Sir Laurie Magnus, 3rd Baronet

For the British author, journalist, and publisher, see Laurie Magnus.

Sir Laurie Magnus
Bt CBE
Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 December 2022
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Sir Keir Starmer
Chairman of Heritage of London Trust
Incumbent
Assumed office
2023
Preceded byJamie Cayzer-Colvin
Personal details
BornLaurence Henry Philip Magnus
(1955-09-24) 24 September 1955
RelativesPhilip Magnus (uncle)
EducationChrist Church, Oxford (BA)

Sir Laurence Henry Philip Magnus, 3rd Baronet, CBE (born 24 September 1955[1]) is a British executive who has worked as a financier in the City of London, and was appointed as the UK Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests in December 2022.

Life and career

Born into a well-established Anglo-Jewish family,[2] he was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford,[3] and is the 3rd Baronet of Tangley Hill, a title he inherited upon the death of his uncle, Sir Philip Magnus-Allcroft in 1988.[4]

Magnus had a four-decade career in finance in the City of London,[5] including chairing Lexicon Partners[6] and acting as a senior adviser at the investment banking firm Evercore.[7]

He served as Deputy Chairman of the National Trust between 2005 and 2013. In September 2013, he was appointed chairman of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England by Secretary of State for Culture Maria Miller, and was tasked with dividing the organisation into two: Historic England, which retained the statutory and protection functions, and the new English Heritage Trust, a charity[4] that would operate the historic properties, and retained the English Heritage operating name and logo.

During the COVID-19 pandemic he was appointed to the board of the Culture Recovery Fund, a fund established by the UK government to help cultural bodies affected by the pandemic. Magnus was appointed a CBE in the 2022 New Year Honours.[7] As of April 2023, he was appointed Chairman of Heritage of London Trust.[8]

On 22 December 2022, he was appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the role of Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, following Christopher Geidt, who had stepped down from the position in June 2022. The role is a non-renewable five-year appointment.[5][9]

On 5 September 2025, his report found that Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had broken the Ministerial Code after she was found to have failed to pay enough stamp duty on the purchase of a property in Hove. She subsequently resigned from the Cabinet on the basis of this report.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Magnus, Sir Laurence (Henry Philip), (born 24 Sept. 1955), Senior Adviser, since 2011, and Deputy Chairman, 2011–13, Evercore Partners (Europe); Chairman: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (Historic England, formerly English Heritage), 2013–23; Heritage of London Trust, since 2023; Independent Adviser to Prime Minister on Ministers’ Interests, since 2022." WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 1 Dec. 2007
  2. ^ "The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. London: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 634. ISBN 978-0-230-30466-6. OCLC 793104984. | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  3. ^ Walker, Peter; Dyer, Henry (22 December 2022). "Sir Laurie Magnus named Rishi Sunak's new ethics adviser". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Burne James, Sam (28 January 2014). "Interview: Sir Laurie Magnus". Third Sector. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Rishi Sunak appoints Historic England head as ethics chief". BBC News. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  6. ^ Walker, Peter; Dyer, Henry; Walker, Peter (22 December 2022). "Sir Laurie Magnus named Rishi Sunak's new ethics adviser". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b Howse, Imogen (22 December 2022). "Who is Sir Laurie Magnus? Rishi Sunak appoints new ethics advisor but faces criticism over 'rotten regime'". National World. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  8. ^ Trust, Heritage of London (15 June 2022). "HOLT Chair appointed". HOLT. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Sir Laurie Magnus appointed as the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests". Prime Minister's Office (Press release). 22 December 2022 – via gov.uk.
  10. ^ "Angela Rayner resigns from government over failure to pay enough tax on flat - live updates".
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