Danny Alexander
The Liberal Democrat MP who became the Treasury's spending watchdog during the UK's tense 2010 coalition government era.
Born 1972 (age 54)·British banker·Birthday: May 15·Generation X
Biography
Danny Alexander's political career was defined by a single, tumultuous period: the five years of coalition government in the United Kingdom. Elected as a Liberal Democrat MP for the Scottish Highlands in 2005, he was a close ally of party leader Nick Clegg. When the 2010 election resulted in a hung parliament, Alexander found himself at the heart of the negotiations that formed a government with the Conservatives. He was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a role that made him the second-in-command at the finance ministry. His signature task was overseeing a comprehensive spending review, implementing deep austerity cuts that strained his party's identity and his own relationship with voters. After the coalition ended and he lost his seat in 2015, Alexander moved into international finance, serving as Vice-President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Danny was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Danny Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Danny's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2015, a key role in the UK coalition government.
- Was the Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey from 2005 to 2015.
- Led the 2010 UK government Spending Review that set out major austerity budgets.
Did You Know?
He was knighted in 2015, becoming Sir Danny Alexander.
Before politics, he worked as a press officer for the Cairngorms National Park.
He was born in Edinburgh and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford.
“The coalition's purpose was to fix the economy and secure recovery.”
