Lord O'Donnell, GCB, joined the Civil Service in 1988 as senior economic advisor to the Treasury.
Between 1988 and 1990 he was Press Secretary to the Chancellor, Norman Lamont and the Prime Minister, John Major. He was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service between 2005 and 2011 during the Premierships of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
In this interview Lord O'Donnell talks to Lord Hennessy about his experiences during Coalition discussions between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats following the 2010 General Election.
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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