The former chancellor, who is departing public life, fatally weakened public services during his reign of austerity
Goodbye, George Osborne, who finally leaves the world of public affairs for the thin air of golden invisibles at the summit of the wealth mountain. Forget chairing that Northern Powerhouse Partnership thing he set up to boost his leadership hopes. Forget his editor-in-chief seat at the London Evening Standard, once such a useful reward-and-revenge machine for his political ambitions. Forget the paltry £650,000 a year for one day a week at BlackRock. He is departing for really serious money at Robey Warshaw, where the top partner earned £27.8m in 2019. To this “boutique advisory firm”, Mayfair cream-skimmers of mega-mergers and acquisitions, the FT says he brings his “network of political links”.
For his political epitaph, let’s steal Sir Christopher Wren’s. Engraved beneath the dome of St Paul’s is this: “Si monumentum requiris, circumspice” – “if you seek his monument, look around you”. Likewise, stand at any observation point to survey the state of Britain, and you will see Osborne’s work everywhere. Rarely has one man left so indelible a mark. Add an emblem of 2,000 food banks to his coat of arms.
