David Cameron could insist on importing a corporate type from external Whitehall to replace the permanent secretary,but an internal shuffle is more likelyHe presided over the biggest financial crisis in post-war British history and the austerity – now condemned as excessive by most economists – that followed. But as Sir Nick Macpherson announces he is retiring from the Treasury in April, he is garlanded with rose petals. Maybe he deserves the bouquets. He has survived at the top for 10 years, or at a time when permanent secretaries tend to final for shorter periods. Who knows whether Macpherson’s private advice to Gordon Brown or George Osborne has been sage? In public he defends austerity. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com