IN THE TIGHT corridors of 10 Downing Street, influence is rarely loud. It moves instead through briefing papers, hastily arranged meetings and the careful choreography that keeps the machinery of government turning. Much of that quiet coordination now rests with Kunal Patel, deputy principal private secretary to the prime minister – a role that places him at the operational heart of British government.
Since August 2023, Patel has worked inside the prime minister’s private office, the unit responsible for ensuring that decisions at the top of government are informed, organised and executed.
Patel first assumed the role during the premiership of Rishi Sunak and has continued in post under Sir Keir Starmer – a transition that illustrates the non-partisan ethos of the British civil service. Officials in the private office serve the office of the prime minister rather than the politics of the moment, providing continuity when governments change.
The private office itself operates as the nerve centre of Downing Street. It manages engagements, prepares submissions for decision, tracks implementation across departments and ensures urgent matters reach the prime minister without delay. Patel plays a central part in that process, overseeing the flow of papers to and from the prime minister while coordinating departmental advice and aligning policy discussions with the government’s priorities. During periods of economic strain, diplomatic tension or security pressure, the office becomes the focal point for information and response – and the deputy principal private secretary helps hold that network together.
The role draws heavily on Patel’s earlier experience in HM Treasury, where he spent years navigating the financial architecture of government. Between October 2019 and March 2022 he served as private secretary to the chancellor of the exchequer, a position that placed him close to the centre of the government’s economic response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He later moved into the Treasury’s Fiscal Group as deputy director, overseeing aspects of fiscal policy and the sustainability of the public finances. At the same time, he served in the Debt and Reserves Management team, the unit responsible for overseeing government borrowing and its relationship with the UK Debt Management Office. He also advised on debt financing through National Savings and Investments, where he served as a board member.
Those experiences converge in the prime minister’s private office. The deputy principal private secretary must understand not only how policy is debated but how it becomes legislation, spending decisions and market signals. When departments bring proposals to No. 10, Patel and his colleagues test their readiness, reconcile competing advice and ensure the prime minister receives the information needed to decide.
Public attention naturally falls on ministers standing at the dispatch box. Yet the rhythm of government depends just as much on the officials who organise the decisions behind the scenes. In that hidden choreography – where policy, politics and administration meet – Patel has become one of the civil service figures helping to keep the system moving.
ENDS