Danny Alexander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Danny Alexander
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Alexander in 2011
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| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 29 May 2010 – 8 May 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | David Laws |
| Succeeded by | Greg Hands |
| Secretary of State for Scotland | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 29 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Jim Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Michael Moore |
| Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson | |
| In office 7 January 2015 – 11 May 2015 |
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| Leader | Nick Clegg |
| Preceded by | Vince Cable (2010) |
| Succeeded by | Baroness Kramer |
| Member of Parliament for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Drew Hendry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 May 1972 Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse |
Rebecca Hoar
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | St Anne's College, Oxford |
| a. Office vacant from 12 May 2010 to 7 January 2015. | |
Sir Daniel Grian Alexander (born 15 May 1972) is a British former politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey area from 2005 to 2015. From 2010 to 2015, he held an important job as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This role meant he helped manage the UK's money and spending plans.
Before becoming Chief Secretary, he was briefly the Secretary of State for Scotland in 2010. He also worked as a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats on topics like pensions and welfare. He was a key person in forming the coalition government in 2010. This was when the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats joined forces to govern the country.
Contents
Who is Sir Danny Alexander?
Early Life and School Days
Danny Alexander was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 15 May 1972. When he was a child, he lived on a small island called Colonsay. His father worked there as a firefighter and potter. Later, his family moved to South Uist and then to Invergarry.
He went to Lochaber High School in Fort William. After school, he studied Philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at St Anne's College, Oxford University.
Starting His Career
Before becoming an MP, Danny Alexander worked in communications. From 1993 to 1994, he was a press officer for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. He then spent eight years working for groups that supported Britain being part of Europe.
From 2004 to 2005, he was in charge of communications for the Cairngorms National Park. This was a big job outside of politics.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Winning a Seat in Parliament
In the 2005 United Kingdom general election, Danny Alexander was elected as an MP. He represented the new area of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey. He won the seat from the previous Labour MP, David Stewart.
Working as a Spokesperson
When he first became an MP, Danny Alexander was a junior spokesperson for Work and Pensions. He focused on issues related to disability and pensions. From 2005 to 2008, he was also part of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee.
In 2007, he became the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Work and Pensions. He later left this role to become the chief of staff for the new party leader, Nick Clegg. He also helped write the party's plans for the next election.
Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg
As Nick Clegg's Chief of Staff, Danny Alexander played a very important role. He was the main person who wrote the Liberal Democrat plans for the 2010 general election. He became a close advisor to Nick Clegg.
After the election, he was one of the main people who helped negotiate the agreement to form a coalition government with the Conservative Party.
Working in the Coalition Government
Forming a Government
The 2010 United Kingdom general election resulted in a "hung parliament." This meant no single party won enough seats to form a government on its own. Danny Alexander was part of the Liberal Democrat team that worked with the Conservatives to create a coalition government.
He was first made Secretary of State for Scotland. This meant he was in charge of government business related to Scotland. Just a few weeks later, he was promoted to Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This happened after David Laws resigned from the role.
Secretary of State for Scotland
As Secretary of State for Scotland, Danny Alexander was one of five Liberal Democrats in the new government. His job included helping to give more financial powers to the Scottish Parliament. This was a promise made in the coalition agreement.
He visited Scotland with Prime Minister David Cameron. They met with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond. Cameron said he wanted a fresh start in how the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament worked together.
His time as Scottish Secretary was short. After just over two weeks, he moved to the Treasury. Michael Moore took over his role.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Moving to the Treasury was a big promotion for Danny Alexander. He became the second most important person in the Treasury, working closely with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. His main job was to lead the government's plan to reduce the country's debt.
The 2010 Spending Review
In 2010, Danny Alexander and George Osborne announced a major spending review. This review would decide how much money each government department could spend from 2011 to 2015. They set up a special group to carefully check all spending plans.
As part of this review, Alexander announced that £2 billion worth of projects approved by the previous government would be cancelled. He said this was necessary because the country had run out of money.
Later, they announced an emergency budget. This included raising VAT (a sales tax) from 17.5% to 20% and increasing Capital gains tax. Alexander said the budget was "fair" and would protect the most vulnerable people.
The spending review led to some difficult decisions. There were discussions about cuts to welfare spending and the defence budget. On 20 October 2010, the results of the review were announced. It included an average 19% cut in government department budgets. The plan was to fix the country's financial problems by 2015. The retirement age was also planned to increase to 66 by 2020.
Alexander defended these cuts. He said the country's economy was "on the brink" and that a clear plan was needed to deal with the financial situation. He also said that key public services were protected and that the burden was spread fairly.
North Sea Oil Tax
Danny Alexander also caused some discussion when he said that a special £10 billion tax on North Sea oil profits was his idea. This tax was part of the 2011 budget.
Trident Nuclear Review
In 2012, Danny Alexander was asked by Nick Clegg to look into different options for the Trident nuclear missile system. This was to see if there were other ways to maintain the UK's nuclear defence.
"Yellow Budget"
After the last official budget of the Coalition government was approved, Alexander did something unusual. He presented an alternative financial plan for the next few years, based on Liberal Democrat ideas. He explained how his party would borrow less money than Labour and cut less than the Conservatives.
After Politics
In the 2015 United Kingdom general election, Danny Alexander lost his seat in Parliament to Drew Hendry from the Scottish National Party. After leaving politics, he was offered a position in the House of Lords, but he turned it down.
He later became a vice president for policy and strategy at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Personal Life
Danny Alexander married Rebecca Hoar in July 2005. They have two children together.
In 2010, a Labour politician, Harriet Harman, made a comment about his red hair, calling him a "ginger rodent." She later apologized for her remark. Alexander said he was "proud" of his hair colour.
In 2012, a brewery in his former constituency renamed one of their beers "Ginger Rodent" with Alexander's permission.
Alexander has also been nicknamed "Beaker" because some people think he looks like the character from The Muppet Show. He is also a fan of heavy metal music.
Images for kids
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Alexander speaking to Sky News in 2010
