Alex Allan

Sir Alexander Claud Stuart Allan (born 9 February 1951) is a British civil servant who served as chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Head of Intelligence Assessment for Her Majesty's Government between 2007 and 2011.

He resigned as the Prime Minister's Independent advisor on ministerial standards in November 2020.

Early life

Allan is the son of Robert Allan, Baron Allan of Kilmahew. Between 1964 and 1969 Allan was educated at Harrow School, followed by obtaining a BA (Hon) degree in Mathematics from Clare College, Cambridge in 1972. In 1973 he also received an MSc degree in Statistics from University College London.

On 6 February 2007 Allan attended a meeting with the management board for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). His duty was to brief the board about the Department for Constitutional Affairs' approach to information rights and the ICO itself. In this meeting Allan recognised inadequate pay as being a key issue in the ICO and across the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

On 4 July 2007, before the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Allan was asked whether he had written an article for MP Vera Baird in The Times. He denied the accusation.

Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC)

On 15 November 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Head of Intelligence Assessment. Allan's role was to collect intelligence from the Security Service, MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, GCHQ and other sources of intelligence, and present them to ministers as threats developed. He had access to the Prime Minister at all times and also top secret US and UK intelligence reports.

Allan was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2012 New Year Honours.

Independent advisor on ministerial standards

In November 2011 he was appointed by David Cameron as the Prime Minister's independent advisor on ministerial standards. In 2012 he said to a public administration committee of MPs that if ever he were "bypassed", he would step down. He resigned from the post on 20 November 2020 after PM Boris Johnson backed Priti Patel following a report Allan had compiled that concluded that Patel's approach "amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying" and that she had "not consistently met the high standards expected of her".

Allan windsurfed to work in a suit and bowler hat down the River Thames during a train strike. He published his personal details on his own website, including his address, telephone number and details of family and friends, which was described by a security official as "a serious breach". It has been suggested by the media that Allan was poisoned by one of several organisations, including Al Qaeda, or the Russian Government, but this was dismissed by New Scotland Yard. On 10 July 2008 a Cabinet Office spokesman said Allan had regained consciousness but for now would remain in hospital to regain his strength.

David Miliband MP briefly mentioned Alex Allan and his illness in Parliament (17 July 2008):

Very briefly, I would like to put it on record that I have known Alex Allan for 11 years now, and a couple of hon. Members referred to his recent illness and passed on their best wishes to him. I am delighted to say that he will be able to recognise the warmth and strength of that feeling when it is passed on to him in hospital. I am sure that we all wish him a speedy and full recovery from his illness.

On 13 October 2008 he reportedly responded to an enquiry concerning a personal bookplate (designed by Anne Jope). The unusual bookplate depicts a skeletal figure operating a computer.