1. Matthew Rycroft was born in Southampton, before moving to Cambridge at the age of eleven.
13 Facts About Matthew Rycroft
1. 2.
Matthew Rycroft studied mathematics and philosophy at Merton College, Oxford.
3.
Matthew Rycroft joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office after graduation, in 1989.
4.
In 2002, Matthew Rycroft was appointed Private Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair, to advise him on matters related to foreign policy, the European Union, Northern Ireland and defence.
5.
From March 2005 to July 2008, Matthew Rycroft served as Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
6.
Matthew Rycroft became Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York in April 2015.
7.
Matthew Rycroft's name became familiar to the general public as the author of a secret memo to the British Ambassador to the United States, David Manning, summarizing a 23 July 2002 meeting with Blair and other government officials "to discuss Iraq".
8.
Matthew Rycroft was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development with effect from January 2018.
9.
Matthew Rycroft replaced Mark Lowcock who ran the department from 2011.
10.
Matthew Rycroft was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Home Office in March 2020 following the resignation of Sir Philip Rutnam.
11.
Matthew Rycroft was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to British diplomacy, development and domestic policy.
12.
Matthew Rycroft has been considered as a future potential US ambassador and National Security Adviser.
13.
In February 2025 Matthew Rycroft announced he was retiring as Permanent Under-Secretary of State.