George Jones was Emeritus Professor of Government at the London School of Economics from 2003 until his death on 14 April 2017. He was also Professor of Government at LSE between 1976 and 2003. He authored, co-authored and edited a number of books, chapters and articles on British central and local government, including the biography of Herbert Morrison, B. Donoughue and G.W. Jones, 'Herbert Morrison: Portrait of a Politician' (London Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1973) and (London: Phoenix Press, 2001).
He wrote about advising the Prime Minister and Cabinet in J. M. Lee, G.W. Jones and J. Burnham, 'At the Centre of Whitehall' (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998); and edited a study of Prime Ministers in 'West European Prime Ministers' (London: Frank Cass, 1991). He wrote the first study of the private secretaries of prime ministers in G.W. Jones, “The Prime Ministers’ Secretaries: Politicians or Administrators?” in J.G. Griffith (ed.), 'From Politics to Administration' (London: Allen and Unwin, 1975). He co-authored, with Andrew Blick, 'At Power's Elbow: Aides to the Prime Minister from Robert Walpole to David Cameron' (London: Biteback Publishing, 2013).
The Prime Minister's Secretariat (the 'Garden Suburb') was formed 100 years ago, to support David Lloyd George in the conduct of the war. But would it still be needed once hostilities came to an end?
![Extract of the draft note from 2 January 1917 on 10 Downing Street headed paper which reads 'To: The Private Secretary, the Prime Minister has decided, with a view to keeping himself in close touch with the several departments, to establish a ['Secretariat' is crossed out and replaced by 'Department'] in connection with Office of the First Lord of the Treasury. The following gentlemen have been appointed to act as secretaries to the ['First Lord of the Treasury' is crossed out and replaced by 'new Department']](https://history.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/01/edited-1024x753.jpg)
...A hundred years ago today, on 5 January 1917, in the midst of the Great War, an important note was circulated around Whitehall departments. J. T. Davis, private secretary to...
...promote his image, and undermine his opponents. A central figure in this operation was Thomas Gordon, who oversaw literary output while holding the official title of First Commissioner of Wine...
...Harold Wilson, then transferred the role of Head of the Home Civil Service to a newly-established Civil Service Department. Phase three began in 1981, when Margaret Thatcher, as part of...
“How the power of Prime Ministry grew up into its present form it is difficult to trace precisely.” In 1841 a former Prime Minister, Viscount Melbourne, explained the above to Queen Victoria. Details of the lives of individual Prime Ministers …