The Honourable
Sir Alex Allan
KCB
Chairman of the
Joint Intelligence Committee
In office
15 November 2007 – 2011
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
David Cameron
Preceded bySir Richard Mottram
as Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience
Succeeded bySir Jon Day
Clerk of the Crown in Chancery
In office
1 August 2004 – 15 November 2007
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
David Cameron
Lord ChancellorLord Falconer of Thoroton
Jack Straw
Preceded bySir Hayden Phillips
Succeeded bySir Suma Chakrabarti
British High Commissioner to Australia
In office
1 September 1997 – 31 January 1999
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded bySir Roger Carrick
Succeeded bySir Alastair Goodlad
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
1992–1997
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Tony Blair
Preceded byAndrew Turnbull
Succeeded byJohn Holmes
Personal details
Born (1951-02-09) 9 February 1951
NationalityBritish
RelationsRobert Allan, Baron Allan of Kilmahew (father)
ResidenceLondon
Alma materHarrow School
Cambridge University
University College London
OccupationCivil servant

Sir Alexander Claud Stuart Allan KCB (born 9 February 1951) is a British civil servant who served as chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Head of Intelligence Assessment for Her Majesty's Government between 2007 and 2011.

He resigned as the Prime Minister's Independent advisor on ministerial standards in November 2020.

Early life

Allan is the son of Robert Allan, Baron Allan of Kilmahew.[1] Between 1964 and 1969 Allan was educated at Harrow School, followed by obtaining a BA (Hon) degree in Mathematics from Clare College, Cambridge in 1972. In 1973 he also received an MSc degree in Statistics from University College London.[1]

Civil Service career

Permanent Secretary of the Department for Constitutional Affairs

Allan was the first Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, having been the last Permanent Secretary of the Department for Constitutional Affairs from which it was created, together with the addition of HM Prison Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, which were taken from the Home Office. Allan served in both of these roles from 1 August 2004 to 15 November 2007. An historical attribute of the role of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and its predecessor departments (which included the Lord Chancellor's Department) is that it carries with it the role of Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, an ancient Office, which entails responsibility for overseeing the creation of Letters Patent under the Great Seal, discharged by the Crown Office, itself based in the House of Lords. The Clerk of the Crown in Chancery also has various other responsibilities, including the State Opening of Parliament, and the Prorogation of Parliament. Until the role of the Lord Speaker was carved out of that of the Lord Chancellor, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery occupied one of Parliament's most prestigious rooms, adjacent to those of the Lord Chancellor. Allan was the last Permanent Secretary and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery to enjoy this splendid room, which he agreed to surrender to the House Authorities so that they could provide suitable accommodation for the newly created Lord Speaker. The only alternative would have been for his political master, the Lord Chancellor, to have given up his room.

On 17 October 2006, Allan submitted oral evidence to the Constitutional Affairs Committee. He was questioned on the 're-organisation of the centre of the Department' (for constitutional affairs) which he stated in his annual report. Allan was asked what he thought were the key changes he had made to the department since his two years in the post. He stated that the key changes to the Department for Constitutional affairs were structural. Allan admitted the department faced big challenges and that there was a lot still to be done. Allan was also questioned over the 'chaos' of the Oracle system (a computer system used by the department).[2]

On 6 February 2007 Allan attended a meeting with the management board for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). His duty was to brief the board about the Department for Constitutional Affairs' approach to information rights and the ICO itself.[3] In this meeting Allan recognised inadequate pay as being a key issue in the ICO and across the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

On 4 July 2007, before the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Allan was asked whether he had written an article for MP Vera Baird in The Times. He denied the accusation.[4]

Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC)

On 15 November 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Head of Intelligence Assessment. Allan's role was to collect intelligence from the Security Service, MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, GCHQ and other sources of intelligence, and present them to ministers as threats developed.[5] He had access to the Prime Minister at all times and also top secret US and UK intelligence reports.

Allan was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2012 New Year Honours.[6][7]

Independent advisor on ministerial standards

In November 2011 he was appointed by David Cameron as the Prime Minister's independent advisor on ministerial standards.[8] In 2012 he said to a public administration committee of MPs that if ever he were "bypassed", he would step down.[9] He resigned from the post on 20 November 2020 after PM Boris Johnson backed Priti Patel following a report Allan had compiled that concluded that Patel's approach "amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying"[10] and that she had "not consistently met the high standards expected of her".[9] Christopher Geidt also resigned as ethics adviser under Johnson.

Personal life

Allan is responsible for a Grateful Dead lyric and song finder website.[11]

Allan windsurfed to work in a suit and bowler hat down the River Thames during a train strike.[12] He published his personal details on his own website, including his address, telephone number and details of family and friends, which was described by a security official as "a serious breach".[12] Allan lists bridge and computers as his interests.

Illness

On 3 July 2008 it was reported that Allan was unconscious and seriously ill in hospital after he collapsed at his home earlier in the week. Government sources said that there was no sign of foul play.[13] It has been suggested by the media that Allan was poisoned by one of several organisations, including Al Qaeda, or the Russian Government, but this was dismissed by New Scotland Yard.[14] On 10 July 2008 a Cabinet Office spokesman said Allan had regained consciousness but for now would remain in hospital to regain his strength.[15]

David Miliband MP briefly mentioned Alex Allan and his illness in Parliament (17 July 2008):

Very briefly, I would like to put it on record that I have known Alex Allan for 11 years now, and a couple of hon. Members referred to his recent illness and passed on their best wishes to him. I am delighted to say that he will be able to recognise the warmth and strength of that feeling when it is passed on to him in hospital. I am sure that we all wish him a speedy and full recovery from his illness.[16]

On 13 October 2008 he reportedly responded to an enquiry concerning a personal bookplate (designed by Anne Jope).[17] The unusual bookplate depicts a skeletal figure operating a computer.

References

  1. 1 2 Allan, Sir Alex (November 2011). "ALLAN, Alexander Claud Stuart". Who's Who 2012, online edition. A & C Black. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Minutes of evidence before Constitutional Affairs Committee". United Kingdom Parliament. 17 October 2006. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  3. ↑ "Minutes of 6 February". Information Commissioners Office. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Minutes of evidence before Constitutional Affairs Committee". United Kingdom Parliament. 4 June 2006. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  5. ↑ "Senior British intelligence official is in coma". Associated Press through google. 4 July 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  6. ↑ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 2.
  7. ↑ New Year Honours List 2012: full list, Telegraph.co.uk
  8. ↑ "The Prime Minister's adviser on Ministers' interests: independent or not?" (PDF). publications.parliament.uk.
  9. 1 2 Sheridan, Danielle (20 November 2020). "Who is Sir Alex Allan? Prime Minister's adviser quits amid Priti Patel fallout". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Priti Patel: Bullying inquiry head quits as PM backs home secretary". BBC News. 20 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Grateful Dead Lyric And Song Finder". Allan, Alex. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  12. 1 2 Winnett, Robert (16 November 2007). "New intelligence chief reveals all on website". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  13. ↑ "Top spy seriously ill in hospital". BBC. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  14. ↑ Sengupta, Kim (5 July 2008). "Spy chief in coma as doctors battle mystery illness". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008.
  15. ↑ "UK spying chief emerges from coma". BBC. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  16. ↑ See Hansard.
  17. ↑ "British Bookplates, More Research Required". Bookplatejunkie. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
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