Political Science

James Nation

Former Deputy Head of Policy Unit, 10 Downing Street

James Nation began his career at the Confederation of British Industry upon completing his studies at Oxford and the London School of Economics.

He joined the civil service in 2016, beginning at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and later moving over to HM Treasury.

From 2020 to 2022, he served as special advisor to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

In that role, he worked in Number 11 on a team that developed several budgets, including the March 2021 budget, and the UK Government’s fiscal response to the COVID pandemic.

From 2022 - 2024, he served as Deputy Head of Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In this role, he helped develop the prime minister’s domestic policy agenda.

For his role handling some of the most difficult issues the Number 10 faced, he was labelled “Sunak’s Problem Solver” by the Guardian.

James Nation led the team responsible for drawing up the Conservative Party Manifesto in the 2024 General Election campaign.

In May 2025, Nation was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list for his public service.

He is currently Managing Director at Forefront Advisors, an intelligence-led political insights firm.

He continues to write about political developments in the United Kingdom as well as economic and public policy issues.

Political Party: Conservative Party.

Known As: “Sunak’s Problem Solver”.

Known For: Known as “Sunak’s Problem Solver”, James Nation, OBE was Deputy Head of Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street For Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (2022 - 2024); He led the team responsible for drawing up the Conservative Party Manifesto in the 2024 General Election campaign; Prior to this, he was a Special Advisor to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (2020-2022), and a civil servant in both the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government & HM Treasury (2016 - 2020).

Expertise Sought By: Investment Banks, National Wealth Funds, Private Sector Enterprises, Think Tanks, Private Equity Firms, Pension Funds, Asset Managers, Ratings Agencies, Policy-Makers, Universities.

Education

M.Sc. Philosophy & Public Policy, London School of Economics · B.A. History, University of Oxford

Topics

Advising a Prime Minister · The UK’s Policy Response To The COVID Pandemic · Crisis Management · UK Domestic Policy · Public Policy Formation · The UK Civil Service · Developing and Presenting the Government Budget · Fiscal Policy · Investment Banks · National Wealth Funds · Private Sector Enterprises · Think Tanks · Private Equity Firms · Pension Funds · Asset Managers · Ratings Agencies · Policy-Makers · Universities.