“He’s unusually gorgeous, and quite stylish,” said one Treasury official, granted anonymity to speak freely.
The award-winning musician has taken on a powerful role as the Labour Party’s main political adviser for policy affecting the City of London, sitting on Reeves’ economic council. He’s heavily involved in flagship policies like the launch of a national wealth fund and a review of the country’s pensions system.
Most political advisers try to stay in the shadows, particularly those in the Treasury where a sense of understated order and balancing the books are the daily obsessions. But with his effortless cool, multiple earrings and open-shirted style of a top musician, Amin-Smith, 34, might find that more difficult than most.
“He’s a very, very handsome man,” said a former Labour official. “He’s a bit of a popstar, but he doesn’t rub it in your face. It’s a kind of quiet, confident coolness.”
Musical history
Amin-Smith’s current job is a stark change from a decade ago when he performed the haunting violin solo that opened Clean Bandit’s hit Rather Be live on British television.
He was a founding member of the band at Cambridge University. It grew out of a string quartet in 2008, playing the violin and piano in a musical style that fuses pop, dance and classical music.
