'demoralised' political advisers". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-01-16.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Wright, Oliver; Smyth, Chris; Zeffman, Henry; Courea, Eleni. "No 10 chief Dan Rosenfield faces mutiny from 'demoralised' political advisers". The Times. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  21. ^ Taylor, Harry (29 January 2022). "Boris Johnson's chief of staff 'spent day watching cricket' just before Kabul fell". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  22. ^ Wheeler, Caroline. "Unloved by the voters and his own party: Boris Johnson's very blue Christmas". The Times. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  23. ^ Brown, Faye (2022-01-14). "Boris draws up 'Operation Save Big Dog' to keep his job amid partygate scandal". Metro. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  24. ^ Neilan, Thomas Colson, Catherine. "A clear-out of Boris Johnson's Downing Street team could be the only thing that saves his premiership, MPs say". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-01-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ Cavendish, Camilla (2022-01-21). "Boris Johnson's Downing Street is government by stag do". Financial Times. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  26. ^ "StackPath". www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  27. ^ "UK PM Johnson's chief of staff reigns, private secretary also going". Reuters. Reuters. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  28. ^ Frot, Mathilde. "Boris's Jewish adviser Dan Rosenfield resigns amid partygate row". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  29. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (3 February 2022). "Two more senior Boris Johnson aides resign as Dan Rosenfield and Martin Reynolds join Downing Street exodus – live". Guardian. Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  30. ^ "Boris Johnson sang 'I Will Survive' to new communications chief Guto Harri". BBC News. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  31. ^ PA Media (5 February 2022). "Boris Johnson brings in new No 10 chief of staff and director of communications". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  32. ^ "Resignation Peerages 2023" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  33. ^ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14502.
  34. ^ "No. 64117". The London Gazette. 18 July 2023. p. 14218.
  35. ^ "Parliamentary career for Lord Rosenfield". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  36. ^ a b Quinn, Ben (13 September 2023). "Boris Johnson made to 'look like a chump' as ex-aide shuns Tories in Lords". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  37. ^ "World Jewish Relief has a new Chair". World Jewish Relief. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  38. ^ "Trustees | About Us | World Jewish Relief". www.worldjewishrelief.org. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  39. ^ "THE CENTRAL BRITISH FUND FOR WORLD JEWISH RELIEF". gov.uk. Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  40. ^ Malnick, Edward (2022-09-03). "Boris Johnson's former chief of staff lands senior role at owner of British Gas". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  41. ^ "Advice Letter: Dan Rosenfield, Non-Executive Chairman, Windmill Hill Asset Management Limited". Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. June 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2023 – via gov.uk.
Government offices
Preceded by Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
2007–2011 		Succeeded by
Beth Russell
Preceded by Downing Street Chief of Staff
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by
James Libson
 Chair of Trustees of World Jewish Relief
2016–2021 		Succeeded by
Maurice Helfgott
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Rosenfield 		Followed by
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