Difference between revisions of "Simon McDonald"
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| + | |title=Head of the Diplomatic Service | ||
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| + | |title=Master | ||
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| + | |employer=Christ's College (Cambridge) | ||
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| + | '''Simon Gerard McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford''' is a British former diplomat who was the [[Permanent Under-Secretary]] at the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] and Head of the Diplomatic Service until September 2020. He was the last professional head of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the creation of the [[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office]]. On 23 November 2021, McDonald was elected Master-Elect of [[Christ's College, Cambridge]], with a term of office beginning 1 September 2022.<ref>https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/news/christs-college-elects-new-master</ref> | ||
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| + | ==Career== | ||
| + | McDonald was educated at [[Pendleton College|De La Salle College]], [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]], and read [[List of Cambridge History Faculty alumni|History]] at [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]]. He joined the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] (FCO) in 1982 and served in [[Jeddah]], [[Riyadh]], [[Bonn]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] as well as in London. He was [[Principal Private Secretary]] to the [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] 2001–03; [[Ambassador]] to [[Israel]] 2003–06; Director for [[Iraq]] at the FCO 2006–07; Foreign Policy Adviser to the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] and Head of the Overseas and Defence Secretariat at the [[Cabinet Office]] 2007–10; and was appointed Ambassador to [[Germany]] {{As of|2010|10|alt=in October 2010}}.<ref name="whoswho">[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U41677 McDONALD, Simon Gerard], ''Who's Who 2014'', A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press Dec 2013</ref><ref>[http://www.gov.uk/government/people/simon-mcdonald Simon McDonald CMG, British Ambassador to Germany], gov.uk</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | In September 2015, McDonald became [[Permanent Under-Secretary]] in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, replacing [[Simon Fraser (diplomat)|Sir Simon Fraser]].<ref>http://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-of-new-permanent-under-secretary-to-the-fco </ref><ref>{https://twitter.com/SimonFraserFCO/status/626326053561233408</ref><ref>http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/27a5869c-3765-11e5-b05b-b01debd57852.html#axzz3hU0kCS00</ref> As of 2015, McDonald was paid a salary of between £180,000 and £184,999 by the Foreign Office, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview</ref> | ||
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| + | In April 2020, McDonald stated to the [[Foreign Affairs Select Committee]] that it was a political decision to opt out of an [[European Union|EU]] scheme to bulk-buy ventilators and protective equipment for [[National Health Service|NHS]] workers to respond to the [[Coronavirus disease 2019|coronavirus pandemic]]. The comments raised concerns that ministers had put [[Brexit]] ahead of responding to the public health crisis.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/21/uk-refusal-of-eu-ventilator-offer-was-political-decision</ref> Following comments, [[Matt Hancock]] used Downing Street's daily press briefing to state that as far as he knew, they had been no political decision not to participate.<ref name=":0">https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52369916</ref> McDonald subsequently wrote to the committee [[chairperson]], [[Tom Tugendhat]], stating that he had "inadvertently and wrongly" misadvised the committee "due to a misunderstanding".<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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| + | In June 2020, it was announced that McDonald would take early retirement in autumn 2020. The move stemmed from the merger of the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] with the [[Department for International Development]], with Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]] signalling that he wanted a new leader to head up the combined department.<ref>https://news.sky.com/story/foreign-office-boss-sir-simon-mcdonald-to-step-down-early-after-department-merger-plan-12010313</ref> | ||
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| + | McDonald was nominated for a crossbench [[life peerage]] in the [[2020 Political Honours]].<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2020</ref> On 27 January 2021, he was created '''Baron McDonald of Salford''', ''of Pendleton in the City of Salford'' for life. He made his maiden speech on 2 March 2021. | ||
{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
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| Born | 9 March 1961 Salford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Pembroke College (Cambridge) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Olivia Wright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | Franco-British Colloque | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UK Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service 2015-2020.
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Simon Gerard McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford is a British former diplomat who was the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service until September 2020. He was the last professional head of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. On 23 November 2021, McDonald was elected Master-Elect of Christ's College, Cambridge, with a term of office beginning 1 September 2022.[1]
Contents
Career
McDonald was educated at De La Salle College, Salford, and read History at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1982 and served in Jeddah, Riyadh, Bonn and Washington, D.C. as well as in London. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary 2001–03; Ambassador to Israel 2003–06; Director for Iraq at the FCO 2006–07; Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister and Head of the Overseas and Defence Secretariat at the Cabinet Office 2007–10; and was appointed Ambassador to Germany in October 2010[update].[2][3]
In September 2015, McDonald became Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, replacing Sir Simon Fraser.[4][5][6] As of 2015, McDonald was paid a salary of between £180,000 and £184,999 by the Foreign Office, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[7]
In April 2020, McDonald stated to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that it was a political decision to opt out of an EU scheme to bulk-buy ventilators and protective equipment for NHS workers to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The comments raised concerns that ministers had put Brexit ahead of responding to the public health crisis.[8] Following comments, Matt Hancock used Downing Street's daily press briefing to state that as far as he knew, they had been no political decision not to participate.[9] McDonald subsequently wrote to the committee chairperson, Tom Tugendhat, stating that he had "inadvertently and wrongly" misadvised the committee "due to a misunderstanding".[9]
In June 2020, it was announced that McDonald would take early retirement in autumn 2020. The move stemmed from the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with the Department for International Development, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson signalling that he wanted a new leader to head up the combined department.[10]
McDonald was nominated for a crossbench life peerage in the 2020 Political Honours.[11] On 27 January 2021, he was created Baron McDonald of Salford, of Pendleton in the City of Salford for life. He made his maiden speech on 2 March 2021.
A Document by Simon McDonald
| Title | Document type | Publication date | Subject(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Lord McDonald's letter of 5 July 2022 | Letter | 5 July 2022 | Chris Pincher Boris Johnson Kathryn Stone Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards 10 Downing Street | When Lord McDonald took to Twitter at 7:30 this morning, he knew the political firestorm he would create. But, quite simply, he had had enough of Number 10′s obfuscation and downright lies about the Chris Pincher scandal. And he was determined to set the record straight. (Huffington Post) |
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich Security Conference/2010 | 5 February 2010 | 7 February 2010 | Munich Bavaria Germany | An anti-war demonstration outside described it as "Nothing more than a media-effectively staged war propaganda event, which this year had the purpose of justifying the NATO troop increase in Afghanistan and glorifying the continuation of the war as a contribution to peace and stability." |
Events Witnessed
| Event | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Munich Security Conference/2013 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 49th Munich Security Conference |
| Munich Security Conference/2014 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 50th Munich Security Conference |
| Munich Security Conference/2015 | Germany Munich Bavaria | "400 high-ranking decision-makers in international politics, including some 20 heads of state and government as well as more than 60 foreign and defence ministers, met in Munich to discuss current crises and conflicts." |
References
- ↑ https://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/news/christs-college-elects-new-master
- ↑ McDONALD, Simon Gerard, Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press Dec 2013
- ↑ Simon McDonald CMG, British Ambassador to Germany, gov.uk
- ↑ http://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-of-new-permanent-under-secretary-to-the-fco
- ↑ {https://twitter.com/SimonFraserFCO/status/626326053561233408
- ↑ http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/27a5869c-3765-11e5-b05b-b01debd57852.html#axzz3hU0kCS00
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/21/uk-refusal-of-eu-ventilator-offer-was-political-decision
- ↑ a b https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52369916
- ↑ https://news.sky.com/story/foreign-office-boss-sir-simon-mcdonald-to-step-down-early-after-department-merger-plan-12010313
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2020
