Andy Burnham appoints former pop band star and heartthrob to be his top economic adviser after causing a stir in the Treasury

By CODIE BULLEN, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER Published: 15:21, 31 July 2026 | Updated: 16:40, 31 July 2026 Once part of a chart-topping pop band, he became a heartthrob who travelled the world and graced magazine covers.  Now, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed former Clean Bandit musician Neil Amin-Smith to be his top economic adviser.  Before his successful political career began in 2019, Amin-Smith, 36, was a violinist in the Grammy Award-winning band.  The British electronic music group was formed in Cambridge in 2008 and also consisted of members Grace Chatto and brothers Jack and Luke Patterson.  The band is best known for its hits Rather Be, which spent four weeks at number one in the UK and sold over 1.1million copies, Rockabye and Symphony. Over the years they collaborated with huge artists including Demi Lovato, Zara Larsson and Jess Glynne. Andy Burnham has appointed a former Clean Bandit star to be his top economic adviser Before his successful political career began in 2019, Amin-Smith, 36, was a violinist in the Grammy Award-winning band During his music career, Amin-Smith appeared on the cover of Gay Times, after announcing he had started a relationship with Years & Years singer, Olly Alexander. 'It's important for people to see you can be happy as a gay couple, and as a young gay couple,' he told Capital FM in 2015. The pair dated for a year around ten years ago, before breaking up. However, in February 2025, Alexander revealed that he has reignited a love affair with an old flame.   In 2016, Amin-Smith ditched the glamour of the music industry when he quit the band. Amin-Smith, who grew up in North London, then joined the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), an economic think-tank, as a research economist, before moving to the Treasury in 2019 as a senior policy adviser. He took on a powerful role as the Labour Party's main political adviser for policy affecting the City of London, working closely with Rachel Reeves for four years. And this week, according to The Times, Amin-Smith has been spotted in 10 Downing Street after being appointed by the Prime Minister, who has officially been in office for just under two weeks, having succeeded Keir Starmer on July 20. Amin-Smith graduated from Cambridge with a BA in History, and later an MPhil in Economics in 2013, at which point he says he turned down job offers from the Foreign Office and MI6 to pursue a musical career with the group. ‘Both very tempting, but no real regrets,’ he told the Daily Telegraph in 2015. ‘I don’t think I would have wanted to be working in the national interest as such.’ Elsewhere in 2025, the heartthrob has topped the Standard's list of 100 sexiest people in London, after 'turning Treasury heads like hungry owls', according to the publication. Rachel Reeves (centre) laughs next to Neil Amin-Smith (left) after Ed Miliband (right) made a joke at 11 Downing Street in London on July 9, 2024 During his music career, Amin-Smith appeared on the cover of Gay Times, after announcing he had started a relationship with Years & Years singer, Olly Alexander  ‘He’s unusually gorgeous, and quite stylish,’ one Treasury official told Politico. 'He’s a bit of a popstar, but he doesn't rub it in your face. It's a kind of quiet, confident coolness.' The new move from Burnham comes after he made a number of changes in his cabinet.   Burnham’s new cabinet includes several senior Labour figures, with several notable changes from the previous government. Rachel Reeves was axed as Chancellor, Sir Keir’s Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was sacked, and Peter Kyle lost his job as Business Secretary as Mr Burnham cleared the way for his own allies to take key roles. However, both Angela Rayner, who was forced to resign over a tax scandal, and Louise Haigh, who quit as Transport Secretary when a previous fraud conviction came to light, are back in the Cabinet. The ex-Manchester mayor has promised to deliver the biggest change to British politics in 40 years. He promised to provide early ‘breathing space’ for households struggling with the cost of living, and vowed to end rough sleeping and set out a goal of ‘reindustrialising Britain’.