Rupert Harrison Explained

Rupert Harrison
Honorific Suffix:CBE
Birth Date:1 November 1978
Birth Place:São Paulo, Brazil
Nationality:British
Occupation:Economist, Portfolio Manager
Employer:BlackRock
Known For:Chief of Staff to George Osborne (2006–2015), Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (UK Treasury)
Party:Conservative
Alma Mater:Magdalen College, Oxford, University College London

Rupert Harrison CBE (born 1 November 1978)[1] is a British economist and a portfolio manager at BlackRock. He was from 2006 to 2015 the chief of staff to George Osborne, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, and chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the UK Treasury.[2] He is currently a member of the Economic Advisory Council convened by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.[3] In June 2023, he was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Bicester & Woodstock constituency at the 2024 general election.[4]

Early life and education

Born in São Paulo, Harrison is the youngest son of a bank manager and a French teacher. He won a scholarship[5] to Eton College (where he was Captain of School).[1]

He then went to Magdalen College, Oxford University where he initially studied Physics, but then switched to Philosophy, Politics and Economics, graduating with first-class honours.[6] One of his tutors at Oxford was Stewart Wood, who went on to become an adviser to both Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband, and the two apparently remained friends.[7]

In 2007 he obtained a PhD degree in Economics from University College London with a thesis entitled, Innovation and technology adoption and his academic research was published in the American Economic Review, the Economic Journal and the Review of Economics and Statistics amongst others.[8] [9] [10]

Career

From 2002, Harrison worked at the Institute for Fiscal Studies as Senior Research Economist.

From 2006-2010 he was chief economic advisor to the then Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne. From 2010 to 2015 he was chief of staff to UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, and chair of the UK’s Council of Economic Advisors.[11]

In August 2015 Harrison joined the investment firm BlackRock where he is a portfolio manager and chief macro strategist for multi-asset strategies.[12] [13] [14]

Harrison has written opinion pieces for the Financial Times[15] [16] and has regularly appeared as a commentator on TV and radio.[17] [18]

Harrison was appointed as a member of the government's Economic Advisory Council by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in 2022.[3]

In June 2023 he was selected to stand as the Conservative candidate for the constituency of Bicester and Woodstock in the 2024 general election.[19] but he was not elected.

Views on Brexit

Harrison believes Brexit damages the UK economy. In 2017 he wrote, "Q2 growth of 0.3% is not the end of the world, and I'm less gloomy than many on the outlook. But the rest of Europe is booming and we're not".[20] [21]

Recognition

In 2014 Harrison was said to be one of the most powerful people in the UK and to be the main reason why Osborne could be a "part time" Chancellor.[22] [5]

In March 2014, he was the subject of the BBC Radio 4 Profile programme.[23]

Harrison was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Dissolution Honours Lists on 27 August 2015.[24]

Personal life

In his first year at Oxford he was in a band called Psychid with three other students.[25]

In 2004, he married Jo Orpin, a Magdalen contemporary who has worked as a divorce lawyer and family therapist.[1]

Since January 2017 he has been a Trustee of The Fore, a charity dedicated to funding small charities and social enterprises.[11]

Notes and References

  1. News: All power to the new Tories. Evening Standard. 26 July 2010. 8 August 2023.
  2. Web site: Decision Harrison, Rupert - Special Adviser, HM Treasury - ACOBA recommendation. gov.uk. 8 August 2023.
  3. Government to establish expert Economic Advisory Council. gov.uk. HM Treasury. 17 October 2022. 8 August 2023.
  4. Tomorrow' MPs. tomorrowsmps. 1671612506291175430. BICESTER & WOODSTOCK: former George Osborne adviser Rupert Harrison picked as Conservative candidate.. 21 June 2023.
  5. News: Key player: Rupert Harrison is the most important person in Government who you've never heard of. The Independent. Oliver. Wright. 1 December 2014. 8 August 2023.
  6. News: Spads you like: Osborne's Treasury advisers. Channel 4 News. Mark. Greaves. 21 April 2011. 8 August 2023.
  7. News: Poles apart in politics but best of friends away from the House. The Times. 30 October 2010. 8 August 2023. subscription.
  8. CEP Discussion Paper No 659 How Special Is the Special Relationship? Using the Impact of U.S. R&D Spillovers on U.K. Firms as a Test of Technology Sourcing. London School of Economics. Centre for Economic Performance. Rachel. Griffith. Rupert. Harrison. John. Van Reenan. 10.1257/aer.96.5.1859. November 2004. 8 August 2023.
  9. Royal Economic Society. The Economic Journal. Product Market Reforms, Labour Market Institutions and Unemployment. 117. 519. C142–C166. Rachel. Griffith. Rupert. Harrison. Gareth. Macartney. March 2007. 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02039.x. free. 10.1.1.844.8140.
  10. MIT Press Direct. The Review of Economics and Statistics. ICT and Productivity in Developing Countries: New Firm-Level Evidence from Brazil and India. Simon. Commander. Rupert. Harrison. Naercio. Menezes-Filho. 1 May 2011. 93 . 2 . 528–541 . 10.1162/REST_a_00080. 57571331.
  11. Web site: Trustees and Patrons. The Fore. 8 August 2023.
  12. News: Osborne's former right hand man moves to BlackRock. BBC News. Kamal. Ahmed. Kamal Ahmed (journalist). 11 June 2015. 8 August 2023.
  13. News: Architect of UK pension reforms Rupert Harrison joins BlackRock. Financial Times. Jim. Pickard. Harriet. Agnew. 11 June 2015. 8 August 2023. subscription.
  14. News: BlackRock Strategist Prefers European to U.S. Equities. Bloomberg News. 27 March 2017. 8 August 2023.
  15. News: We now need a proper roadmap to quell corrosive uncertainty. Financial Times. Rupert. Harrison. 27 June 2016. 8 August 2023. subscription.
  16. News: In praise of post-financial crisis paranoia. Financial Times. Rupert. Harrison. 11 December 2015. 8 August 2023. subscription.
  17. Budget 2017: The big debate. BBC Newsnight. YouTube. 9 March 2017. 8 August 2023.
  18. BBC Daily Politics and Sunday Politics. daily_politics. 865528030734589953. "I think that probably did cost us votes in 2010, but it was worth it for the authority it gave to go on & do diffifult things" @brharrison. 19 May 2017. 8 August 2023.
  19. Web site: Harrison selected in Bicester and Woodstock for his ability to "talk about local issues from a national perspective". ConservativeHome. William. Atkinson. 22 June 2023. 8 August 2023.
  20. Web site: The Brexit slowdown is real. New Statesman. George. Eaton. George Eaton (journalist). 26 July 2017. 8 August 2023. subscription.
  21. Rupert. Harrison. brharrison. 890129182482735104. Q2 growth of 0.3% is not the end of the world, and I'm less gloomy than many on the outlook. But the rest of Europe is booming and we're not. 26 July 2017. 8 August 2023.
  22. News: Ever wondered how George Osborne can be a part-time Chancellor?. The Daily Telegraph. Fraser. Nelson. Fraser Nelson. 16 March 2014. 8 August 2023.
  23. Rupert Harrison. BBC Radio 4. Profile. Mary Ann. Sieghart. Mary Ann Sieghart. 15 March 2014. 8 August 2023.
  24. Dissolution Honours 2015. Prime Minister's Office. 27 August 2015. 8 August 2023.
  25. Web site: The Big Question a quiet word with... dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20020804164929/http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/0702/bigquestion.html. Nightshift Oxford's Music Online. July 2002. 4 August 2002.