The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is the most senior civil servant at HM Treasury. The post originated as that of Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in 1805; that office was given new duties and renamed in 1867 as a Permanent Secretaryship.
The position is generally regarded as the second most influential in Her Majesty's Civil Service; the last two incumbents have gone on to be Cabinet Secretary, the only post out-ranking it.
It has also been somewhat politicised in the past; in 1909, Sir George Murray was involved in lobbying various Crossbench peers in the House of Lords to reject the Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposed budget.
Read more about Permanent Secretary To The Treasury: Assistant Secretaries To The Treasury, Permanent Secretaries To The Treasury
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