Jeremy Heywood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Heywood of Whitehall
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Heywood in 2015
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| Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 1 January 2012 – 24 October 2018 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Sir Gus O'Donnell |
| Succeeded by | Sir Mark Sedwill |
| Head of the Home Civil Service | |
| In office September 2014 – 24 October 2018 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Bob Kerslake |
| Succeeded by | Mark Sedwill |
| Downing Street Permanent Secretary | |
| In office 11 May 2010 – 1 January 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Simon Case (2020) |
| Downing Street Chief of Staff | |
| In office 10 October 2008 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Stephen Carter |
| Succeeded by | Edward Llewellyn |
| Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
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| In office 23 January 2008 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Tom Scholar |
| Succeeded by | James Bowler |
| In office 4 June 1999 – 10 July 2003 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Sir John Holmes |
| Succeeded by | Ivan Rogers |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jeremy John Heywood
31 December 1961 Glossop, Derbyshire, England |
| Died | 4 November 2018 (aged 56) London, England |
| Spouse |
Suzanne Cook
(m. 1997) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
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Jeremy John Heywood, Baron Heywood of Whitehall (born 31 December 1961 – died 4 November 2018) was a very important British civil servant. He worked for the government in many top jobs.
He was the Cabinet Secretary for Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May from 2012 to 2018. This is the highest-ranking civil servant role. He was also the Head of the Home Civil Service from 2014 to 2018.
Before that, he was the Principal Private Secretary to Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He also held roles like Downing Street Chief of Staff and the first Downing Street Permanent Secretary. Jeremy Heywood retired in October 2018 due to illness and sadly passed away shortly after.
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Early Life and School Days
Jeremy Heywood was born on 31 December 1961 in Glossop, England. His parents, Peter Heywood and Brenda Swinbank, were both teachers. They met at Ackworth School.
He went to Bootham School in York, which is a private Quaker school. His father taught English there. After school, he studied history and economics at Hertford College, Oxford. He earned his first degree in 1983. Later, he studied economics at the London School of Economics and got a Master of Science degree in 1986. He also attended a program at Harvard Business School.
Working for the Government
Jeremy Heywood started his career in 1983 as an economist. He then moved to the Treasury, which manages the country's money. At just 30 years old, he became the Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont. He helped deal with tough economic times during the 1990s.
He continued in this role under other Chancellors, Kenneth Clarke and Gordon Brown. From 1997 to 1998, he advised Prime Minister Tony Blair on economic and domestic policy. In 1999, he became the Principal Private Secretary to Tony Blair. He held this important job until 2003.
After leaving government for a short time, he worked in banking. When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Heywood returned to government. He became the Head of Domestic Policy and Strategy. He later took on the role of Principal Private Secretary again. He was also appointed Downing Street Chief of Staff.
In 2010, when David Cameron became Prime Minister, Jeremy Heywood took on a new role. He became the first Downing Street Permanent Secretary. This job involved helping the Cabinet Secretary and the Chief of Staff work together.
Becoming Cabinet Secretary
In October 2011, it was announced that Jeremy Heywood would become the new Cabinet Secretary. This is the most senior official in the entire Her Majesty's Civil Service. He took over from Sir Gus O'Donnell in January 2012.
When he became Cabinet Secretary, he was also given the title Sir. This is a special honour. In 2014, he also took on the role of Head of the Home Civil Service. This meant he was in charge of all civil servants working in the UK.
Personal Life
Jeremy Heywood married Suzanne Cook in 1997. They had three children together, including twins. Suzanne Cook is also a successful person who worked in government before moving to the private sector. She has held important roles at large companies.
In 2021, Suzanne Heywood wrote a book about Jeremy called What Does Jeremy Think?: Jeremy Heywood and the Making of Modern Britain.
Illness and Passing
In June 2017, Jeremy Heywood was diagnosed with lung cancer. He took time off from his job in June 2018 because of his illness. He officially retired on 24 October 2018 due to his health.
To recognise his amazing service to the country, Prime Minister Theresa May nominated him for a special honour. He was made a Baron, which is a type of life peerage. This meant he would have been able to sit in the House of Lords. Sadly, he passed away on 4 November 2018, at the age of 56, before he could take his seat.
Honours and Awards
Jeremy Heywood received several important honours for his work:
- He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2002.
- He became a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2003.
- In 2012, he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), which gave him the title Sir.
- Just before he died in October 2018, he was promoted again to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).
- He was also made Baron Heywood of Whitehall in October 2018.
