ONS appoints Bank of England data exec as new chief
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has appointed a Bank of England executive as its new director general at a time when the independent body is losing trust over its poor handling of key data.
James Benford, who served as the Bank’s chief data officer and oversaw analytics, will join the ONS in early August and take on the same level of responsibility as Mike Keoghan, who left in March.
Benford will be tasked with “renew[ing] confidence” in the ONS and improving calculations of key data including economic growth, inflation and the UK labour market.
The official statistics body has faced intense scrutiny over the last couple of years from senior MPs and Governor Andrew Bailey over its jobs data and price calculations.
City analysts have questioned official statistics produced by the ONS while the Bank of England has placed “more weight” on its own estimates in recent times, according to rate-setter Megan Greene.
Benford said he was determined to “rebuild trust” in official data “that informs so many critical decisions”.
“I am honoured to take up this role at such a pivotal moment,” Benford said.
“Better statistics require better alignment – not only within the ONS, but across the entire system.
“I look forward to collaborating with users and data suppliers across government, business, and academia to harness new data sources, embrace innovation, and ensure our statistics are fit for the challenges of a fast-evolving world.”
Emma Rourke, an ONS official who oversees health and population data, said Benford would be able to develop “AI-driven innovation” and prioritise investment in core statistics.
Data revamp troubles
Statisticians are eagerly awaiting the publication of a review led by retired civil servant Sir Robert Devereux, who is working with the UK Statistics Authority and the Cabinet Office to offer recommendations.
The Wales-headquartered public body has been heavily criticised by leading City economists including Panmure Liberum’s Simon French, who suggested it should publish data less often and prioritise accuracy.
The latest error was revealed earlier this month when the ONS said its inflation figure was 0.1 percentage point too high for April.
Figures were left unrevised in official datasets, with a correction to vehicle excise duty calculations made for May inflation figures.
City analysts and the Bank of England are also looking more closely at business surveys to track job data given the ONS’ troubles in revamping its labour force survey.
The new version of the survey is expected to be rolled out in 2027 and it is set to include shorter questionnaires to boost response rates.