Rupert Harrison
{{Short description|British economist and portfolio manager}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rupert Harrison
| honorific_suffix = CBE
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|11|1}}
| 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
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2014}}
Rupert Harrison CBE (born 1 November 1978){{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/all-power-to-the-new-tories-6496057.html|work=Evening Standard|title=All power to the new Tories|date=26 July 2010|access-date=8 August 2023}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/harrison-rupert-special-adviser-hm-treasury-acoba-recommendation|website=gov.uk|title=Decision {{!}} Harrison, Rupert - Special Adviser, HM Treasury - ACOBA recommendation|access-date=8 August 2023}} He is currently a member of the Economic Advisory Council convened by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.{{cite press release|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-establish-expert-economic-advisory-council|website=gov.uk|author=HM Treasury|title=Government to establish expert Economic Advisory Council|date=17 October 2022|access-date=8 August 2023}} In June 2023, he was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Bicester & Woodstock constituency at the 2024 general election.{{cite tweet|author=Tomorrow' MPs|user=tomorrowsmps|number=1671612506291175430|title=BICESTER & WOODSTOCK: former George Osborne adviser Rupert Harrison picked as Conservative candidate.|date=21 June 2023}}
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{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/key-player-rupert-harrison-most-important-person-government-who-you-ve-never-heard-9896714.html|work=The Independent|title=Key player: Rupert Harrison is the most important person in Government who you've never heard of|first=Oliver|last=Wright|date=1 December 2014|access-date=8 August 2023}} to Eton College (where he was Captain of School).
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.{{cite news|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/spads-you-like-osbornes-treasury-advisers|work=Channel 4 News|title=Spads you like: Osborne's Treasury advisers|first=Mark|last=Greaves|date=21 April 2011|access-date=8 August 2023}} 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/poles-apart-in-politics-but-best-of-friends-away-from-the-house-g8stt8l2nx3|work=The Times|title=Poles apart in politics but best of friends away from the House|date=30 October 2010|access-date=8 August 2023|url-access=subscription}}
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.{{cite journal|url=https://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp0659.pdf|publisher=London School of Economics|journal=Centre for Economic Performance|title=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|first1=Rachel|last1=Griffith|first2=Rupert|last2=Harrison|first3=John|last3=Van Reenan|doi=10.1257/aer.96.5.1859|date=November 2004|access-date=8 August 2023}}{{cite journal|publisher=Royal Economic Society|journal=The Economic Journal|title=Product Market Reforms, Labour Market Institutions and Unemployment|volume=117|issue=519|pages=C142–C166|first1=Rachel|last1=Griffith|first2=Rupert|last2=Harrison|first3=Gareth|last3=Macartney|date=March 2007|doi=10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02039.x|doi-access=free|citeseerx=10.1.1.844.8140}}{{cite journal|publisher=MIT Press Direct|journal=The Review of Economics and Statistics|title=ICT and Productivity in Developing Countries: New Firm-Level Evidence from Brazil and India|first1=Simon|last1=Commander|first2=Rupert|last2=Harrison|first3=Naercio|last3=Menezes-Filho|date=1 May 2011|volume=93 |issue=2 |pages=528–541 |doi=10.1162/REST_a_00080|s2cid=57571331}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.thefore.org/advisory-board-and-patrons|work=The Fore|title=Trustees and Patrons|access-date=8 August 2023}}
In August 2015 Harrison joined the investment firm BlackRock where he is a portfolio manager and chief macro strategist for multi-asset strategies.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-33092719|work=BBC News|title=Osborne's former right hand man moves to BlackRock|first=Kamal|last=Ahmed|author-link=Kamal Ahmed (journalist)|date=11 June 2015|access-date=8 August 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/4fb65e38-1058-11e5-b4dc-00144feabdc0|work=Financial Times|title=Architect of UK pension reforms Rupert Harrison joins BlackRock|first1=Jim|last1=Pickard|first2=Harriet|last2=Agnew|date=11 June 2015|access-date=8 August 2023|url-access=subscription}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-03-27/blackrock-s-harrison-says-we-like-european-equities-video|work=Bloomberg News|title=BlackRock Strategist Prefers European to U.S. Equities|date=27 March 2017|access-date=8 August 2023}}
Harrison has written opinion pieces for the Financial Times{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/61687770-3c7a-11e6-8716-a4a71e8140b0|work=Financial Times|title=We now need a proper roadmap to quell corrosive uncertainty|first=Rupert|last=Harrison|date=27 June 2016|access-date=8 August 2023|url-access=subscription}}{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/03a7a5b6-9e8c-11e5-8ce1-f6219b685d74|work=Financial Times|title=In praise of post-financial crisis paranoia|first=Rupert|last=Harrison|date=11 December 2015|access-date=8 August 2023|url-access=subscription}} and has regularly appeared as a commentator on TV and radio.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddRd89RriPY|work=BBC Newsnight|title=Budget 2017: The big debate|via=YouTube|date=9 March 2017|access-date=8 August 2023}}{{cite tweet|author=BBC Daily Politics and Sunday Politics|user=daily_politics|number=865528030734589953|title="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|date=19 May 2017|access-date=8 August 2023}}
Harrison was appointed as a member of the government's Economic Advisory Council by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in 2022.
In June 2023 he was selected to stand as the Conservative candidate for the constituency of Bicester and Woodstock in the 2024 general election.{{cite web|url=https://conservativehome.com/2023/06/22/harrison-selected-in-bicester-and-woodstock-for-his-ability-to-talk-about-local-issues-from-a-national-perspective/|work=ConservativeHome|title=Harrison selected in Bicester and Woodstock for his ability to "talk about local issues from a national perspective"|first=William|last=Atkinson|date=22 June 2023|access-date=8 August 2023}} 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".{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2017/07/brexit-slowdown-real|work=New Statesman|title=The Brexit slowdown is real|first=George|last=Eaton|author-link=George Eaton (journalist)|date=26 July 2017|access-date=8 August 2023|url-access=subscription}}{{cite tweet|first=Rupert|last=Harrison|user=brharrison|number=890129182482735104|title=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|date=26 July 2017|access-dwte=8 August 2023}}
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.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/georgeosborne/9148687/Ever-wondered-how-George-Osborne-can-be-a-part-time-Chancellor.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Ever wondered how George Osborne can be a part-time Chancellor?|first=Fraser|last=Nelson|author-link=Fraser Nelson|date=16 March 2014|access-date=8 August 2023}}
In March 2014, he was the subject of the BBC Radio 4 Profile programme.{{cite episode|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03xzsnz/Profile_Rupert_Harrison/|station=BBC Radio 4|series=Profile|title=Rupert Harrison|first=Mary Ann|last=Sieghart|author-link=Mary Ann Sieghart|date=15 March 2014|access-date=8 August 2023}}
Harrison was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Dissolution Honours Lists on 27 August 2015.{{cite press release|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dissolution-honours-2015|work=Prime Minister's Office|title=Dissolution Honours 2015|date=27 August 2015|access-date=8 August 2023}}
Personal life
In his first year at Oxford he was in a band called Psychid with three other students.{{cite web|url=http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/0702/bigquestion.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020804164929/http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/0702/bigquestion.html|work=Nightshift {{!}} Oxford's Music Online|title=The Big Question {{!}} a quiet word with..|date=July 2002|archive-date=4 August 2002}}
In 2004, he married Jo Orpin, a Magdalen contemporary who has worked as a divorce lawyer and family therapist.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
Since January 2017 he has been a Trustee of The Fore, a charity dedicated to funding small charities and social enterprises.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{British special advisers}}
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Category:People educated at Eton College
Category:Alumni of University College London
Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Category:British special advisers