The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Charlotte Owens’ LinkedIn profile is contradicted by Number 10’s own records
The woman who is set to become the UK’s youngest ever life peer appears to have exaggerated the amount of time she worked at Downing Street on her public profile. Charlotte Owen is one of seven names approved by King Charles for elevation to the House of Lords as part of Boris Johnson’s controversial resignation honours’ list.
Her LinkedIn profile states that she worked as a special adviser for the former prime minister from February 2021 until October 2022.
However she is not named alongside others in Number 10 in the annual report on special advisers published in June 2021. She is named in the same report from a subsequent year as working half for the prime minister and half for then chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris.
Two former Number 10 insiders told Tortoise her public profile did not match up with reality.
One said: “It is not what she says on her LinkedIn. She never worked in the policy unit. She was promoted very heavily by Nigel Adams [the former minister who resigned as an MP last week]… but there were dozens of people more senior than her.”
They added: “It is completely staggering – her peerage is one of the most strange and hardest to explain because she was so extraordinarily junior.”
A second source added: “Charlotte’s peerage is just so absurd… She joined in March 2022, she never worked in the policy unit… at the very least there is an inconsistency in what she’s saying.”
They added: “She wasn’t even the most important person in the political office, that is the odd part.”
Owen is one of several people to receive gongs in Johnson’s honours list with seemingly little record of public service.
Dan Rosenfield worked as Johnson’s chief of staff in Downing Street for 13 months while Ross Kempsell rejoined Number 10 in March 2022, having previously worked for the prime minister in 2019, six months before Johnson was forced out. Both men have received peerages.
Kulveer Ranger is named as having been a “special adviser to UK Government on digital strategy”, however there is no record of his name in the annual reports.
Two sources, including a former minister, said there was no record of him having worked at Number 10. One said: “I have no recollection [of him] and he’s not on any lists.”
His LinkedIn profile makes no reference to this role.
Guto Harri was on secondment as Johnson’s press chief for around seven months: he has received a CBE.
A spokesman for Johnson, Owen and others on the list said: “We do not comment on honours.”
This article has been amended since publication.