George Osborne has ANOTHER job! Ex-Chancellor is elected as chairman of British Museum

Oct 14, 2024

By Jack Wright For Mailonline 10:36 24 Jun 2021, updated 12:30 24 Jun 2021

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Former Tory chancellor George Osborne has been elected as chairman of the British Museum, the institution announced this morning.

The museum said in a statement today that Mr Osborne will join the board on September 1 and will succeed outgoing chair Sir Richard Lambert, a former Financial Times editor and CBI director general, on October 4.

Mr Osborne served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under David Cameron between 2010-16, before he was sacked by Theresa May after she became premier in the chaotic days following the EU referendum.

He earned £650,000-a-year for one day a week at investment firm BlackRock and edited the London Evening Standard until earlier this year.

Mr Osborne is currently a partner at financial consultants Robey Warshaw and chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. He also advises Exor and Silicon Valley venture capital fund 9Yards Capital.

Together with positions at Stanford, Manchester University and the McCain Institute, it is thought his new position as chair of the British Museum will be Mr Osborne's eleventh job since leaving public office.

In a statement released through the institution, Mr Osborne said: 'I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the team at the British Museum - and so honoured to have had the opportunity to apply for this role, and to have been chosen by the Trustees to become their Chair.

'All my life I have loved the British Museum. To my mind, it is quite simply the greatest museum in the world. It's a place that brings cultures together and tells the story of our common humanity.

'Richard Lambert will be a very hard act to follow, but I look forward to working with Hartwig and the impressive team he leads at the museum.

'I hope to bring my experience, energy and passion to this incredibly exciting role.'

Mr Osborne was appointed by trustees including Left-leaning figures Professor Dame Mary Beard, artist Grayson Perry and former TV presenter Muriel Gray.

In 2016 Mr Osborne sparked controversy by joking that former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and then-shadow chancellor John McDonnell both 'lost their marbles' in reference to the controversial Elgin Marbles on display at the British Museum, which Greece has long demanded to be returned.

The British Museum, Tate Modern, the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) all saw an average 78 per cent drop in attendance in 2020 compared with 2019, according to a survey by The Art Newspaper.

It comes at a hinge point in the history of the British Museum, which is one of many cultural institutions at the heart of a raging row over the removal of controversial monuments.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden sparked a backlash this year when he intervened to tell museums and heritage organisations to follow a policy of 'retaining and explaining' contested items rather than removing them.

The British Museum has also come under pressure from climate activists over its sponsorship links to oil giant BP.

Baroness Minouche Shafik, deputy chair of the British Museum, said Mr Osborne would be working with the board to expand the institution's audience as it embarked on a 'major programme of renewal'.

Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum said: 'I am very happy to welcome George Osborne as our Chair. George Osborne knows the Museum well and values the trust the Museum enjoys around the world.

'He understands the active role the British Museum is playing in the recovery of the country, creating opportunities for everyone to discover the collection as their own - onsite, through loans to their local museums and online.

'Under the current leadership of Sir Richard Lambert, we have laid the groundwork for the masterplan, to embark on the biggest transformative project in our history, and to renew our displays.

'Together with my colleagues I look forward to working with George to continue to ensure that the British Museum is the most innovative, accessible and inspiring museum of the world, for the world.'

Baroness Shafik said: 'George Osborne has a long-standing commitment to culture, both personally and in his various public roles.

'The Trustees look forward to working with him to bring the Museum to ever larger audiences and to expand its contribution to public understanding of our collective history.

'He brings enthusiasm for the Museum combined with extensive national and international networks and experience with finance and fundraising on a global scale.

'With the masterplan, the Museum is undergoing a major programme of renewal and his experience will prove invaluable as we work to deliver even more wonderful opportunities for everyone to enjoy the Museum's collection.'

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