George Osborne

George Osborne is a former British Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from May 2010 until July 2016 and represented Tatton in the House of Commons from 2001 until 2017.

Born on 23 May 1971 in London, Osborne studied Modern History at the University of Oxford. Before entering Parliament, he worked for the Conservative Party and served as Political Secretary to Conservative leader William Hague.

Osborne was elected as the Conservative MP for Tatton in 2001. He became Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2005 and was a senior figure in David Cameron's leadership of the Conservative Party.

Following the 2010 general election and the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, Osborne was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer. His time at the Treasury was dominated by the Government's programme of deficit reduction and public spending restraint following the global financial crisis.

Osborne also became closely associated with the Northern Powerhouse agenda and efforts to devolve greater economic powers to cities and regions in northern England.

After the Conservatives won a Commons majority in 2015, Osborne remained Chancellor and was additionally appointed First Secretary of State.

Osborne was one of the leading Conservative figures campaigning for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union during the 2016 referendum. He left the Government following the Leave victory and David Cameron's resignation as Prime Minister.

He remained MP for Tatton until standing down from the House of Commons in 2017. Since leaving frontline politics, Osborne has held a number of roles in business, media and public life, including serving as editor of the London Evening Standard and chairing the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.