Early Life
Born in the City of London, he received most of his education in France before returning to study for his A Levels at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford and then taking a first in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford.
As a student he worked in the summer holidays as a researcher to Tony Blair from 1989 to 1992. After graduating he worked as a research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research before moving to the BBC to become Head of Corporate Planning. In 1997 Purnell returned to work as a special adviser at Number 10 until 2001. He also served as a board member of the Young Vic theatre.
Read more about this topic: James Purnell
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“The shift from the perception of the child as innocent to the perception of the child as competent has greatly increased the demands on contemporary children for maturity, for participating in competitive sports, for early academic achievement, and for protecting themselves against adults who might do them harm. While children might be able to cope with any one of those demands taken singly, taken together they often exceed children’s adaptive capacity.”
—David Elkind (20th century)
“As life runs on, the road grows strange
With faces new,—and near the end
The milestones into headstones change,
‘Neath every one a friend.”
—James Russell Lowell (1819–1891)