CLEAN BANDIT VIOLINIST APPOINTED TREASURY ADVISER

Neil Amin-Smith, violinist in Grammy Award-winning band Clean Bandit, has been appointed senior Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Amin-Smith began his political career in 2019 after leaving the band in 2016. He holds an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge, where he studied History whilst Clean Bandit was formed in 2008.

Clean Bandit achieved chart success with their song Rather Be, featuring Jess Glynne, which spent four weeks at number one and sold over 1.1 million copies. Following his departure from the band, Amin-Smith joined the Institute for Fiscal Studies as a research economist before moving to the Treasury in 2019 as a senior policy adviser. He worked with Rachel Reeves as a primary political adviser to the Labour Party on policy affecting the City of London.

Amin-Smith was previously offered roles by the Foreign Office and MI6 before his music career. In 2015, he told The Telegraph that both positions were "very tempting" but he had "no real regrets" about choosing music, adding he did not wish to work "in the national interest as such". His appointment comes as the new Prime Minister settles into position and the Chancellor prepares for the government's first Budget.