Ex-Foreign Secretarys son takes top counter terror post at Home Office
The son of Tory grandee Douglas Hurd is the new head of Home Office security and counter terrorism.
The son of Tory grandee Douglas Hurd is the new head of Home Office security and counter terrorism.
Diplomat Thomas Hurd has been appointed the new director-general for the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT).
He replaces Charles Farr, who after eight years at the helm becomes the new Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee.
Mr Hurd starts his new role in April and will be responsible for the Governments strategy, policy and legislative response to the threats of terrorism and organised crime.
He studied Middle Eastern affairs at Oxford University and was two years above Prime Minister David Cameron at Eton. He worked as an investment banker before joining the Foreign Office in 1992.
The father-of-five has held a number of senior posts in the fields of security and counter-terrorism. An expert in Middle Eastern affairs as a senior diplomat with responsibility for the region, he has worked for the UKs United Nations Security Council team.
Mr Hurd also appeared on a list of alleged MI6 agents posted on the internet in 1999, although the authenticity of the list has been questioned.
Commenting on his new appointment, Mr Hurd said he was looking forward to working with law enforcement and the security services to drive the UKs response to the threats of terrorism and organised crime.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: This is a critically important role, at the heart of the UKs response to the threat we face from terrorists and serious criminals.
His wealth of experience working in counter-terrorism and security at home and abroad will be invaluable.
Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill added: I look forward to working with him to deliver the Governments counter-terrorism and organised crime strategies, keeping our country safe and citizens secure.
While working at the United Nations in May 2001, Mr Hurd suffered an horrific personal tragedy when his wife, Sian, plunged 60ft to her death from the roof of their New York home.
Central Hampshire Coroner Grahame Short told an inquest hearing in 2012 in Winchester that the fall was more than likely an intentional act but he recorded an open verdict.
Mr Hurds father, Baron Hurd of Westwell, is a heavyweight who dominated the latter part of 20th century politics at Westminster.
The 85-year-old served as Europe Minister, Northern Ireland Secretary and Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher and straddled the premierships of both her and John Major in the post of Foreign Secretary. He was a failed Tory Party leadership candidate in 1990.
During his tenure as Home Secretary from 1985-89, Lord Hurd also set up the charity Crime Concern which worked with young people, their families, and adult offenders in offering opportunities through training and employment.
A critically-acclaimed political thriller writer, Lord Hurd has also written a non-fiction book on the Metropolitan Police Service founder entitled Robert Peel, a Biography.