Sir Roy Alexander Stone (19 June 1961 – 12 May 2025) was a British civil servant. From 2000 until 2021, he was Principal Private Secretary to the Government Chief Whip.
Early life and career Born in Hornchurch, Essex, England on 19 June 1961, Stone joined HM Civil Service in 1977 to work in project management in the Ministry of Defence (MoD). In 1983, he moved to the MoD Procurement Executive. In 1988, he joined the staff at 10 Downing Street as a duty clerk, then working as a parliamentary clerk from 1989 to 1998."Stone, Sir Roy (Alexander)", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 10 March 2020.
In 1998, he joined the office of the Government Chief Whip and worked as deputy to the Principal Private Secretary, Murdo Maclean. Stone succeeded Maclean on the latter's retirement in 2000"Private Secretary to the Government Chief Whip (Commons)", M2 Communications, 2000. Retrieved 10 March 2020: "Royal Stone has been appointed to succeed Sir Murdo Maclean ... [he] takes up his appointment on 30 November 2000 ... [he] joined the Chief Whip's Office in 1998 and is currently deputy to Sir Murdo...". Stone's entry in Who's Who states that he was PPS from 1998, but this is clearly in error. and held the office until 2021."New Year Honours - High Awards" (Cabinet Office, 28 December 2018). Retrieved 10 March 2020. Part of his role was to ensure that there was enough parliamentary time to pass the government's legislation; this entailed liaising with government ministers and opposition officials.Jill Sherman, "Chief Whip's link to retire", The Times, 4 September 2000, p. 11.
Death Stone died from a cardiac arrest on 12 May 2025, at the age of 63. Tributes were paid to him in the House of Commons the following day.
Honours Stone was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire "for parliamentary and public service" in the 2014 New Year Honours,The London Gazette, 1 December 2013 (supplement, no 60728), p. 9. and a Knight Bachelor in the 2019 New Year Honours. In justifying his knighthood, the Cabinet Office stated that Stone "is an outstanding senior civil servant... responsible for the effective operation of the House of Commons Business Management team ... he has given unstinting service to twelve Chief Whips, and has played a vital role in delivering the Government's legislative priorities over this period".
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