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Liam Booth-Smith

Liam Booth-Smith (born 1987) is a British political adviser who has served as the Downing Street Chief of Staff since October 2022. He previously served as de facto chief of staff to then-chancellor Rishi Sunak as head of the Joint Economic Unit.

Early life and education

Booth-Smith was born in 1987 in Stoke on Trent and was raised by a single mother. He read politics and social policy at Loughborough University.

Career

Booth-Smith served as chief executive of the Localis think tank between 2016 and 2018, before serving as a special adviser to James Brokenshire as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government between 2018 and 2019, where Rishi Sunak was a junior minister. In July 2019, Booth-Smith became a senior adviser to prime minister Boris Johnson upon his accession as prime minister. He had previously worked at the Policy Exchange think tank with a specialism in housing policy.

In February 2020, Booth-Smith became then-chancellor Sunak's de facto chief of staff as head of the Joint Economic Unit between 10 Downing Street and 11 Downing Street, overseeing the Treasury's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Booth-Smith led Rishi Sunak's leadership campaign during the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and again during the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.

Downing Street Chief of Staff

Booth-Smith was appointed as Downing Street Chief of Staff in October 2022 after Rishi Sunak's accession as prime minister. He succeeded Mark Fullbrook.

In 2023 the New Statesman named him as the ninth most powerful figure in British Right-Wing Politics.