34 Facts About George Osborne

1. George Osborne is heir to his family's Irish baronetcy, of Ballentaylor and Ballylemon in County Waterford.

2. George Osborne married Frances Howell, author and elder daughter of Lord Howell of Guildford, a Conservative politician, on 4 April 1998.

3. George Osborne will specialize in research on international politics and the global economy.

4. George Osborne announced he would be standing down as the MP for Tatton in April 2017, a day after the 2017 general election was declared.

5. On 28 June 2016, George Osborne ruled out standing as a candidate in that year's party leadership election, stating he was "not the person to provide the unity" his party needed.

6. George Osborne worked hard on rebuilding his image after the much-criticised 2012 budget.

7. George Osborne is hawkish on foreign policy with links to Washington neo-conservatives and ideologically committed to cutting the state.

8. George Osborne was criticised by The Daily Telegraph in August 2016 after 500,000 people opened the new ISAs hoping to use them as a house deposit, only to find the bonus would not be paid until the house sale was completed—a flaw which led experts to describe the scheme as useless and a scam.

9. George Osborne gave initial funding for several large infrastructure projects, such as High Speed 3, Crossrail 2 (a north–south rail line across London), a road tunnel across the Pennines, and upgrades to the M62 motorway.

10. George Osborne was criticised over his perceived inaction on enacting policies set forth by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to combat tax avoidance.

11. In July 2015, George Osborne was criticised by John Mann of the Treasury Select Committee for ending the contract of Martin Wheatley, head of the Financial Conduct Authority, and undermining the independence of the regulator.

12. George Osborne received the honorific title of First Secretary of State.

13. George Osborne faced criticism for simultaneously proposing imposing value added tax on food such as Cornish pasties when served at above-ambient temperature.

14. In November 2011, George Osborne sold Northern Rock to Richard Branson's Virgin Money for a price that was to range from £747m to £1bn.

15. On 24 May 2010, George Osborne outlined £6.2bn cuts: "We simply cannot afford to increase public debt at the rate of £3bn each week.

16. George Osborne had funded the purchase of a country farmhouse and adjoining paddock in Cheshire before he became an MP in 2001 by way of a £455,000 extension of the mortgage on his London home.

17. George Osborne was rebuked in October 2006 by Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House of Commons, when he attacked the Chancellor at Oral Questions by citing a comment attributed to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton, describing the Chancellor as likely to make an "effing awful" Prime Minister.

18. George Osborne set up a "Tax Reform Commission" in October 2005 to investigate ideas for how to create a "flatter, simpler" tax system.

19. At this time George Osborne expressed an interest in the ideas of "tax simplification".

20. George Osborne was appointed in September 2004 by then Conservative leader Michael Howard to the Shadow Cabinet, as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

21. George Osborne won with a majority of 8,611 over the Labour candidate, becoming the youngest Conservative MP in the House of Commons.

22. George Osborne was elected as the Member of Parliament for Tatton, Cheshire, at the June 2001 election.

23. George Osborne helped to prepare Hague for the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions, often playing the role of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

24. George Osborne worked on Prime Minister John Major's campaign team in 1997, in the run-up to the Tories' heavy election defeat that year.

25. George Osborne joined the Conservative Research Department in 1994, and became head of its Political Section.

26. George Osborne was shortlisted for, but failed to gain a place on, The Times trainee scheme; he applied to The Economist, where he was interviewed and rejected by Gideon Rachman.

27. In 1993, George Osborne intended to pursue a career in journalism.

28. George Osborne was born in Paddington, London, as Gideon Oliver Osborne; he decided when he was 13 to be known by the additional first name of 'George'.

29. George Osborne became editor of the Evening Standard in May 2017 and stepped down as an MP at the 2017 general election.

30. George Osborne was appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Conservative leader Michael Howard in 2004.

31. George Osborne was elected as MP for Tatton in 2001, becoming the youngest Conservative member of the House of Commons.

32. George Osborne went on to be a special adviser to Douglas Hogg, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and worked at 10 Downing Street as well as for Prime Minister John Major's campaign team in the party's unsuccessful 1997 general election campaign, before becoming a speechwriter and political secretary to Major's successor as party leader, William Hague.

33. George Osborne worked briefly as a freelancer for The Daily Telegraph before joining the Conservative Research Department in 1994 and becoming head of its political section.

34. George Osborne served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2016.