Simon McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford
The Lord McDonald of Salford | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Head of HM Diplomatic Service | |
| In office September 2015 – September 2020 | |
| Foreign Secretary | Philip Hammond Boris Johnson Jeremy Hunt Dominic Raab |
| Preceded by | Sir Simon Fraser |
| Succeeded by | Sir Philip Barton |
| British Ambassador to Germany | |
| In office 2010–2015 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| President | Christian Wulff Joachim Gauck |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Sir Michael Arthur |
| Succeeded by | Sir Sebastian Wood |
| British Ambassador to Israel | |
| In office 2003–2006 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| President | Moshe Katzav |
| British Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Israeli Prime Minister | Sharon, Olmert |
| Preceded by | Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles |
| Succeeded by | Sir Tom Phillips |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 27 January 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 March 1961 Salford, England |
| Party | None (crossbencher) |
| Spouse | Olivia Wright |
| Children | 4 (2 sons, 2 daughters) |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Simon Gerard McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford, GCMG, KCVO (born 9 March 1961) is a British former diplomat who was the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service until September 2020. He was the last professional head of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has been the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge since September 2022.
In July 2022 McDonald wrote a letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards stating that denials of previous allegations against Chris Pincher by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson were untrue. The letter was described as an "extraordinary, devastating intervention", and was followed by resignations of senior cabinet ministers, ultimately leading to Johnson's announcement of his resignation on 7 July 2022.