Will Tanner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Conservative candidate Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket | |
| In office 4 June 2024 – 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Jo Churchill |
| Deputy Chief of Staff Number 10 | |
| In office November 2022 – July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Director Onward (think tank) | |
| In office May 2028 – November 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Archie Bowen Tanner 24 June 1988 Gloucestershire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Lizzie Loudon |
Will Tanner is a British political adviser, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.[1]
Tanner served as one of Theresa May's special advisers from 2014 whilst she was Home Secretary and then when she was Prime Minister from 2016 until leaving in 2017 after the general election.[2][3]
Tanner then served as chief policy adviser at Portland Communications for a year,[4] before becoming in May 2018 the co-founder and initial director of the think tank Onward.[5]
Time as a Special Adviser[edit]
When Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, Tanner returned to Number 10 as Deputy Chief of Staff,[1] one of the eight most senior ("band 4") special advisers in the centre of government.[6]
Tanner has been credited for opposing proposals for limiting immigration and "fought against any change to Britain’s relationship with the ECHR" consistent with reports that "Everything vaguely right-wing would ultimately be blocked by the nominally Conservative Tanner."[7]
In December 2023 Will Tanner was reported to have told his fellow Special Advisers that “I’m here to tell you that the polls are wrong. They were wrong about Brexit, they were wrong when it came to the independence referendum and they’re wrong again now. You shouldn’t pay any attention to them. We’ve got this. Look at Labour – they don’t have any long term plan on AI but we do.”[8]
In May 2024 during the 2024 general election campaign, Tanner was labelled by The Daily Telegraph as being the author of the Conservative Party's plan to bring in a new form of national service were they to win the election.[9]
Family[edit]
Tanner was born on 24 June 1988 the son of Nicholas Shelley Tanner, a solicitor who founded Tanners Solicitors in Cirencester in 1986, and Melanie Anne Challis.[10] He is married to Lizzie Loudon, the former press secretary to the prime minister.[11]
Parliamentary ambitions[edit]
Tanner was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for the seat of Bury St. Edmunds & Stowmarket for the 2024 general election.[12] hoping to replace Jo Churchill.[13]
Tanner had previously shown interest in a range of other seats, such as Stratford-on-Avon and seats in Essex.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Mason, Rowena (21 September 2023). "Who's who in No 10? The team shaping Sunak's approach to next election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Hayward, Freddie (30 September 2023). "Inside Sunak's No 10". New Statesman. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Leadership changes at Home Office & DfT as Mark Sedwill named Theresa May's top security adviser". Civil Service World. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Portland (1 September 2017). "Portland appoints three former Downing Street advisers to its corporate team". Portland. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Eaton, George (18 May 2018). "Onward – the Tory think tank on a mission to remake conservatism". The New Statesman. London. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Special adviser data releases: numbers and costs, July 2023 (HTML)". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Selected for greatness. Some men are born to greatness others are parachuted into Tory safe seats". The Critic. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ "COMICAL WILLY TELLS SPADS "WE'VE GOT THIS"". Guido Fawkes. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ Martin, Daniel (26 May 2024). "Key figure behind National Service plans previously called for more policing". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "Tanners Solicitors LLP". Tanners LLP. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ "Westminster's power couples". POLITICO. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Derrick, Paul (4 June 2024). "General Election: Conservative candidates chosen for two Suffolk seats". Suffolk News. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Geater, Paul (5 June 2024). "Downing Street official hopes to become Suffolk MP after General Election". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Wet Spads losing easy selections". Guido Fawkes. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
External links[edit]
- Will Tanner on X