Sir Laurie Magnus CBE has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s
new Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.
The Independent Adviser performs an important role, rooted in the
Ministerial Code, as a source of impartial advice on the proper
management of Ministers’ private interests and on adherence to
the Code itself.
The Code has also today
been re-issued, with the inclusion of a new Foreword by the Prime
Minister.
The Prime Minister has been clear that he expects the Government
to have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every
level. Sir Laurie will carry out the role in line with the
established Terms of Reference, published in May 2022,
which set out the core functions of the role as:
- Advising Ministers on their private interests, including
overseeing the publication of the List of Ministers’ Interests
- Investigating alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code
- Providing advice on amendments to the Ministerial Code to the
Prime Minister
- Providing ad hoc advice, at the request of a Minister, in
relation to the Ministerial Code
Sir Laurie Magnus was appointed as the Prime Minister’s
Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests on 22 December 2022.
Sir Laurie is Chairman of Historic England (formerly known as
English Heritage), having been appointed in September 2013 to
lead its relaunch under the Historic England brand name and the
transfer of management of its properties to a new charity, the
English Heritage Trust. This role is a regulated public
appointment, overseen by the Commissioner for Public
Appointments. He was previously Deputy Chairman of the National
Trust from 2005 to 2013.
Sir Laurie will bring to the role of Independent Adviser over 40
years’ experience in the financial services sector, with
particularly relevant professional experience of audit,
compliance and corporate governance. He holds a number of
advisory and non-executive roles within the finance sector,
drawing on this expertise.
In the not for profit sector, Sir Laurie was until recently
Chairman of the Windsor Leadership Trust, an independent charity
providing experiential leadership programmes for senior leaders
across all sectors of society, and Deputy Chairman of the
Benefact Trust, providing charitable financial support to
churches and Christian charities in the UK and Ireland. Sir
Laurie also served as a member of the Board of the Culture
Recovery Fund, established by Government to provide financial
support to the culture and heritage sectors during the COVID
pandemic.
Sir Laurie is also a member of Historic England’s Business and
Finance Committee, Remuneration and Appointments Committee, and
is a member of the English Heritage Board of Trustees.
