The Lord Rosenfield | |
|---|---|
 Rosenfield in 2020 | |
| Downing Street Chief of Staff | |
| In office 1 January 2021 – 5 February 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Deputy | The Baroness Finn |
| Preceded by | Edward Lister |
| Succeeded by | Steve Barclay |
| Principal Private Secretary to theChancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office July 2007 – April 2011 | |
| Chancellor | Alistair Darling George Osborne |
| Preceded by | James Bowler |
| Succeeded by | Beth Russell |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 13 July 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Daniel Robert Rosenfield (1977-05-02)2 May 1977 (age 48) Manchester, England |
| Party | Non-affiliated (since 2023) |
| Spouse | Jessica Brummer |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Manchester Grammar School |
| Alma mater | University College London |
Daniel Robert Rosenfield, Baron Rosenfield (born 2 May 1977) is a Britishpolitical adviser and civil servant who served as theDowning 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 chancellorsAlistair Darling andGeorge Osborne, and subsequently as a managing director forBank of America Merrill Lynch.[3]
Dan Rosenfield was born inManchester on 2 May 1977,[4][5][2] and attendedManchester 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 akibbutz.[8] Rosenfield's family later moved to London, where they were members of theNorth Western Reform Synagogue. He later attendedUniversity College London, where he read modern European studies from 1996 to 2000, specialising in German and philosophy.[5]
Rosenfield worked atHM Treasury from 2000 to 2011.[9][6] In 2005 he was partly responsible for creating a budget for the2012 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 toChancellorsAlistair Darling andGeorge Osborne during and after the2008 financial crisis.[3][6]
Rosenfield then left public service to joinBank of America Merrill Lynch as a managing director in investment banking from June 2011 to March 2016. The bank subsequently bid for lucrative roles advisingUK Financial Investments on the sale ofNorthern 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 atHakluyt & Company, a corporate strategy adviser.[2][9]
On 26 November 2020 Downing Street announced that Rosenfield had been appointed as theDowning 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 keyBoris Johnson advisersLee Cain andDominic Cummings, and the appointment ofEdward 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 proposedEuropean Super League of major football clubs. Rosenfield met with Manchester United chief executiveEd 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 byThe Times that Rosenfield's leadership was unpopular among some Downing Street staff members, includingNikki 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 deputySimone Finn.[20]
It was reported inThe Sunday Telegraph in January 2022 that Rosenfield had attended a cricket game three days before theFall 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 inThe Times that in December 2020 Rosenfield hadattended a Christmas party in the office ofSimon Case, the head of theCivil Service, whenBritish public health restrictions as a result of theCOVID-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 ofMunira Mirza during thePartygate scandal,[27][28] with the intention of remaining in place until a successor is found.[29] Two days laterSteve Barclay was announced as the new chief of staff alongsideGuto Harri as the new director of communications, replacing Jack Doyle.[30][31]
For his services, Rosenfield was nominated by Johnson for alife peerage in the2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours,[32][33] and was createdBaron Rosenfield, ofMuswell Hill in theLondon Borough of Haringey, on 13 July 2023.[34] He sits as anon-affiliated member of theHouse of Lords,[35] a choice which was criticised by some Conservative MPs.[36]
Prior to taking up his Downing Street appointment, Rosenfield had been Chair of Trustees ofWorld 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 atCentrica,[36][40] and became non-executive Chairman of Windmill Hill Asset Management.[41]
Rosenfield is married to Jessica Brummer and has three children: Rafi, Natasha and Benjamin.[5] His father-in-law isAlex Brummer, a journalist for theDaily Mail.[5] He is Jewish,[5] and has described Judaism as being "central to his life".[7] Rosenfield has been described as "an obsessiveManchester United fan."[5]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Principal Private Secretary to theChancellor 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 ofWorld Jewish Relief 2016–2021 | Succeeded by Maurice Helfgott |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Rosenfield | Followed by |
