Advertisement
Contemporary society
Sunday, August 14, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest news
  • Finances
  • Fashion
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Commodities
  • Op-ed
  • Contact us
  • Latest news
  • Finances
  • Fashion
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Commodities
  • Op-ed
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
Contemporary Society
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

The Influential Twin Brothers Who Have Held Some Of The Biggest Jobs In Westminster

Contemporary Society by Contemporary Society
October 28, 2021
in Opinion
0
The Influential Twin Brothers Who Have Held Some Of The Biggest Jobs In Westminster

Torsten and Olaf Henricson-Bell

4 min read31 min

Torsten and Olaf Henricson-Bell have built extraordinary careers in Whitehall and Westminster, but many believe they could go even further.

With the Milibands, the Eagles and the Johnsons, Westminster has had no shortage of siblings at the highest levels of British politics. But away from the headlines, Torsten and Olaf Henricson-Bell are among the most influential.

Educated at Oxford and Cambridge the non-identical twins entered the civil service early in their careers, working up to senior positions at the Treasury during some of the most crucial points in recent history; Torsten during the financial crisis and Olaf as the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Politics and policy are a family affair. Their mother, Clem Henricson, is a policy analyst and activist, while their father Bill Bell worked as an academic and children’s rights advocate.

Among Whitehall wonks, the rise of the brothers was unsurprising due to what one former colleague described as their “razor sharp intellect” and “Stakhanovite work ethic”.

According to Tom Baldwin, Labour’s former head of communications, the “proper brilliance” of Torsten was recognised when he was around 21, when he left Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling “open mouthed” after telling them where “they were going wrong and what they needed to do to fix it”. That single meeting, Baldwin says, was the catalyst for his hiring as a special adviser.

While Torsten entered the political fray, Olaf was continuing his rise through the civil service. A decade in the Foreign Office led to him being poached by the Treasury in early 2019 to serve as press secretary to Conservative Chancellor Philip Hammond, staying on under Sajid Javid and then Rishi Sunak until June 2021 when he was appointed Europe Director at the Cabinet Office.

Colleagues remember him as “razor-sharp” and able to quickly get to grips with the complexities of the Treasury, even during the pandemic.

 “He’s very creative, and came with a lot of energy,” one senior Treasury official says. “[He was] a key architect in the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs.”

Former Conservative minister for Europe, David Lidington, who Olaf worked for as his private secretary, said alongside a strong grip on policy, he had an “almost uncanny ability to get the importance of politics in a minister’s life”.

“That is not something all civil servants have, not even the good ones,” he says. “If he stays in the civil service, he has the ability to go right to the top.”

Lidington added: “I once joked with Ed Miliband about if [Torsten and Olaf] swapped jobs for the day how long it would take us to notice. We both thought it would take quite a bit of time.”

Having joined the civil service in 2009, Olaf has served primarily under Conservative governments, even while his brother was openly criticising the policies and departments he was working for in new roles as head of policy to then-Labour leader Miliband and later at a thinktank , a situation one Westminster journalist described as “jarring”.

“Olaf’s job was to defend the Budget to journalists, and then up popped Torsten on Today the next morning absolutely trashing it but sounding – of course – exactly the same.”

If Olaf harbours any strong political views of his own, he has kept them firmly under wraps. Keeping a low profile, it seems, extends to both brothers, to the extent it’s hard to pin down their exact age; they are thought to have recently celebrated their 40th birthday.

After the 2015 election campaign (during which he was blamed by some colleagues for the infamous “Edstone”), Torsten left frontline politics and was appointed chief executive of the Resolution Foundation think-tank, where his analysis has become a must-read for journalists and policy makers. So influential are his pronouncements that several Labour figures have urged party chiefs to seek out a safe seat for him to stand in.

With Olaf’s continued rise through the civil service, some have even imagined a future Labour cabinet meeting where one brother sits as a cabinet minister – and the other as cabinet secretary.

PoliticsHome Newsletters

Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House’s morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.

Related Posts

Insidious incline

Insidious incline

August 13, 2022
Swiggy’s moonlighting policy is not a bright idea

Swiggy’s moonlighting policy is not a bright idea

August 12, 2022

How far is that oldest object, really?

August 12, 2022

Advertising played its part in India’s freedom struggle

August 12, 2022

Transgender pilots a big leap for Indian aviation

August 12, 2022

Humility can help close a big gap in strategic decisions

August 12, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Kanye West says his designs are ‘inspired by the homeless’
Fashion

Kanye West says his designs are ‘inspired by the homeless’

August 13, 2022
Kris Jenner gifts Kylie rare $100k Hermes Birkin bag for 25th birthday
Fashion

Kris Jenner gifts Kylie rare $100k Hermes Birkin bag for 25th birthday

August 13, 2022
Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS is launching shaping swimwear today
Fashion

Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS is launching shaping swimwear today

August 13, 2022
Insidious incline
Opinion

Insidious incline

August 13, 2022
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest news
  • Finances
  • Fashion
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Commodities
  • Op-ed
  • Contact us

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT