Transparency data

Cabinet Office Publication of Special Adviser Interests 2025-2026 (HTML)

Published 16 July 2026

Introduction

As with all civil servants, special advisers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.

In line with the current Declaration of Interests policy for special advisers, interests must be declared to their Permanent Secretary in the appointing department for consideration. The personal information which special advisers disclose to the Permanent Secretary is treated in confidence.

All special advisers are required to submit a completed declaration of interests form, including nil returns in instances where there was no actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest.

Where relevant to the role, and to help manage a perception of conflict or to explain how a conflict is being managed, interests are published on an annual basis in, or alongside, the relevant departmental Annual Report and Accounts. This provides a balance between transparency and privacy.

The declared interests of all those employed in the period 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026 have been considered for publication, including those who have since left their Department. The Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary has considered these returns and deemed that the following relevant interests should be made public for special advisers working within the Cabinet Office departmental boundary (i.e. Cabinet Office, Number 10 and the offices of the Leaders of the Houses).

Name	Interest
Amy Richards	Ms Richards holds a paid role at the Labour Party. Ms Richards’ work as a special adviser is a part-time contract and the work for this organisation is performed outside these hours. Ms Richards’ spouse/partner is an Assistant Government Whip. Ms Richards’ brother holds a Ministerial position in the Ministry of Justice.
Balshen Izzet	Ms Izzet is recused from any engagement with or involvement in policy matters relating to British Associated Foods.
Carys Roberts (to October 2025)	Ms Roberts’ spouse/partner was Director of the think tank Common Wealth.
Claire Stewart	Ms Stewart holds a paid role at the Labour Party. Ms Stewart’s work as a special adviser is a part-time contract and the work for the Labour Party is performed outside these hours.
Dilwar Hussain	Mr Hussain is Director of Pacata Ltd. His work as a special adviser is a part-time contract and his work for Pacata Ltd is performed outside these hours. Mr Hussain is recused from policy matters relating to the Good Faith Partnership, the Pears Foundation, Groundswell Project, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Labour Together and engagement with these organisations. Mr Hussain is an unpaid Chair and trustee of the charity New Horizons in British Islam. Mr Hussain is an affiliated researcher at the Woolf Institute, University of Cambridge. Mr Hussain is an honorary fellow at the University of Leicester.
Harvey Redgrave	Mr Redgrave is recused from involvement in discussions or matters relating to Crest Advisory Ltd. Mr Redgrave holds an unpaid role as advisor to Young Futures.
Isabel Abbs	Ms Abbs is recused from policy matters relating to Reef + Partners, Oviva, DrDoctor, Medica, Magentus, Sporebio, Tortus, Meridian, Teneo, TCEB Limited, and the UCL Business School for Health, and engagement with these organisations. Ms Abbs’ father is fractional Chief Medical Office for Guys and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust. Ms Abbs’ father is Executive Chair of the National NHS Meta Genomics Programme. Ms Abbs’ father is a member of DSIT’s Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.
James Lyons (to September 2025)	Mr Lyons’s spouse/partner is a journalist with the BBC.
Jason Keen	Mr Keen’s spouse/partner is an MP. Mr Keen is recused from matters relating to his spouse/partner’s constituency.
Jessica George	Ms George held a part-time paid role with the Labour Party between the 30th March and 8th May 2026. Ms George’s work for this organisation was performed outside their hours as a Special Adviser in No10. Ms George’s work as a Special Adviser was under a temporary part-time contract during this period.
Joseph Knight (to September 2025)	Mr Knight is recused from involvement in discussions or matters relating to creative industries.
Laura Greatrex	Ms Greatrex holds an unpaid role as a trustee at Home Start Southern Oxfordshire. Ms Greatrex is recused from policy matters relating to Home Start, Rooftop Cinemas Group Ltd, EA-RD Fire Engineering Group Ltd, EC Electronics Group Ltd, and Felix Topco Ltd, and engagement with these organisations.
Louis Holliday	Mr Holliday holds an unpaid role as director of Pocket Power Ltd. He does not play an active role in the affairs of this organisation. Mr Holliday is recused from any procurement or engagement with Pocket Power Ltd.
Matt Cavanagh	Dr Cavanagh holds an unpaid role as Director of Matt Cavanagh Consulting Ltd. The organisation has ceased trading and will be made dormant at the end of its current financial year in September 2026.
Michelle Napchan	Ms Napchan is recused from involvement in discussions or matters relating to Alphabet and Meta and their subsidiary companies.
Milly Lynch (to January 2026)	Ms Lynch was appointed on a Fixed Term Appointment during which she was on secondment from and continued to be employed by the Labour Party.
Morgan McSweeney (to February 2026)	Mr McSweeney’s spouse/partner is an Assistant Government Whip.
Peter Robbins	Mr Robbins holds a paid role at the Labour Party. Mr Robbins’s work as a special adviser is a part-time contract and the work for the Labour Party is performed outside these hours.
Prentice Hazell	Mr Hazell holds a paid role at the Labour Party. Mr Hazell’s work as a special adviser is a part-time contract and the work for this organisation is performed outside these hours.
Sophie Nazemi	Ms Nazemi’s spouse/partner is a political commentator.
Stephanie Driver (to September 2025)	Ms Driver is director of Stephanie Driver Communications Ltd. This company is not trading.
Tim Allan (to February 2026)	Mr Allan is Director of Donmar Warehouse Projects Ltd - ‘The Donmar Theatre’. Mr Allan was recused from policy matters relating to theatre. Mr Allan was recused from any procurement or engagement with BB Partners Advisory Holdings Ltd, Strand Partners Ltd, Thorndon Partners Ltd and MV Public Relations Ltd.
Tom Price	Mr Price is recused from involvement in discussions or matters relating to Alphabet and Meta and their subsidiary companies.
Tom Webb (to April 2025)	Mr Webb holds an unpaid role as a trustee at Eastside Educational Trust.
Tommy Gale	Mr Gale is an unpaid Chair of InsideUni C.I.C. Mr Gale is a Local Councillor for Camden Council. Mr Gale is a member of the Council of Governors for North London NHS Foundation.
Varun Chandra	Where organisations or individuals who Mr Chandra worked closely with in previous employment are engaging with the government on issues that he directly advised them on in previous employment, Mr Chandra discloses these to the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office agrees specific mitigations which can include recusals.
Yasmeen Sebbana	Ms Sebbana is recused from involvement with matters directly related to Public First and previous clients.