Liam Booth-Smith, Baron Booth-Smith

Last updated
Olivia Oates
​
(m. 2022)​
The Right Honourable
The Lord Booth-Smith
Liam Booth-Smith.png
Booth-Smith in 2022
Downing Street Chief of Staff
In office
25 October 2022 –5 July 2024
Children2
Alma mater Loughborough University

Liam David Scott Booth-Smith, Baron Booth-Smith (born 1987), is a British political adviser who served as Downing Street Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from October 2022 to July 2024. He previously served as Sunak's de facto chief of staff as head of the Joint Economic Unit during his chancellorship.

Contents

Early life and education

Liam was born Liam Scott-Smith in 1986 [1] in Stoke-on-Trent and was raised by his mother Lisa, a single parent who lived on a council estate in north Staffordshire, as the eldest of three children. [2] [3]

Booth-Smith received funding to attend Newcastle-under-Lyme School under the Assisted Places Scheme to help bright students enter elite schools. After the scheme was discontinued in 1997, he attended the state-funded Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College. He read politics and social policy at Loughborough University, where he also played cricket. [3]

Career

Booth-Smith served as chief executive of the think tank Localis between 2016 and 2018, before serving as a special adviser to James Brokenshire as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government from 2018 to 2019, where Rishi Sunak was a junior minister. [4] In July 2019, Booth-Smith became a senior adviser to prime minister Boris Johnson upon his accession as prime minister. [4] He had previously worked at the think tank Policy Exchange, specialising in housing policy. [1]

In February 2020, as head of the Joint Economic Unit between 10 Downing Street and 11 Downing Street, Booth-Smith became the de facto chief of staff to Sunak, who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer, [5] overseeing the Treasury's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Booth-Smith gained the nickname "Travolta of the Treasury" for wearing a leather jacket with his shirt buttons undone. [3] [5]

Booth-Smith led Sunak's leadership campaign during the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and again in the subsequent October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election. [5]

Downing Street Chief of Staff

Booth-Smith was appointed as Downing Street Chief of Staff in October 2022 after Sunak became prime minister. He succeeded Mark Fullbrook, who was chief of staff to Liz Truss. [1]

In 2023, the New Statesman named Booth-Smith as the ninth-most influential figure in British right-wing politics. [6]

He was paid between £140,000 and £145,000 per year. [7]

Peerage

Booth-Smith was nominated for a life peerage in the 2024 Dissolution Honours. [8] [9] [10] He was created Baron Booth-Smith, of Newcastle-under-Lyme in the County of Staffordshire, on 21 August 2024. [11]

Personal life

He married Olivia Oates in 2022. [12] Oates was a special adviser to Simon Clarke as a junior minister to Sunak at the Treasury, [12] and previously a special adviser to Robert Jenrick as housing secretary. [3] [13] He has two children. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11 Downing Street</span> Official residence of Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer

11 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 11, is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The residence, in Downing Street in London, was built alongside the official residence of the Prime Minister at Number 10 in 1682.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Number 10 Policy Unit</span> Body advising the British prime minister

The Number 10 Policy Unit is a body of policymakers based in 10 Downing Street, providing policy advice directly to the British Prime Minister. Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974, it has gone through a series of guises to suit the needs of successive prime ministers, staffed variously by political advisers, civil servants and more recently a combination of both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downing Street Chief of Staff</span> Most senior aide to the UK Prime Minister

The Downing Street chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, acting as a senior aide to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of the office retains a highly powerful, non-ministerial position within His Majesty's Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Barclay</span> British politician (born 1972)

Stephen Paul Barclay is a British politician who served in various cabinet positions under prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak between 2018 and 2024, lastly as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Cambridgeshire since 2010, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from July to November 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry (cat)</span> Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office since 2011

Larry is a British domestic tabby cat who has served as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street since 2011. He is cared for by Downing Street staff, and is not the personal property of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Larry has lived at 10 Downing Street during the premierships of six prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Forsyth (political aide)</span> Political aide (born 1981)

James Forsyth is a British political aide and former political journalist. After serving as political editor of The Spectator magazine since 2009, he was Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, from 2022 until July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rishi Sunak</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024

Rishi Sunak is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024. He was Leader of the Conservative Party from October 2022 to November 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's Labour Party in the 2024 general election, he became Leader of the Opposition, serving in this role from July to November 2024. He previously held two Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond and Northallerton, previously Richmond (Yorks), since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Dowden</span> Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024

Sir Oliver James Dowden, is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously held various ministerial positions under Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak between 2018 and 2024. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertsmere since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Gray (political adviser)</span> British former civil servant (born 1957)

Susan Gray is a British special adviser and former civil servant who served as Downing Street Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Keir Starmer from July to October 2024, having previously served under Starmer as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition from 2023 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Coutinho</span> British politician (born 1985)

Claire Coryl Julia Coutinho is a British politician and former investment banker who has been Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Shadow Minister for Equalities since 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey since 2019. Coutinho previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero from August 2023 to July 2024. She has been described as a close ally of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and an ardent supporter of Brexit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Trott (politician)</span> British politician (born 1984)

Laura Trott is a British politician currently serving as Shadow Education Secretary since November 2024. She previously served as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury from July to November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sevenoaks since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 British cabinet reshuffle</span> First cabinet reshuffle undertaken by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson carried out the first significant reshuffle of his majority government on 13 February 2020. Following the December 2019 general election, there was considerable speculation that Johnson was planning a major reshuffle of the Cabinet, to take place after the United Kingdom's official withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020. There were reports that up to a third of the Cabinet would be dismissed, Whitehall departments abolished and civil servants replaced by policy experts; however, the reshuffle was smaller than expected and no departments were abolished. The anticipated reshuffle was nicknamed "The St Valentine's Day Massacre" in the press, due to its proximity to St Valentine's Day, the name being a reference to the 1929 gangland shooting in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chancellorship of Rishi Sunak</span> Rishi Sunaks tenure at HM Treasury (2020–2022)

Rishi Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom from his appointment on 13 February 2020 to his resignation on 5 July 2022. His tenure was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, with Sunak becoming a prominent figure in the government's response to the pandemic, giving economic support to struggling businesses through various schemes. He was also involved in the government's response to the cost of living crisis, UK energy supply crisis, and global energy crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours (Boris Johnson)</span> British government recognitions

The 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are honours awarded following the September 2022 resignation of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Mark Stephen Fullbrook is a British political strategist and lobbyist who was Downing Street Chief of Staff from September to October 2022.

Amber de Botton is a British journalist and former political aide. She served as the Downing Street Director of Communications from October 2022 until September 2023, succeeding Guto Harri.

Nerissa Chesterfield is a British political aide who served as Downing Street Director of Communications from September 2023 to July 2024. She previously served as Downing Street Press Secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from October 2022.

Eleanor Shawcross, Baroness Wolfson of Aspley Guise, is a British political advisor, who previously served as the Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Tanner</span> British Conservative politician

Will Tanner is a former British political adviser who most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United Kingdom general election betting scandal</span> United Kingdom political scandal

During the 2024 general election campaign, allegations were made that illicit bets were placed by political party members and police officers, some of whom may have had insider knowledge of the date of the general election before Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister at the time, publicly announced when it would be held.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Payne, Sebastian (25 October 2022). "Who's who in Team Sunak — new PM's core aides". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (25 October 2022). "The aides and spads expected to join Rishi Sunak in Downing Street". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellery, Ben (29 September 2023). "How the Treasury Travolta became Rishi Sunak's most trusted ally". The Times . Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Liam Booth-Smith". Mace. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Diver, Tony (24 October 2022). "'Travolta of the Treasury' among aides and spin doctors set for Rishi Sunak's No 10". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "The New Statesman's right power list". New Statesman. 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  7. ↑ "Keir Starmer's top aide Sue Gray paid more than the PM". BBC News . 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "No. 64480". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 August 2024. p. 15222.
  9. ↑ "Dissolution Peerages 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  10. ↑ Whannel, Kate (4 July 2024). "Theresa May and 'bionic' MP awarded peerages". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "No. 64499". The London Gazette . 28 August 2024. p. 16578.
  12. 1 2 Dickson, Annabelle (14 February 2022). "Britain's political power couples — ranked". Politico. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  13. ↑ "Olivia Oates". Mace. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Booth-Smith		Followed by
Coronet of a British Baron.svg

This biography of a life peer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.