Lord Turnbull, KCB, CVO, entered the Civil Service in 1970, joining the Treasury. After a two year secondment to the IMF in Washington from 1976 to 1978, he returned to the UK, becoming Private Secretary of Economic Affairs to the Prime Minister between 1983 and 1985.
This was followed by his service as Under Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1985 to 1988, and Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister between 1988 and 1992. He consequently returned to the Treasury as Deputy Secretary of Public Finances from 1992 to 1993, becoming Second Permanent Secretary of Public Expenditure from 1993 to 1994.
He was then appointed Permanent Secretary to the Department of the Environment, 1994 to 1997, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1997 to 1998, and HM Treasury, 1998 to 2002. He was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service between 2002 and 2005.
In this interview Lord Turnbull talks to Lord Hennessy about his experiences in helping 'run the show'.
Former Cabinet Secretaries
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About Cabinet Confidential
The Cabinet Confidential series was funded by Queen Mary, University of London’s Centre for Public Engagement. It was produced by academics and students from the Mile End Group, Queen Mary’s forum for government and politics, in partnership with Mile End Films the University’s in-house production unit.
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