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 very important person in the UK government. From 2010 to 2015, he served as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This role is like being a top manager for the country's money.
He was also a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is someone elected to represent a local area in the UK Parliament. Danny Alexander represented the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey area from 2005 until 2015.
Before becoming a government minister, he was a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats. He also worked closely with the party leader, Nick Clegg.
In 2010, after a general election, no single party won enough seats to form a government alone. This is called a hung parliament. Danny Alexander helped the Liberal Democrats make a deal with the Conservative Party. This led to a coalition government. He was first made Secretary of State for Scotland. Soon after, he became the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He received a special honour, becoming a Knight, in 2015.
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Early Life and Education
Danny Alexander was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. When he was a child, he lived on the island of Colonsay. His father worked there as a firefighter and potter. He went to primary school on Colonsay.
His family later moved to South Uist and then to Invergarry. He attended Invergarry Primary School. For high school, he went to Lochaber High School in Fort William. After that, he studied at St Anne's College, Oxford university. He studied a subject called Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).
Early Career Before Parliament
Before becoming an MP, Danny Alexander worked in communications. From 1993 to 1994, he was a press officer for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. This means he helped share news and information for the party.
He then worked for the European Movement and the Britain in Europe campaign. He was their Director of Communications for eight years. This involved managing how these groups talked to the public. From 2004 to 2005, he was in charge of communications for Cairngorms National Park.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Danny Alexander was first elected as an MP in the 2005 general election. He won the seat for the new area of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.
Working as a Spokesperson
When he first became an MP, Danny Alexander was a junior spokesperson for Work and Pensions. He helped with debates about disability issues and pensions. From 2005 to 2008, he was also part of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. This committee looks at issues affecting Scotland.
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. This meant he was a very important advisor to 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 big role. He was the main person who wrote the Liberal Democrats' 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 talked with the Conservatives. He helped create the agreement for the new coalition government.
Working in the Coalition Government
After the 2010 general election, Danny Alexander was part of the team that formed the government with the Conservatives. He was first appointed Secretary of State for Scotland. This is a government minister responsible for Scottish affairs.
Then, on 29 May 2010, he was promoted. He became the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This is a very senior role in the government's finance department. He also became a Privy Counsellor.
Secretary of State for Scotland
As Secretary of State for Scotland, Danny Alexander was part of the UK government's top team, called the Cabinet. He was one of five Liberal Democrats in this government.
His job included working on plans to give more financial powers to the Scottish Parliament. He also visited Scotland with the Prime Minister, David Cameron. They met with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond.
Danny Alexander's 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 meant Danny Alexander was now the second most important person in the UK's finance department. He worked closely with the Chancellor, George Osborne. His main job was to manage the government's plan to reduce its debt.
Managing Government Spending
In June 2010, Danny Alexander and George Osborne announced a plan to review government spending. This review would set limits for how much each government department could spend. They wanted to reduce the country's debt.
Soon after, Alexander announced that some projects agreed by the previous government would be cancelled. This included a loan for a company and a visitors' centre. He said the previous government had spent too much money.
He then worked with George Osborne on an emergency budget. This budget included raising VAT (a sales tax) and Capital gains tax (a tax on profits from selling assets). He said the budget was "fair" and protected vulnerable people.
During the spending review, there were many discussions about cuts. Some government departments were worried about big reductions to their budgets. Alexander said that welfare spending, which is a large part of the budget, had to be looked at.
On 19 October 2010, a day before the spending review was announced, a photo showed Alexander reading a memo. This memo suggested that many public service jobs could be lost due to the cuts.
On 20 October 2010, the full spending review was announced. It included big cuts to government department budgets. The goal was to fix the country's financial problems by 2015. Alexander defended the cuts, saying they were necessary because the economy was in trouble. He also said that important public services were protected.
North Sea Oil Tax
Danny Alexander also caused discussion when he spoke about a special tax on North Sea oil profits. This tax was part of the 2011 budget. Some people thought it might lead to job losses.
Reviewing Nuclear Weapons
In 2012, Danny Alexander was asked by Nick Clegg to look at other options for the UK's nuclear missile system, called Trident. This was to see if there were cheaper ways to keep the country safe.
"Yellow Budget"
In 2015, after the official government budget was announced, Danny Alexander did something unusual. He presented an alternative financial plan based on Liberal Democrat ideas. He explained how his party would borrow and cut less money than the other parties.
After Politics
In the 2015 general election, Danny Alexander lost his seat as an MP. He was offered a position in the House of Lords, but he did not accept it.
He then started working in finance. He became the vice president for policy and strategy at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He now works at HSBC, helping with sustainable finance.
Personal Life
Danny Alexander married Rebecca Hoar in July 2005. They have two children.
In 2010, a politician from another party made a joke about Danny Alexander's red hair. She later apologized for her comments. In 2012, a brewery in his former area renamed one of their beers "Ginger Rodent" with his permission.
Danny Alexander has also been nicknamed "Beaker" because he looks a bit like the character from The Muppet Show. He is also a fan of heavy metal music.
